Given the scale of contemporary global challenges and their interconnectedness, achieving a more sustainable future must be the priority of all public policies today. In more fragmented societies, public policies must respond to the aspirations of diverse populations, as well as guarantee pluralism and respect for fundamental rights. Culture provides boundless resources in responding and adapting to development challenges by playing a transversal and effective role in all areas of public policy. The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out precisely a shared vision for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable world. It encompasses a framework to support countries in the development and implementation of their public policies at the local, national, regional and international levels.
This page is dedicated to culture in public policy. It presents the key milestones of our mission to strengthen intergovernmental dialogue and international cooperation, in particular through policy making processes, including ministerial dialogues, as well as related tools and mechanisms. It also provides examples of sustainable development strategies and plans at country level. This section also encompasses thematic strategies and policy mechanisms anchored in UNESCO's cultural conventions that provide a solid framework for cultural cooperation and cultural diplomacy across countries and regions, towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Finally, this section features prospective cutting-edge reflections in relation to the impact of culture on sustainable development.
Driving Global Advocacy
United Nations Resolutions: Culture & Development
Leveraging Policy Dialogue
Forum of Ministers of Culture
On 19 November 2019, UNESCO hosted the Forum of Ministers of Culture, a major event to discuss the central place of culture in public policies around the world and its impact on sustainable development. More than 120 Ministers and high representatives were present to mark a high point during the 40th session of the General Conference of UNESCO (12-27 November 2019). UNESCO, the only United Nations agency for culture, is returning to the tradition of ministerial meetings in the field of culture, 21 years after the Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies for Development held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1998.
Supporting Public Policy
UNESCO's Cultural Conventions Tools
UNESCO's Cities Programmes
Culture for Sustainable Urban Development