Engaging in continuous dialogue to ensure that all members of society benefit from sustainable development.

With the adoption in September 2015 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the United Nations, and the Resolution A/C.2/70/L.59 on Culture and Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2015, the message of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is more important than ever. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals can best be achieved by drawing upon the creative potential of the world’s diverse cultures, and engaging in continuous dialogue to ensure that all members of society benefit from sustainable development.

Draft resolution submitted by the Vice-Chair of the Committee, Enrique J. Carrillo Gómez (Paraguay), on the basis of informal consultations on draft resolution A/C.2/70/L.6.

UNGA RESOLUTION A/C.2/70/L.59  on Culture and sustainable development.

The General Assembly, 

Guided by the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, Recalling its resolutions 41/187 of 8 December 1986, 46/158 of 19 December 1991, 51/179 of 16 December 1996, 52/197 of 18 December 1997, 53/184 of 15 December 1998, 55/192 of 20 December 2000, 57/249 of 20 December 2002, 65/166 of 20 December 2010 and 66/208 of 22 December 2011, concerning culture and development, 66/288 of 27 July 2012, entitled “The future we want”, and 68/223 of 20 December 2013 and 69/230 of 19 December 2014 on culture and sustainable development, Reaffirming its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, which adopts a comprehensive, far-reaching and people-centred set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals and targets, its commitment to working tirelessly for the full implementation of this Agenda by 2030, its recognition that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, and its commitment to achieving sustainable development in its three dimensions — economic, social and environmental — in a balanced and integrated manner, building upon the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals and seeking to address their unfinished business, Reaffirming also its resolution 69/313 of 27 July 2015 on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which is an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, supports and complements it and helps to contextualize its means of A/C.2/70/L.59 2/6 15-21643 implementation targets with concrete policies and actions, and reaffirmed the strong political commitment to address the challenge of financing and creating an enabling environment at all levels for sustainable development in the spirit of global partnership and solidarity, Recalling that in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, inter alia, the natural and cultural diversity of the world is acknowledged, and it is recognized that cultures and civilizations can contribute to, and are crucial enablers of, sustainable development, Recalling also the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions,
1 as well as other international conventions of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that acknowledge cultural diversity and economic and social development,
2 Recognizing that culture is an essential component of human development, that it represents a source of identity, innovation and creativity for the individual and the community and that it is an important factor in social inclusion and poverty eradication, providing for sustainable economic growth and ownership of development processes, Recognizing also the importance of respect and understanding for cultural diversity throughout the world and of working together and not against each other, and of fostering intercultural understanding and dialogue, mutual listening and learning and an ethic of global citizenship and solidarity, Recalling the principles of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity,
3 and acknowledging that cultural diversity is a source of enrichment for humankind and an important contribution to the sustainable development of local communities, peoples and nations, empowering them to play an active and unique role in development initiatives, Recognizing the importance of multilingualism as a means of promoting, protecting and preserving the diversity of languages and cultures globally and that genuine multilingualism promotes unity in diversity and international understanding, and recognizing also the importance for the peoples of the world to communicate in their own language,
Recalling the concerns expressed in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 4 on the underrepresentation of women in decision-making positions in the area of culture, which has prevented women from having a significant impact in the area of culture and development,

Recalling also the importance of the promotion of national cultures, artistic creation in all its forms and international and regional cultural cooperation, and reaffirming in this regard the relevance of strengthening national efforts and regional and international cooperation mechanisms for cultural action and artistic creation, recognizing respect for cultural pluralism, as defined by the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, as policies for the inclusion and participation of all citizens that guarantee social cohesion and the vitality of civil society and peace, enhance cultural development and contribute to sustainable development, Recognizing the linkages between cultural and biological diversity and the positive contribution of local and indigenous traditional knowledge in addressing environmental challenges in a sustainable manner, Taking note of the declaration adopted in Florence, Italy, on 4 October 2014 at the third United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Forum on Culture and Cultural Industries, which follows the Hangzhou Declaration: Placing Culture at the Heart of Sustainable Development Policies, adopted in Hangzhou, China, on 17 May 2013 and the Bali Promise, adopted at the World Culture Forum, held in Bali, Indonesia, from 24 to 27 November 2013, on the role that culture plays as a driver for sustainable development, Stressing the importance of inclusiveness within the United Nations development system and that no country be left behind in the implementation of the present resolution, 1. Reaffirms the role of culture as an enabler of sustainable development that provides people and communities with a strong sense of identity and social cohesion and contributes to more effective and sustainable development policies and measures at all levels, and stresses in this regard that policies responsive to cultural contexts can yield better, sustainable, inclusive and equitable development outcomes; 2. Recognizes the potential of culture as a driver of sustainable development, which contributes to a strong and viable economic sector by generating income, creating decent jobs and addressing both the economic and social dimensions of poverty through cultural heritage and cultural and creative industries, while providing innovative and effective solutions to cross-cutting issues, such as education, health, gender equality and the environment; 3. Emphasizes the important contribution of culture to the three dimensions of sustainable development and to the achievement of national development objectives and the Sustainable Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals, and in this regard acknowledges: (a) That culture contributes to inclusive economic development, as cultural heritage, cultural and creative industries, sustainable cultural tourism and cultural infrastructure are sources of income generation and job creation, including a t the community level, thus improving living conditions and fostering community-based economic growth, and contribute to empowering individuals; (b) That culture contributes to inclusive social development for all, including local communities and indigenous peoples, with respect for cultural diversity, safeguarding of the cultural and natural heritage, fostering of cultural institutions and strengthening of cultural and creative industries; (c) That culture contributes to environmental sustainability, since the protection of cultural and biological diversity and the natural heritage is crucial to sustainable development, while supporting traditional systems of environmental protection, and resource management can contribute to the increased sustainability of fragile ecosystems and the preservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, reducing land degradation and mitigating the effects of climate change; 4. Calls upon the relevant organizations of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates and resources, to ensure that no country is left behind in the implementation of the present resolution; 5. Reaffirms that sustainable development cannot be realized without peace and security and that peace and security will be at risk without sustainable development, and acknowledges that culture can contribute to sustainable development by constituting a valuable resource for empowering communities to participate fully in social and cultural life, facilitating inclusive governance and dialogue at the national, regional and international levels and contributing to conflict prevention and resolution, as well as to reconciliation and recovery; 6. Recognizes that culture should be taken into account in the promotion and implementation of new sustainable consumption and production patterns that contribute to the responsible use of resources and address the adverse impacts of climate change; 7. Acknowledges that quality education is enriched by culture, which transmits shared values, knowledge and skills; 8. Welcomes the inclusion in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of several targets reflecting the contribution of culture to sustainable development, recalls that the sustainable development goals and targets are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development, and in this regard looks forward to their achievement, building on the positive results and impact of programmes utilizing culture as an enabler for sustainable development; 9. Decides to give consideration, as appropriate, to the contribution of culture to sustainable development in the follow-up and review framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 10. Invites all countries, intergovernmental bodies, organizations of the United Nations system, relevant non-governmental organizations and all other relevant stakeholders: (a) To raise public awareness of the importance of cultural diversity for sustainable development, promoting its positive value through education and media tools; (b) To ensure the more visible and effective integration and mainstreaming of culture into economic, social and environmental development policies and strategies at all levels; (c) To ensure that women and men can equally access, participate in and contribute to cultural life and decision-making, and to further commit themselves to the development of cultural policies and programmes with a gender perspective at the local, national and international levels in order to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls; (d) To promote capacity-building, where appropriate, at all levels for the development of a dynamic cultural and creative sector, in particular by encouraging creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, supporting the development of cultural institutions and cultural industries, providing technical and vocational training for culture professionals and increasing employment opportunities in the cultural and creative sector for sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and development; (e) To actively support the emergence of local markets for cultural goods and services and to facilitate the effective and licit access of such goods and services to international markets, taking into account the expanding range of cultural production and consumption and, for States parties to it, the provisions of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions;1 (f) To preserve and maintain local and indigenous traditional knowledge and community practices of environmental management, which are valuable examples of culture as a vehicle for sustainable development, and to foster synergies between modern science and technology and local and indigenous knowledge, practices and innovation; (g) To promote global awareness of the linkages between cultural and biological diversity, including through the protection and encouragement of the customary use of biological resources, in accordance with traditional cultural practices, as a key element of a comprehensive approach to sustainable development; (h) To support national legal frameworks and policies for the protection and preservation of cultural heritage and cultural property, 5 encouraging initiatives to fight against illicit trafficking in cultural property and the return of cultural property, in accordance with national legislation and applicable international legal frameworks, including by promoting international cooperation to prevent the misappropriation of cultural heritage and products, recognizing the importance of intellectual property rights in sustaining those involved in cultural creativity; (i) To note that, in achieving these objectives, innovative mechanisms of financing can make a positive contribution in assisting developing countries in mobilizing additional resources for development on a stable, predictable and voluntary basis, and to reiterate that such voluntary mechanisms should be effective, should aim to mobilize resources that are stable and predictable, should supplement and not be a substitute for traditional sources of financing, should be disbursed in accordance with the priorities of developing countries and should not unduly burden such countries; (j) To mobilize culture as a vehicle to foster tolerance, mutual understanding, peace and reconciliation in the context of conflict-prevention, conflict-resolution and peacebuilding processes; 11. Expresses deep concern that cultural property, including religious sites and objects, is increasingly targeted by terrorist attacks, often resulting in its damage, theft or complete destruction, and condemns such attacks; 12. Encourages all countries, intergovernmental bodies, organizations of the United Nations system, relevant non-governmental organizations and all other relevant stakeholders to enhance international cooperation in supporting the efforts of developing countries towards the development, strengthening and consolidation of cultural industries, cultural tourism and culture-related microenterprises, and to assist those countries in developing the necessary infrastructure and skills as well as in mastering information and communications technologies and in gaining access to new technologies on mutually agreed terms; 13. Encourages initiatives to foster cultural cooperation agreements and networks at the regional level for knowledge- and information-sharing for sustainable development; 14. Invites the organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to continue to provide support, to facilitate financing and to assist Member States, upon their request, in developing their national capacities to optimize the contribution of culture to sustainable development, including through information-sharing, the exchange of best practices, data collection, research and study and the use of appropriate evaluation indicators, as well as to implement applicable international cultural conventions, taking into account the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly; 15. Invites the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and other relevant United Nations bodies to continue to assess, in consultation with Member States, the contribution of culture to the achievement of sustainable development through the compilation of quantitative data, including indicators and statistics, with a view to informing development policies and relevant reports, where appropriate; 16. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that United Nations country teams continue to further integrate and mainstream culture into their programming exercises, in particular United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks, in consultation with relevant national authorities, when assisting countries in the pursuit of their development objectives; 17. Encourages all countries, intergovernmental bodies, organizations of the United Nations system, relevant non-governmental organizations and all other relevant stakeholders to give due consideration to the contribution of culture to the achievement of sustainable development in the formulation of national, regional and international development policies and international cooperation instruments; 18. Requests the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its seventy-second session a report on the implementation of the present resolution, and decides to include, under the item entitled “Globalization and interdependence”, the sub-item entitled “Culture and sustainable development” in the provisional agenda of its seventy-second session, unless otherwise agreed in the discussions on the revitalization of the Second Committee.