What is it about?

The third topic of Voices of Culture 2019 – 2021 asked questions about the challenges and opportunities for culture and the sustainable development goals. How can new priorities, policies, actions and funding streams better address this issue?  

The United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a 15-year global framework.  It is centred on an ambitious set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 169 targets and over 230 indicators.  The SDGs address all UN Member States and the European Union. They address governments, civil society and the private sector. And they include culture.

Why is it important?

For cultural organizations, the Sustainable Development Goals create both challenges and opportunities. The main challenge is how to ensure the effective contribution of culture to the global policy agenda. The main opportunities lie in demonstrating culture’s importance to society, and supporting advocacy.

The EU and its Member States are committed to implementing the 2030 Agenda. In November 2019 the Council amended its Work Programme for Culture to prioritise the SDGs, and invited the Commission to prepare an action plan on the cultural dimension of sustainable development. In September 2020 senior officials of EU foreign and culture ministries discussed the issue.

To contribute to its reflection on culture and the Sustainable Development Goals the European Commission has asked Voices of Culture to organize a conversation among stakeholders.

The topical discussion is framed by a discussion paper by our independent expert Gijs de Vries.

How did we do it?

Successful applicants were invited to a digital Brainstorming Meeting on the 02.12.2020 – 03.12.2020 and to a Dialogue Meeting on the 11.02.2021 to share their input on five suggested areas of discussion:

• Education. What can the EU do to support arts education and citizenship education to promote peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies?
• Growth and employment. How can the EU help improve working conditions for artists? How should it support the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development? How should sustainable cultural tourism be promoted?  (See also the findings of the previous Voices of Culture dialogue on developing entrepreneurial and innovation potential).
• Sustainable communities. While there has been significant EU action to protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage, particularly in the context of the 2018 European Year and its follow-up, are there other areas of culture policy where the EU could/should do more?  For example, what more could/should the EU do to promote the sustainability of cultural infrastructures in communities, in light of COVID-19? 
• Climate action. How should the EU support the cultural sector in strengthening resilience and adapting to climate change?
• Freedom of expression. What more should the EU do to protect artists at risk, and to promote freedom of expression and the right to culture in the European Union and around the world?
  
  Recent Voices of Culture discussions on the themes of gender equality and social inclusion are also relevant to the SDGs. It would be open to the Voices of Culture group to revisit these themes, but given the limited time available to the group it might be preferable to draw out and promote relevant conclusions from the previous groups’ discussions in these areas.

When did it happen?

The Brainstorming meeting for the topic took place digitally on the 2nd & 3rd of December 2020.

The Dialogue meeting for this topic took place on the 11th of February 2021.

Brainstorming Report

The Brainstorming Report is the result of a Brainstorming Session which took place digitally on the 2nd and 3rd of December 2020, as part of the Voices of Culture cycle focusing on ‘Culture and the Sustainable Development Goals: Challenges and Opportunities’. It was published on the 26th of February 2021.

The report was presented to and discussed with representatives of the European Commission during a digital Dialogue Meeting on the 11th of February 2021.

Who participated?

Through an open call for applications, the following 47 organizations were chosen to participate in the structured dialogue on Culture and the sustainable development goals: Challenges and Opportunities.

• Architects’ Council of Europe
• 4Cs: from Conflict to Conviviality through Creativity and Culture
• ASSITEJ International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People
• Belarus Free Theatre
• British Council
• Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
• CineRegio AISBL – European network of regional film funds
• City of Espoo
• Cluj Cultural Centre
• Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts in Ireland
• Culture Action Europe
• Culture et Développement
• Divadlo Radost
• Europa Nostra
• European Association of the Via Francigena Ways
• European Music Council
• European Theatre Convention
• Europeana Foundation
• Fondazione Fitzcarraldo
• Green Music Initiative
• Hybrid Plattform (Technische Universität & University of the Arts Berlin)
• Ibero-American Foundation of Cultural & Creative Industries
• ICORN, International Cities of Refuge Network
• IETM – International network for contemporary performing arts
• Institut national du patrimoine
• International Council of Museums
• Kasta Morrely Association
• Ki Culture
• Kultura Nova Foundation
• Kulturos centras “In Actio”
• Le LABA
• LUCSUS – Lund University Center for Sustainable Studies
• Meeting Points Foundation
• MitOst e.V
• MOOOV
• More Europe – External Cultural Relations
• Network of European Museum Organisations
• PLEGMA NGO
• PostScriptum
• Pro Progressione
• RURITAGE H2020 Project
• Sistema Europe
• SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities
• Trans Europe Halles
• United Cities and Local Governments – UCLG
• University of Aveiro – Institute of Ethnomusicology – Center for Studies on Music and Dance
• Uppsala Municipality

How to apply?

IMPORTANT: Please read the topic text by our expert Gijs de Vries, before filling in the application.

THE CALL FOR APPLICATIONS IS NOW CLOSED

Application deadline: 11^th of October 2020

Announcement of results: 16^th of October 2020