KPY
Izmir'21 UCLG Culture Summit: Izmir Declaration “Culture Builds the Future of Humanity”
October '21
The 4th UCLG Culture Summit took place between 9-11 September, hosted by Izmir brought together a total of 864 speakers and participants from 65 countries. In the declaration titled “Culture Builds the Future of Humanity” published at the end of the summit, the importance of culture and the responsibilities of local governments in this context were emphasized in achieving the UN 2030 Agenda.
The Culture Summit has underlined the demands, expectations, and practices for adding participation in culture as a fourth pillar to the three pillars summarized as economic development, social participation, and environmental balance within the scope of the UN 2030 Agenda.
“The Summit has shown to the world that “another culture is possible”, with “circular culture” as a new concept composed by Harmony with nature, Harmony with the past, Harmony with each other and, last but not least, Harmony with change. (…) Harmony with the past is essential: it is not possible to design the future of culture without understanding the cultures that lived before us. Harmony with each other needs to be a reality: it refers to democracy in every moment of life, and inclusivity as the key principle to secure equal citizenship, strengthened by our appreciation of nature-rights. Harmony with change needs acknowledgement: we must ensure that cultural evolution is nourished by both the creativity of young generations and the inspiration from nature.”