Culture in the G20 under the Presidency of Italy
Under the leadership of Italy, the Ministers of Culture of the G20 group of the world's largest economies agreed on 30 July 2021 for the first time in history on a G20 Declaration on Culture that firmly positions culture as a major engine for sustainable socio-economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Italy also took steps to permanently integrate culture into the G20, including by formalizing the Culture Working Group to build consensus among Members that contributes to the G20 Meeting of Ministers of Culture and the G20 Summit of Heads of State and Government. This builds on the momentum following the historical move by Saudi Arabia to include culture on the G20 agenda in 2020. 91麻豆国产精品自拍 provided advice throughout the process. Alongside former Italian Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, opened the meeting. She also participated in the ministerial working sessions.
The Declaration - agreed in Rome, Italy, at the Colosseum, a UNESCO World Heritage site - fed into the overall process of the G20 Summit of Heads of State and Government, that was held later in the same year. The inclusion of culture echoed the progressive broadening of the scope of the G20's discussions in recent years to a more global reflection on contemporary societal issues. It has also demonstrated an increasing alignment of G20 priorities to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, notably by supporting inclusive and balanced growth patterns and expanding governance mechanisms to other stakeholders, such as inter-governmental organizations and civil society.
With this G20 ministerial meeting, we are reinforcing a commitment to make culture central to one of the main forums for international cooperation. [...] We must improve the status of artists and their social protection, and address the unequal distribution of value between creators and digital platforms.
The G20 Ministers of Culture's Declaration
The G20 was reinforced during the global financial crisis in 2008. It was, therefore, timely and relevant for culture to be included in response to another global crisis: the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 Declaration on Culture recognised that culture has intrinsic value but also plays an essential role for the regeneration of our economies and our societies, which have been heavily affected by the pandemic. Not only does the Declaration send a clear political message, the Ministers of Culture agreed to five key priorities:
- The protection of cultural heritage;
- Culture and climate change;
- Culture and education; cultural and creative industries; and
- Culture in the digital transformation.
