Implementing Culture in Sustainable Development Goals
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IMPLEMENTING CULTURE WITHIN THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS The role of culture in Agenda 2030 The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in 2015, provide a common global set of objectives, considering social, economic, environmental and governance needs and challenges, based on a foundation of human rights. While included in a limited number of the targets of some of the SDGs (4.7, 8.3, 8.9, 11.4, 12.B, 16.4, 16.10), culture’s full capacity to contribute to their achievement is not explicitly laid out in the UN text. The fundamental right to participation in cultural life (Article 27.1, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948), which is interrelated and interdependent with several of the SDGs is also lacking. Neither is culture fully embraced in the EU strategy (2016) for achieving the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Culture must be integrated in the SDG framework transversally as it contributes to all 17 Goals The SDG framework is highly ambitious and requires a truly bold approach to bringing it into life. Now is the time for the EU institutions to build on the abundant evidence of culture’s relevance to diverse policy areas by mainstreaming culture in all 17 SDGs. Evidence on the transversal role of culture for achieving the SDGs have been collected in the present document, building upon the impact review The Value and Values of Culture by Culture Action Europe and inputs from CAE membership and partners. The European Parliament in its Report on EU action for Sustainability (2017) stresses that culture is a transversal and cross-cutting concern and constitutes an essential resource for development, that the use of cultural resources is a fundamental way to achieve other future development goals, and that the integration of cultural factors in sustainable development policies and strategies should be done in full compliance with other international commitments, acknowledging the universality and interdependence of human rights. Moreover, it stresses the need to make culture an integral part of the European action for sustainability, given its role “in economic development, job creation, promoting democracy, social justice and solidarity, fostering cohesion, fighting social exclusion, poverty and generational and demographic disparities”. Culture, the fourth pillar of development Culture offers exploratory, interrogative and critical approaches to the world and its systems, and nourishes the ability to identify and analyse current and complex challenges that need transversal and multidisciplinary responses to be understood and acted upon. The sustainability concept is usually based on the three-pillar paradigm: economic, environmental and social. A cultural pillar is necessary for its value in the creation of collective narratives, its ability to consolidate communities and foster diversity as an essential element in sustainability. Indeed, culture has a transformative power crucial for building a sustainable future for all. Thus, CAE calls on integrating culture in the sustainable development concept as a fourth pillar in its own right. 1 A European cultural fund for sustainability The EU must show leadership in the global debate around the 2030 Agenda by ensuring that the fundamental capacities of culture to drive change are firmly enshrined in the SDGs. Therefore, CAE calls on the EU institutions to integrate culture across all policy domains, which are relevant for implementing the 17 SDGs, to achieve a long-lasting impact throughout the 2030 Agenda. CAE supports the European Parliament 2017 recommendation included in its Report on EU action for Sustainability (2017) recognising cultural institutions and organisations as innovators and models in the field of sustainability and with regard to green processes. To this end, CAE builds on the call for the introduction of a green EU funding incentive acting across all SDGs by proposing a European cultural fund for sustainability (see §6-7 of the abovementioned report p.47) Culture is highly relevant for implementing each of the 17 SDGs, as argued and laid down below. Goal 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere Culture has the potential to play a key role in combating poverty. Poverty is a complex phenomenon with a strong social dimension, as well as economic component. Cultural participation and cultural expression contribute to personal fulfilment and empowerment, social recognition of isolated groups, resolution of intercultural challenges and the development of the necessary skills to deal with the complexity of the world needed in society and today’s professional landscape. The cultural component in the alleviation of poverty has been recognised by the European Council since 2010 in its Conclusions on the role of culture in combating poverty and social exclusion, stating that “it is important for a cultural dimension to be incorporated into national and European policies against poverty and social exclusion”. Action: • Develop inclusive and participatory approaches to culture to ensure recognition of diverse cultures. • Foster synergies between education and culture, both in formal and informal settings. The integration of culture, arts and creativity in the education process and in lifelong learning processes enhances knowledge acquisition and development of skills. • Incorporate the deprivation of access to culture in the EU definition of poverty and promote access to culture as a fundamental right through concrete actions under the European Pillar of Social Rights. • Ensure fair working conditions to fight the increasing precarisation based on discontinuous work. In particular, to address the increasing economic and social vulnerability of artists and cultural professionals. Goal 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture The cultural dimension of the agricultural ecosystem is recognised, for instance, through the 2002 UN Partnership Initiative on Conservation and Adaptive Management of Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). The foundation for contemporary and future agricultural innovations lies in respecting cultural, ecological and agricultural diversity as the basis for new adaptive processes. 2 As recognised by the UN initiative, living agricultural systems cannot exist without their associated cultures. Traditions, languages, arts, rituals, and modes of social organisation are intrinsic components of traditional sustainable practices. These can be seen as the soft-infrastructure upon which new agricultural processes, practices and systems can emerge in a way that enable sustainable rural communities. Food is cultural in essence. Culinary traditions constitute vital grounds of our communities. Awareness actions based on art, culture and creativity can challenge individual food consumption patterns and influence resource usage practices, including key elements of cooking and farming customs. Sustainable consumption and cultivation require a cultural change that intersects with the cultural identities of our communities. For example, the SHARECITY project (funded by Horizon 2020) takes into account longstanding cultural relationships with food and food sharing, with the aim of “assess[ing] the practice and sustainability potential of city-based food sharing economies”. Action: • Recognise cultural practices and traditions as a pillar of sustainable agriculture and integrate them as a priority in food-related innovation, allowing preservation, spreading and building on such knowledge and practices with the goal to avoid the loss of biodiversity. • Recognise and promote the role of culture in shifting customs and behavioural patterns linked to the consumption and cultivation of food. • Include the principles of permaculture in the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable, responsive and self-suficient. A permaculture principle, originally understood as "permanent agriculture” and now expanded to "permanent culture", includes a holistic approach of ecosystems and the social aspects as integral to a truly sustainable system. Goal 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being”. Numerous studies have established the link between cultural participation and well-being, as evidenced by the impact review “The Value and Values of Culture”. A link between psychological wellbeing and participation and engagement in cultural activities has been proven to increase life- satisfaction. In addition, the 2011 Eurobarometer on Well-being found that EU citizens ranked participation in cultural life and access to cultural heritage as a core component of well-being once basic needs were fulfilled. The Council conclusions on the Work Plan for Culture 2019-2022 identify the intersection between culture, cohesion and well-being as a core area to be developed. The document recognises the effect on well-being of culture’s interaction and cooperation with other areas, such as education, social care, healthcare, science and technology. Action: • Further develop synergies with different policy areas by including a cultural dimension in various policies and funding programmes related to health and well-being policies of the European Commission. • Promote culture as one of the fundamental elements of physical, mental and social health and well- being for all at all ages and integrate access to culture as one of the priorities