New York, 12 June 2013
Excellency, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the UN,
Excellency, Mr. Vuk Jeremic, President of the 67th Session of the General Assembly
Excellency, Ms. Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO,
Ms. Helene Clark, Administrator, UNDP
Excellencies, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of Culture and Government Representatives, Dear colleagues and friends,
It is a great honor to be here today with you, in response to the kind invitation to address this important high-level thematic debate on “Culture and Development”, held by the President of the 67th session of the GA, in partnership with UNESCO.
First, I want to praise the decision to hold this thematic debate, emphasizing intercultural dialogue and the role of culture in bringing people together. Global peace, stability and prosperity require indeed harmony and respect among peoples and cultures.
Additionally, I would like to commend all member states of the United Nations for having established the principles and foundations of the Culture of Peace since 1999. From that point on, the GA, through subsequent annual substantive resolutions, has highlighted the priority of implementing this vision worldwide. Moreover, the General Assembly proclaimed 2000 as the “International Year for the Culture of Peace” and declared the period from 2001-2010 as the “International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for Children of the World.” These efforts were paramount in spearheading the global movement to promote a Culture of Peace.
In 2000, the international community agreed on a set of Millennium Development Goals, to ensure that globalization would act as a positive force for all peoples. And yet, issues of culture were left out of the process. As we approach the 2015 deadline for the completion of the MDGs and begin to shape a new global sustainability agenda, we must ensure that the impact culture is takes its rightful place in the discussion.
Since 2000, the power of cultural diversity has been recognized. The Outcome Document of the 2010 MDG Summit emphasized the importance of culture for development and its contribution to the achievement of MDGs. This message was reiterated in the Culture and Development UNGA Resolution in 2012, advocating for the mainstreaming of culture into development policies and strategies. This Resolution occurred during my term as the President of the General Assembly, and I am happy to see that H.E. Vuk Jeremic is building on it.
In addition, the growing recognition of the need to link culture and development is reflected in the theme of the 2013 ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), “Science, technology and innovation, and the potential of culture, for promoting sustainable development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals”. The Alliance will take part of this AMR next month.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would also like to seize this opportunity, and in the presence of UNESCO and High Officials from Member States, to stress the important role of arts as well as other forms of collective expressions of human values to foster the culture of peace.
UNESCO is a pioneer in integrating principles of culture into development policies. It relates cultural diversity to education, science, communication, health, the environment and cultural tourism. They also support creative industries. This, in turn, alleviates poverty and promotes social cohesion. During my mandate, I am willing to facilitate the integration of culture into development policies.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The four pillars the Alliance – education, migration, youth and media – with the added priorities of sports, music, and arts will promote cultural diversity worldwide. I am happy and willing to work with UNESCO on these priorities. In doing so, we hope to instill a common cultural heritage of outstanding value that will strengthen the links across borders and continents.
Last February, the UNAOC convened its Fifth Global Forum, which adopted the Vienna Declaration. From what I heard and observed there, I am convinced that cultures, civilizations and religions contribute to the enrichment of humankind. The world’s diversity is a beauty to be cherished as a factor for global peace and development
The Alliance acts as a soft-power tool for cross-cultural dialogue, understanding and, peace. During my mandate as PGA I convened a thematic debate on “Fostering cross-cultural understanding for building peaceful inclusive societies” in March 2012 where, the expectation regarding a new demand for a mediation role by the Alliance was expressed.
The Alliance is committed to promoting cooperative relations among diverse nations, peoples and cultures, and to diminishing tensions across civilizations. This is essential to achieve development since peace, security, stability, human rights and development are all interdependent.
The Alliance has launched a number of cultural and interfaith initiatives, in cooperation with youth initiatives, universities, think tanks, NGOs and foundation. These efforts encourage the engagement of individuals in the path of the Alliance.
During this year’s campaign of “Do one thing for diversity and inclusion” the Alliance utilized social media to spread the UN’s message of the importance of cultural diversity for dialogue and development. In addition, the Alliance offers Intercultural Innovation Award to the most innovative grass-roots projects that encourage intercultural dialogue.
The Alliance recognizes Information and Communication Technology and other methods of communications as tools to connect diverse peoples across borders. Therefore we launched initiatives in the areas of communications, targeting the media and youth, being two important pillars on the Alliance agenda.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have pledged to restructure the Alliance, and strengthen its financial resources in a way that would contribute to the new vision, which includes strengthening the ability of the Alliance to play a bigger role in interacting with the UN System and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Development is about human capacity and potential. There is nothing more basic to all humans than culture.
As such, culture drives sustainable development. It is an inherent source of strength and creativity that is essential for every individual, community, and nation. That being said, we must broaden our discussion to ensure that the future agenda includes culture’s transformative power.
We are truly living in a dynamic moment in history.
The process of globalization is transforming societies, making them increasingly diverse and interconnected. Vast new opportunities for exchange between different people and plural cultures arose.
The crisis that shook the global economy since 2008 has accelerated the rise of culture in development policies. Furthermore, major historical and political transformations continue to occur across the Middle East, Asia and beyond.
Governments worldwide must rethink strategies for growth and seek to identify new sources of vitality. This brings culture, urgently, into the forefront of our priorities.
Culture is a cross-cutting concern. It affects all the dimensions of development. As such, a human-centered, culturally sensitive approach to development will yield the most effective, sustainable, and inclusive outcomes.
Specifically, diverse cultural approaches will contribute to economic development, promote social cohesion and foster environmental sustainability.
Investment in culture and creative industries is an excellent way to revitalize economies. It creates jobs, stimulates growth, and attracts visitors. This, in turn, will reduce poverty and contribute to economic development
The facts speak for themselves. Creative industries represent one of the most rapidly expanding sectors in the global economy. The tourism sector has, also, become one of the world’s fastest growing economic sectors. Around the world, culture plays an integral role as a source of employment and revenue
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Cultural diversity can be used as a tool for inclusive dialogue. Respecting it can help prevent conflicts and protect the rights of marginalized groups, within and among nations. Therefore, cultural approaches create the most optimal conditions for achieving development goals.
Environmentally, local and indigenous systems provide valuable insight and tools for tackling ecological challenges, preventing biodiversity loss, and mitigating the effects of climate change. These cultural factors influence our individual lifestyles and behaviors, such as consumption patterns and our interaction with the environment.
It is abundantly clear that culturally sensitive approaches can simultaneously benefit economic and human rights dimensions of poverty. They provide solutions to complex development issues, in an innovative way.
And yet, despite the benefits of cultural diversity, we continue to witness many conflicts and extreme under-development worldwide. This is because culture is, either, missing, misunderstood, or worse, politicized.
This impedes peace, stability and security. Culture facilitates inclusive governance and dialogue, on a national and international level. Without it, reconciliation becomes increasingly difficult. Furthermore, individuals and communities cannot fully participate in the social fabric of society. They are forced to live in perpetual fear. This worsens conflict. It is necessary to recognize the benefits of diversity, in order to prevent this from occurring.
Lack of culture also hinders economic development. In areas of deep seeded conflict, it is impossible for a nation’s industries to function. People cannot coexist, professionally or socially. Community-based economic growth propels society forward. Without it, living conditions will worsen and the economy will stagnate.
Cultural diversity facilitates increased adaptive strategies to protect the environment. Without it, the protection of natural habitats will no longer be emphasized. Fragile ecosystems will be destroyed.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
There is still much to be done. The Middle East and North Africa are currently undergoing the most profound wave of change in its modern history. People across the region have voiced demands for social, cultural and economic inclusion. With these extreme changes comes a friction. We really need to be vigilant on how to, not only contain the wave of change, but also to tackle its root causes, specifically its cultural aspect.
The UN Alliance of Civilizations is fully committed to promoting culture and diversity worldwide through our initiatives. These initiatives will propel us into the future of social harmony and cultural diversity. All of them offer vast opportunities for mutual exchange. Once we foster a global community of shared experiences, diversity and culture, we create the conditions for equitable and inclusive development.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The United Nations already has on-going efforts in promoting cultural diversity worldwide. At this point, it is necessary for all of us to honestly assess our progress. We must acknowledge what has been achieved, and what has yet to be achieved.
The UN system and civil society must provide opportunities for stakeholders to discuss and exchange their perspectives on the topics that could feature in the next global development agenda. It is clear that the development goals can only be achieved in a context of dialogue, trust, and cooperation – and in societies that are increasingly diverse.
It is also imperative for the countries formulate policies and implement laws that support cultural growth and understanding. That way, we can increase awareness of cultural dialogue that facilitates the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Last year in Rio, we convened the Third Earth Summit and adopted an Outcome Document, “The Future We Want.” It constituted a commitment to acknowledge the natural and cultural diversity of the world, and recognize that all cultures and civilizations can contribute to sustainable development. That is the beauty of our world. Let’s celebrate the world’s diversity together.
In my view, the answer lies in building results-oriented partnerships across communities and borders; through the firm assertion of the view that to meet the development objectives we need to think beyond 2015. I am confident that with our joint efforts we can reinforce existing relations amongst diverse cultures and peoples to create one world.
In closing, let me turn to Albert Einstein who stated in “the World as I see it”: “Culture in its higher forms is a delicate plant which depends on a complicated set of conditions.” Let’s work together to create these conditions.
Thank you all for your attention.