BACA participates in opening of MONDIACULT 2025 in Barcelona
Barcelona, Oct. 1 (BNA): The Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (BACA), represented by Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, President of the Authority, participated in the opening of UNESCO’s World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development "MONDIACULT 2025", held in Barcelona, Spain, from September 29 to October 1.
The event was attended by His Excellency Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, alongside representatives of 194 Member States, Ministers of Culture, leaders, intergovernmental and international organisations, United Nations agencies, experts, and civil society organisations.
The Conference aims to formulate proposals centred on the cultural dimension as a foundation of identity and sustainable development, as a means to establish the values of global dialogue, and as a diplomatic path for guiding cultural policies between peoples.
During his participation, Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed delivered an address in which he underlined the role of culture as a strategic tool for achieving sustainable development, noting that realising this requires the combined efforts of civil society institutions and educational systems to overcome the challenges that hinder investment in culture and the diversity of the arts. He also underscored the preservation of cultural assets as open spaces for all languages and identities, as lasting opportunities for the cultural sectors, and as a path to achieving peace through diplomatic dialogue and the reduction of conflicts. He emphasised that sustainable culture constitutes an essential resource for educational and knowledge institutions and a fundamental element for all nations.
The Conference gives particular attention to the themes of culture and artificial intelligence, and culture and peace, serving as a global platform for dialogue and the exchange of constructive perspectives. Its other six focus areas include cultural rights, digital transformation, the role of culture and education, enabling the culture economy, the role of culture in climate action, as well as issues of heritage and crises.
UNESCO renewed its commitment with Member States and the international community to recognising culture as a basic human right and the necessity of incorporating it into public policies to achieve sustainable development, addressing global challenges including the impact of climate change on tangible and intangible cultural heritage within the context of digital and technological transformations.
UNESCO also called for enhanced cooperation and activation of international partnerships to protect culture and support cultural industries, affirming the importance of involving and empowering youth to contribute to the formulation of cultural policies in various creative fields.
"MONDIACULT" is a global platform to establish a comprehensive vision for open dialogue among governments on cultural policies, achieving sustainable cooperation to advance culture and realise tangible objectives for comprehensive development worldwide.
