Zambia Joins Global Leaders at MONDIACULT 2025 in Barcelona
Zambia is among the 165 UNESCO Member States participating in MONDIACULT 2025, the world’s largest cultural policy conference, taking place from 29 September to 2 October in Barcelona under the theme “Unleashing the Power of Culture for Sustainable Development.”
The conference has drawn approximately 3,000 participants, including policymakers, civil society, artists, and youth, who are working together to define the global cultural agenda.
Discussions are structured around six key themescultural rights, digital technologies in the cultural sector, culture and education, the economy of culture, culture and climate action, and culture, heritage and crisis—alongside two focus areas: peace and artificial intelligence.
UNESCO regards MONDIACULT 2025 as a decisive moment to establish culture as a stand-alone goal in the next United Nations development framework, as the 2030 Agenda nears completion. The platform is also being used to share new data, best practices, and research through UNESCO’s Global Report, while strengthening advocacy for recognising culture as a pillar of sustainability.
Statistics underscore the sector’s impact: cultural and creative industries account for 31% of global GDP, generating US$389.1 billion in cultural exports in 2019. UNESCO World Heritage sites alone protect 10 million km² of land and 18,600 glaciers, while safeguarding 20% of global species richness. Furthermore, 788 living heritage elements linked to sustainable development are listed by UNESCO, with the African film industry projected to create 20 million jobs.
Zambia is implementing the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators initiative, which measures culture’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This framework will help Zambia quantify culture’s role in economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability, strengthening advocacy for strategic investments in heritage, arts, and creative sectors.
The Zambian delegation is represented by Mrs Bessie Chelemu, Director of Culture and Traditional Affairs at the Ministry of Tourism.
“Cultural rights must be guaranteed and upheld by all. Zambia is committed to using culture as a driver of sustainability, peace, and development,” said Natalie Mashikolo, Public Relations Officer.
MONDIACULT 2025 marks nearly eight decades of UNESCO’s leadership in advancing multicultural dialogue for peace, while reaffirming the critical role of culture in shaping sustainable futures.
