UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators' Regional Preparatory Workshops train 24 countries to harness the power of cultural data collection for sustainable development

In a pivotal moment for global sustainable development, the UNESCO-EU Regional Preparatory Capacity-Building Workshop  successfully gathered representatives from 24 countries, emphasizing the critical role of enhanced data collection in achieving culture-driven sustainable development.

In alignment with the 2022 MONDIACULT Declaration, which emphasizes the pivotal role of data collection and evidence-based actions, programs and policies in positioning culture as a global public good, UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators program takes a significant stride towards realizing this vision. The UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators program follows an innovative framework to measure and monitor the progress of culture’s transversal and enabling contribution to the national and local implementation of the Goals and Targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which has already been implemented in 12 countries and 14 cities around the world with the support of the EU, Sida and AECID.

The workshop, conducted online over four days, marked the initial phase of the new Culture|2030 Indicators implementation cycle through the program “Advancing evidence-based policies and actions and supporting policy making to enhance the contribution of creative sectors and industries to sustainable development”, supported by the EU, which  underscores a collective commitment to advancing evidence-based actions, programs and policies, with a strong emphasis on bolstering data collection capacities.

UNESCO held a launch event in presential, which was opened by Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of World Heritage  at UNESCO, who highlighted the significance of the workshop in encouraging data-driven actions, programs, and policies, aligning with the MONDIACULT 2022 Declaration's call for increased investment in data collection for culture. The event also gathered ambassadors and high-level representatives of the program’s donor countries, who underlined the importance of the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators program for reinforcing the measurement of culture for sustainable development and as a global public good. Ambassadors and high-level representatives of the beneficiary countries were also present and actively participated in the event. More than 80 experts, nominated by each of the beneficiary countries from their ministries and relevant agencies, joined online.

The training sessions, led by members of the latest cohort of the UNESCO-EU Expert Facility, provided participants with a deeper understanding of measuring culture, sharing best practices in collecting cultural statistics, and exploring mechanisms for institutionalizing data collection. The workshops advocated for the inclusion of Culture's contribution to Sustainable Development in Voluntary National Reports and Voluntary Local Reports to the UN High-Level Political Forum on SDGs in New York, leveraging data-driven insights.

The success of the Regional Preparatory Capacity-Building Workshop not only signifies a crucial milestone in the EU-funded Culture|2030 Indicators project but also underscores UNESCO's commitment to fostering a culture-centric approach to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with an enhanced focus on advanced and standardized data collection methodologies.