The United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Alexandra Xanthaki, is calling for contributions for her upcoming report to the General Assembly, to be presented in October 2026, in which she will propose guidance on how to assess efforts to implement cultural rights.

The Special Rapporteur intends to build on the existing body of work to propose elements that should help States, institutions, decision-makers but also other stakeholders, to set benchmarks for accountability and measure progress in the implementation of cultural rights for all. The aim is that these elements may also contribute and strengthen the general framework of human rights indicators, the tools and indicators for specific cultural rights and the advocacy for a better mainstreaming of cultural rights in the 2030 sustainable development agenda or any new agenda for development after 2030, in particular through a stand-alone Culture Goal.

Access here the questionnaire that she has prepared, which is being sent out to States, United Nations agencies, national human rights institutions, academics, cultural workers and practitioners, as well as civil society organizations for their consideration. The deadline for submitting contributions is 22 May 2026.

On Tuesday 28 April 2026, the Ministry of Culture of the Government of Mexico, through the Directorate-General for Cultural Training and Management, recognised the projects selected under the “Cultiva México. Database of good practices in cultural and artistic management”, which seeks to identify and recognise good practices in cultural and artistic management that generate a common good, have a positive impact on their environment and promote diversity and cultural rights.

The call for proposals, which was supported by the UCLG Culture Committee, identified collective initiatives that promote a positive impact on their local communities, with a view to incorporating them into Mexico’s first Database of Good Practices in Cultural and Artistic Management. Mexico’s Database of Good Practices in Cultural and Artistic Management includes initiatives that focus on creating spaces for music, reading, the performing arts, community organisation processes, processes associated with intergenerational learning, and the recovery of community memory.

With the aim of creating an International System of Databases of Good Practices, Cultiva México will also support initiatives recognised by IDARTES’ Ibero-American Database of Good Practices and by the “OBS” Database of Good Practices of the UCLG Culture Committee, promoting their sustainability, professionalisation, technical management and exchange of knowledge to broaden their impact.

On 28 April 2026, the UCLG Culture Committee held the final webinar for the Capitals of Culture Working Together programme, marking the culmination of three years of continued international collaboration.

Key milestones throughout the programme included capacity-building workshops and webinars, including the Seven Keys, the Youth Lab and the Culture 21 Plus tools; a structured methodology for a permanent African Capital of Culture initiative; connections between local action and global challenges through the Culture Goal; and an active participation of main actors in major international City and Regions fora and events.

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) played a central role in making this initiative a reality, enabling an ambitious vision to be transformed into a practical, global-scale endeavour.

For further information on the actions carried out throughout the program, please, click here.

On 23-26 March 2026, Nouakchott will host several activities, including a Seven keys workshop with local cultural actors and the second meeting of the UCLG-Africa Culture Committee, in the frame of the General Assembly of UCLG-Africa. Both activities are related to our programme "Capitals of Culture Working Together" and to the celebration of Brazzaville as second African Capital of Culture.

© Thierry Mezerette

It is with deep regret and sadness that we announce the passing of Hervé Fournier, city and metropolitan councilor of Nantes, member of the Climate Chance Association, expert in all subjects concerning social and environmental responsibility, and strongly committed to the essential relationships between culture, environment and sustainable development, at the local and global level.

Between 2015 and 2021, Hervé Fournier worked closely with the UCLG Culture Committee.  He contributed to strengthening all initiatives related to climate action, from COP 21 (Paris, December 2015) to the publication of our report on this subject, "The Role of Culture in Climate-Resilient Development," published in 2021. Hervé Fournier was also a key participant in our UCLG Culture Summit, held on Jeju Island in 2017.

We extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends. The entire international community dedicated to the environment, the promotion of inclusive and humane territories, and culture —his main areas of commitment— is in mourning.

On 11 February 2026, from 15:00 to 16:30 (CET), we will hold an exclusive webinar dedicated to the 7th Edition of the International Award UCLG - Mexico City - Culture 21. 

The objective of this webinar is two-fold: to encourage as many cities as possible to submit applications about the innovative work they are doing, as a great opportunity to give visibility to extraordinary projects that deserve recognition; and to guide local and regional governments through their application processes. 

Participants will also gain unique insights into how to build a strong application. The programme of the session includes examples, ideas, practical tips for putting together your application, and other useful information.

Interpretation will be available in English, French and Spanish.

To take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen your application and showcase your city's cultural leadership, you can register for the webinar here. The agenda of the webinar is available here.
 

See the main takeaways of the webinar here.

In the frame of the “Capitals of Culture Working Together” programme, on 15 January 2026, the webinar will be the occasion to present and discuss the draft report on “Culture Capitals for the Culture Goal in the SDGs” report, written by Sylvia Amann. The webinar will also discuss the next opportunities/actions by/with Capitals of Culture in 2026 and 2027 for the Culture Goal in the SDGs and the Agenda post-2030.

The agenda of the webinar is here.

The report of the webinar is here.