The City of Gdańsk and the European Committee of the Regions organise every year the Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award for courage and excellence in the promotion of freedom, solidarity and equality.

The Award represents a strong signal of hope for all elected representatives, officials and ordinary citizens who, despite the risks, live to make democracy work at a local level by supporting better and more open communities.

​The new edition of the award was launched at the CIVEX commission meeting in the European Committee of the Regions on the 20 June 2023.

Nominations will be open until the 31 October 2023. For full Nominations Criteria please check here. Click here

More information here.

The Committee on Culture of UCLG has a partership with IN SITU "Place-based innovation of cultural and creative industries in non-urban areas", a 4-year project that combines research and experimental actions to advance the innovation-related practices, capacities, and potential of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) based in non-urban areas of the EU countries.

IN SITU is currently exploring how cultural and creative practices can help tackle place-based issues in six non-urban areas representing the six IN SITU Labs: Azores, Portugal; Western coastal region, Ireland; Western region, Iceland; Rauma and Eurajoki municipalities, Finland; Valmiera County, Latvia; Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. As an outreach partner of this project, the Committee on Culture supports a survey on 'Mapping of cultural and creative projects & selection of case studies', which aims at mapping projects proposing cultural and creative responses to key place-based issues in the six IN SITU lab locations and at identifying the two most relevant, impactful and innovative projects in each Lab location. The survey is now closed. We will keep you updated about new developments soon.

At the beginning of June, the IN SITU researchers met in Finland to present their findings and reports -- D1.1. and D2.1. -- that can be accessed through this website link.

This fall, the In Situ initiative just launched a series of three webinars on Creative Viability in Non-urban Areas, which will address key themes that support the work of cultural and creative ecosystems in non-urban areas in Europe. The first webinar, entitled "What contributes to the viability of creative small-scale entreprises (CCIs) in non-urban areas?" took place online on 28 September 2023, and the second one, entitled "How can CCI innovation ecosystems be fostered in non-urban areas?" was organised on 30 November 2023. 

The last webinar took place on 5 December 2023 under the title "How does cultural and creative work contribute to place-based sustainability and resiliency?". The video recording is available here.

More info here!

The Cultural Development Network (CDN) advocates for the essential role of arts and cultural expression in the development of creative, healthy, engaged and sustainable communities and support local government cultural development staff and others to assist and resource local communities to make and express their own culture. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The UCLG Committee on culture has developed a joint partnership with the British Council since 2019 for the collection, identification and promotion of good practices on culture, sustainable development and the UN 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The British Council is the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. It works with over 100 countries in the field of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year, it reached over 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. The British Council makes a positive contribution to the countries it works with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust. Founded in 1934, it is a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. The Biritsh Council receives a 15 per cent core funding grand from the UK government.

The British Council's aims to explore the value of arts, culture and creativity for sustainable development. It facilitates creative responses to global challenges.

So far the collaboration with the British Council has resulted into the publication of various good practices on culture and sustainable development, including from the cities of Athens, Kathmandu, Karachi and soon Ramallah.

Increasingly, the world cannot afford divergent ‘sustainable development’ and ‘climate action’ agendas, but must be fully integrated. In line with Culture 21 Actions (which includes a dedicated Commitment to ‘cultural factors as accelerators in environmental responsibility’), the UCLG Committee on Culture promoted a report on ‘The role of culture in climate resilient development’.

The report ‘The role of culture in climate-resilient development’ aims to document initiatives of cities and local and regional governments around the world related to cultural policies, sustainable cities and climate-resilient development. It includes a diverse range of case studies from all continents related to all the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda (SDGs). This document received contributions until July 2021.

This report was commissioned by the UCLG Committee on Culture in collaboration with the Climate Heritage Network (Working Group 5). It was coordinated by Andrew Potts (Climate Heritage Network - CHN) and the Secretariat of the UCLG Committee on Culture.

A draft of the report was presented on 9 September 2021 during the UCLG Culture Summit in Izmir and virtually, on the occasion of the parallel session "Culture and the Climate Emergency. Local experiences towards COP26". The final version of the report was published on 5 November 2021.

Join and view Climate Friday webinars. These free weekly webinars, hosted by Historic England’s Environmental Strategy team in collaboration with the Climate Heritage Network, provide delegates with an in-depth look at a range of topics related to climate change and cultural heritage presented by international experts in heritage and climate change research, policy and practice.

More information here.

CALL TO ACTION IN THE CONTEXT OF COP 28

The Climate Heritage Network has recently launched a global call to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Action (UNFCCC) to include cultural heritage, the arts and creative sectors in climate policy towards COP 28. 

MANIFESTO ON CULTURE AND CLIMATE TOWARDS COP 27

As part of the network and co-leader of the CHN Working Group 5, and among various other strategic activities aiming at amplifying arts, culture and heritage voices in and around COP27, the UCLG Committee on Culture has co-elaborated, together with other partners, a Manifesto, in line with the Manifesto elaborated in the context of COP26 (Glasgow, 2021). 

The Manifesto, entitled "Imagining and Realising Climate Resilient Futures: The Power of Arts, Culture and Heritage to Accelerate Climate Action", is available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. 

#RESILIART x #MONDIACULT 2022

The Climate Heritage Network has organised, in collaboration with the UCLG Committee on Culture and the #culture2030goal campaign, and with the support of Europa Nostra, a #Resiliart event towards UNESCO Mondiacult Global Conference to be organised in Mexico City in next September 2022.

More information on this specific session, entitled "Cultural infrastructures as Drivers of people-centered climate action: A ResiliArt Debate for UNESCO Mondiacult2022" can be found here.

The video recording of the session is available here.

CULTURE AT #COP26

From 1-12 November 2021, Climate actors, international partners, national. regional and local governments as well as experts, activists, academics, the private sector and all actors involved in Climate Action will gather in Glasgow for the United Nations International Climate Conference 2021, also known as COP26.

We, Committee on Culture of UCLG, together with the Climate Heritage network, will be at COP26 advocating for the voice of cultural actors to be heard and for their role as key players in Climate Action to be recognised at all levels. We will take part in the following sessions:

       -  Session 'Climate Heritage Network General Annual General Assembly' 
          1 November 2021, 12.45-15.45 CET

       -  Session 'A Culture of Resilience: Launch of the Climate Heritage Network Race to Resilience Campaign'
          2 November 2021, 14.15-15.45 CET

       -  Session 'Culture Driving Climate Resilient Futures: An Intergenerational Dialogue' 
          5 November 2021, 11.00-12.15 CET

       -  Session 'Culture as a Pathway to Climate Resilience and Sustainable Development'
          5 November 2021, 16.00-17.30 CET

See below for more information on the sessions and how to register. 

OTHER 

In 2021, the Committee on Culture of UCLG is part of the CHN Working Group 5 on "Using Culture to Promote Climate Resilient Sustainable Development". In this context, the Committee commissioned the elaboration of a report on "The Role of Culture in Climate Resilient Development" aiming at providing ground breaking policy evidence for the role culture and heritage can play in integrating the sustainable development and climate action agendas.

This research work will be led by Andrew Potts, coordinator of the Climate Heritage Network – CHN. The report will be informed by UCLG and UCLG Culture Committee policy documents and resources, and by contributions of UCLG members and consultation mechanisms, as well as the CHN’s Working Group 5, on the latest elements of the international debate on Climate Resilient Development. A draft report will be presented at the 4th UCLG Culture Summit in Izmir to be organised in Izmir (Turkey) on next 9-11 September 2021, and the 2021 United Nations Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

BACKGROUND

On 24-25 October 2019, the Network was officially launched on the occasion of the Climate Heritage Network Global Launch, in Edinburgh.

On 4-13 December 2019, the Climate Heritage Network was at COP25 in Madrid for two side-events:

           #ClimateHeritage: Mobilizing the culture and heritage sectors for climate action

           Introducing the Climate Heritage Network and the Madrid-to-Glasgow Arts, Culture and
           Heritage Climate Action Plan

On 13 October 2020, the Climate Heritage Network, together with other key partners, co-organized a side-event on "Cities, Climate and Culture: The Urban Research Agenda in the Upcoming IPCC Co-Sponsored Expert Meeting on Culture, Heritage and Climate Change", as part of ICLEI #DaringCities 2020 programme, with the participation of the Committee on Culture among the speakers.

More information here.

On 27 October 2020 (2:00-4:30PM CET), the Climate Heritage Network, together with other key partners, co-organized the parallel session "Showcasing exemplary local climate action by city and regional arts, culture and heritage offices mobilizing to meet the climate emergency", as part of ICLEI #DaringCities 2020 programme, with the participation of the Committee on Culture among the facilitators.

More information here.

Cities, regions, universities, and organizations still can join by signing or endorsing the Climate Heritage Network MoU (Memorandum of Understanding).

The International Federation of Libraries Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. In 2016 IFLA launched an International Advocacy Programme (IAP) which is a capacity-building programme designed to promote and support the role libraries can play in the planning and implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The programme reached the UN in June 2018.

In order to deepen and strengthen their close cooperation, UCLG and the International Federation of Libraries Associations and Institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on last 28 November 2023.

Following the UN general Assembly resolution on the relationship between culture and sustainable development adopted on 19 December 2023, IFLA published two very interesting articles: The UN General Assembly Resolution on Culture and Sustainable Development: What’s Changed?, and the 10 Takeaways from the UN General Assembly’s Resolution on Culture and Sustainable Development.

GYCR 2023

The Global Youth Creative Residency (GYCR) is a process and an event that relates culture to the sustainable development of Jeju. It is hosted by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, organized by UNITAR CIFAL Jeju / Jeju International Training Center, and supported by the Committee on Culture of UCLG.

The 5th edition of the GYCR will take place from 14 to 20 September 2023 in Jeju Island. Entitled “Rooted, Growing Island”, the Residency will bring together young cultural and artistic experts from around the world in Jeju to collectively explore the intersection between the arts and sustainability for the present and future. The programme will be articulated around three sub-themes:

- Roots: Jeju's environmental and traditional heritage;

- Tree trunk: Sustainability and the Arts;

- Branches and leaves: Practical connections and expansion worldwide.

The call for applications (in English) will be open from 31 July 2023 to 22 August 2023 (18:00 Korea Standard Time UTC +09:00). The application form is available here and the portfolio here. See the concept note of the GYCR 2023:

GYCR 2022

The 4th edition of the GYCR took place from 5 to 10 August 2022 in Jeju Island. Entitled “Islands in Flow 2”, the Residency invited 24 young artists from Jeju and abroad to develop creative proposals with the aim to face the urgent climate crisis, while being consulted by expert mentors. An in-person workshop (9-10 July) and a hybrid exhibition (19 August - 2 September) was held as well.

This experience was based on the commitments of the practical toolkit Culture 21 Actions on culture in sustainable cities, adopted by UCLG in 2015, especially the one related to “Culture and the Environment”, and the report coordinated by the Committee on Culture: The role of culture in climate resilient development.

See the programme of the GYCR 2022:

GYCF/GYCR 2021

In 2021, the Forum takes a new shape! Retitled "Global Youth Creative Residencies", the Forum will gather this summer for a new edition!

Check out the final report and watch the promotional video and the final presentation of the 2021 GYCR:

GYCF 2019
The Global Youth Culture Forum (also referred as GYCF) is a process and an event that relates culture to the sustainable development of Jeju. It is supported by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province government and the Culture Committee of the world organisation of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), together with JITC-Jeju International Training Center, JFAC-Jeju Foundation for Arts and Culture and JURC-Jeju Urban Regeneration Center.

The Global Youth Culture Forum in 2019 will take place on 19-26 October and it will aims to implement, in a very practical and illustrative way, the UCLG toolkit “Culture 21 Actions” on “culture in sustainable cities”, especially its commitment related to “Public Spaces, Urban Planning and Culture”.

The Global Youth Culture Forum in 2019 will also contribute:
- To localize SDGs, especially Goals 8, 9 and 11
- To promote young artists in the making of sustainable cities
- To involve local communities in the process
- To develop Jeju as a creative culture platform for global artists: a place where meaning is developed.
- To establish a forum in which exchange young artists share their experiences and cooperate.

OPEN CALL AND CURATORIAL PROPOSAL

The call for mentees is open to international artists and architects who had interest in public space and work in any art media (photography, installations, drawing, ceramics, video, performance, soundscapes, etc.). The deadline for submissions is 2 September 2019.

GYCF 2018

The Global Youth Culture Forum Jeju 2018 was held from 29th October to 4th November 2018. A global curator, local and international mentors as well as local and international artists and architects worked together taking as cases of study two different neighborhoods of Jeju City: Namsung Old Town and Jeju Old Downtown.

Find below all the results of the GYCF 2018: