Florence Declaration emphasizes role of culture in post-2015 development agenda
UNESCO
04 October 2014

“Cultural vitality is synonymous with innovation and diversity. Culture creates jobs, generates revenues and stimulates creativity. It is a multifaceted vector of values and identity. Moreover, culture is a lever that promotes social inclusion and dialogue,” the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, declared today at the close of UNESCO’s Third World Forum on Culture and Cultural Industries, which took place in Florence from 2 to 4 October.

At the end of the Forum, its 300 participants adopted the Florence Declaration that advocates the integration of culture in the post-2015 development agenda, which the United Nations is scheduled to adopt in the autumn of 2015.

The declaration reflects the findings of national consultations on culture and development conducted jointly in five countries—Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ecuador, Mali, Morocco and Serbia—by UNESCO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)…

…The Florence Declaration notably calls on governments, civil society and the private sector to enhance:
:: human and institutional capacities;
:: legal and policy environments;
:: new partnership models and innovative investment strategies;
:: benchmarks and impact indicators to monitor and evaluate the contribution of culture to monitor and evaluate the contribution of culture to sustainable development.