Culture: Fourth pillar sustainable development

Background

1. A vision of sustainable development with three dimensions was developed
in the second half of the 1980s, namely: economic growth, social
inclusion and environmental balance. The report Our Common Future,
also known as the Brundtland Report (1987), enshrined these three
dimensions as the pattern to be used in local, national and global
strategies for development. The Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit of 1992
consolidated these three pillars as the paradigm of sustainable
development.
2. It is generally felt, however, that these dimensions alone cannot possibly
reflect the complexity of current society. Many voices, including UNESCO,
the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and researchers, are
calling for the inclusion of Culture in the sustainable development
model, since culture ultimately shapes what we mean by development
and determines how people act in the world.
3. This new approach addresses the relation between culture and sustainable
development through dual means: firstly, the development of the cultural
sector itself (i.e. heritage, creativity, cultural industries, crafts, cultural
tourism); and secondly, ensuring that culture has its rightful place in
all public policies, particularly those related to education, the economy,
science, communication, environment, social cohesion and international
cooperation.
4. The world is not only facing economic, social, or environmental challenges.
Creativity, knowledge, diversity, and beauty are the unavoidable bases
for dialogue for peace and progress as these values are intrinsically
connected to human development and freedoms.
5. While we have a duty to promote the continuity of indigenous local
cultures, old traditions meet new creativity every day in cities around
the world, contributing to the preservation of identity and diversity.
Intercultural dialogue is one of humankind's greatest challenges and
creativity is identified as an inexhaustible resource nourishing society
and economy.

Local Governments safeguarding
culture for future generations
6. The fundamental purpose of governance is to work towards a healthy,
safe, tolerant and creative society (rather than merely a financially
prosperous one). This means that local governments must promote a
model of development that 'meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs',
as well as ensuring the enjoyment of culture and its components by
all, and protecting and enhancing the rights of citizens to freedom of
expression and access to information and resources.
7. The world's cultural challenges are too important for them not to
receive an equal amount of attention to that accorded to the original
three dimensions of sustainable development (the economy, social
equality and environmental balance). This fourth pillar creates solid
bridges with the other three dimensions of development and is
compatible with each of them.

The role of the World Organization
8. The longstanding commitment of local and regional authorities to the
promotion of culture as a vital part of development and as an unavoidable
prerequisite for a diverse and peaceful society has lead the World
Organization to mainstream culture in its current work and to promote
the adoption by cities and regional authorities of the Agenda 21 for
Culture.
9. Building on UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001)
and Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), the
Executive Bureau of United Cities and Local Governments agreed at its
meeting in Chicago (April 2010) to mandate the Committee on Culture
to develop a Policy Statement on Culture as the Fourth Pillar of
Sustainable Development.
10.The first draft of the Policy Statement circulated to the members of
the Executive Bureau and to the UCLG members active in the field of
culture in June 2010. The final draft of the Policy Statement contained
the comments received.
11.The content of this policy statement will translate in concrete actions
to be developed closely with the regional sections and thematic
committees. Among the actions it is envisaged to develop: (a) lobbying
and advocacy before the international community (b) exchange of
practices, experiences and mutual learning, (c) capacity building projects.

UCLG Policy Statement
Culture:
Fourth Pillar of Sustainable

Mayors, Presidents, municipal leaders and practitioners,
representing local and regional authorities as well as their
associations worldwide, gathered in Mexico City on the occasion
of the 3rd World Congress of United Cities and Local Governments:
Recalling UNESCO's Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity,
UNESCO's Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions,
and Agenda 21 for Culture;
Recalling that the lack of consideration of the cultural dimension
of development is hindering the possibility of achieving sustainable
development, peace and wellbeing;
Recognizing that the trio of economic growth, social inclusion
and environmental balance no longer reflect all the dimensions
of our global societies;
Recognizing that the fundamental purpose of governance is to
work towards a healthy, safe, tolerant and creative society, and
that this requires the promotion by local governments of a model
of development that 'meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs', as well as ensuring the universal enjoyment of culture
and its components, and protecting and enhancing the rights of
citizens to freedom of expression and access to information and
resources;
Affirming that culture in all its diversity is needed to respond to
the current challenges of humankind;
Believing that governance at all levels (local, national and
international) should include a strong cultural dimension;

Development

The members of United Cities and Local Governments share the
vision that culture is the fourth pillar of sustainable development.
United Cities and Local Governments calls on cities and local
and regional governments around the world to:
• Integrate the dimension of culture into their development policies;
• Develop a solid cultural policy;
• Include a cultural dimension in all public policies;
• Promote the idea of culture as the fourth pillar internationally,
in particular in international policy making.
United Cities and Local Governments calls on national
governments to:
• Bring a cultural perspective to national development plans as
a whole;
• Establish concrete objectives and actions concerning culture in
areas such as education, the economy, science, communication,
environment, social cohesion and international cooperation;
• Promote the idea of culture as the fourth pillar internationally,
in particular in international policy making.
United Cities and Local Governments calls on the United Nations,
development agencies and the international community to:
• Explicitly integrate culture into programmes on sustainable
development;
• Promote the international debate on the implications of the
inclusion of culture as fourth pillar of development;
• Foster the inclusion of culture in international policy making.


The mission of the Committee on culture for 2011-2013 is “to promote culture
as the fourth pillar of sustainable development through the international
dissemination and the local implementation of Agenda 21 for culture”.
The Committee on culture has 64 members and 40 observers. It is chaired by
the City of Barcelona, and vice-chaired by the cities of Buenos Aires, Lille, Montreal
and Stockholm.
The Committee on culture of UCLG is a unique platform. There is not another
structure at a global level that gathers together cities, organisations and networks
that foster the relation between local cultural policies and sustainable development.

www.agenda21culture.net

Carrer Avinyó, 15
E-08002 Barcelona
Tel: +34 93 342 87 50
Fax: +34 93 342 87 60
www.cities-localgovernments.org
Palau de la Virreina - la Rambla 99
E-08002 Barcelona
Tel: +34 933 161 000
Fax: +34 933 161 060
www.bcn.cat/cultura