REPORT RIO+20 AND CULTURE €“ DECEMBER 2012

Rio+20 and culture. Advocating for Culture as a Pillar of Sustainability is a summary of the strategy that the Committee on culture of United Cities and Local Governments developed in 2010-2012 to influence the process towards the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) which took place in Rio de Janeiro on 20-22 June 2012.


Report Rio+20 and culture – December 2012

It has to be understood as a stone in this process, as a « working document ».

Their strategy is mainly based on Agenda 21 for culture [1], a worldwide declaration of cities and local governments for the role of culture in our societies, and the Policy Statement “Culture, Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Development†, unanimously adopted by United Cities and Local Governments in Mexico in November 2010.

The strategy to influence Rio+20 obtained scarce success. There is still a big gap between cultural actors and development frameworks. A critical mass of actors that explicitly advocate for the role of culture in sustainable development does not yet exist. But it also seems that this gap between the wide development frameworks and the role of culture is becoming narrower. Since the struggle in Rio+20 more actors are connected, and seem to be able to better align their strategies. The international community has also created other opportunities to continue the discussion: the post-2015 Agenda and Habitat III.

UCLG - Committee on Culture. Rio+20 and culture. Advocating for Culture as a Pillar of Sustainability. Report 6. Spain. December 2012. 23 p.

Report Rio + 20 and culture

[1The founding document of the Committee on culture of United Cities and Local Governments, approved in Barcelona in May 2004.

Modified on Friday 5 April 2013