MONDIACULT 2025: Monaco commits to placing culture at the heart of sustainable development

From 29 September to 1 October 2025, H.E. Mrs. Anne-Marie BOISBOUVIER, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the Principality of Monaco to UNESCO, accompanied by Mrs. Sèverine DUSAINTPERE, Deputy Permanent Delegate, represented Monaco at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2025, held in Barcelona, Spain.

Following the MONDIACULT 2022 Conference in Mexico City, this new edition brought together over 160 countries to:
➡️ build a stronger and more resilient cultural sector,
➡️ integrate culture as a standalone Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) within the post-2030 United Nations Agenda.

Over the course of three days, discussions focused on six key themes, including:

• “Culture for Peace”,

• “Culture and Artificial Intelligence”,
  highlighting the main challenges and opportunities shaping the future of culture.

At the close of the conference, ministers and representatives adopted a final declaration, reaffirming their commitment to embed culture in development policies and in responses to emergencies.

A major highlight was the release of UNESCO’s first-ever Global Report on Cultural Policies, titled “Culture: The Missing SDG.”
📘 The report provides a global overview of cultural policies, covering all regions and cultural sectors.
The Principality of Monaco contributes through its regular national reports submitted under UNESCO’s cultural conventions.

Another milestone was the launch of the first Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Property 🎨 — a global digital platform showcasing stolen artefacts and their stories, leveraging cutting-edge technologies to protect humanity’s shared heritage and combat illicit trafficking in cultural goods.

Building on the United Nations Pact for the Future (2024), which recognizes culture as a key component of sustainable development, MONDIACULT 2025 helps to strengthen multilateralism and position culture at the core of the international agenda.

📅 The next MONDIACULT Conference will take place in 2029, in Saudi Arabia.

Official Sources:
🔗 UNESCO – MONDIACULT 2025: Facing a Fractured World, UNESCO Calls to Make Culture a Priority
🔗 UNESCO Global Report on Cultural Policies
🔗 UNESCO Virtual Museum of Stolen Cultural Property