The UCLG Committee on Culture would like to express its sadness following the demise of Eduard Miralles i Ventimilla. Eduard Miralles has for many years been a fundamental voice in reflections on local cultural policies and on culture and development in Catalonia, Spain and at international level.

He was, among other roles, the Director of the Centre for Cultural Resources and Studies (CERC) at the Provincial Council of Barcelona (1996-2004), where he coordinated several editions of the Interacció biennial conference, and he was later an Advisor on Cultural Relations at the Provincial Council of Barcelona. Since 2008 he was also the President of the Interarts Foundation, where he continued to contribute to thinking on cultural policy and international cultural cooperation. He was also the first vicepresident of ENCATC – European Network of Cultural Administration Training Centres, the founder of INTERLOCAL – IberoAmerican Network of Cities for Culture, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Roberto Cimetta Fund. Furthermore, he was constantly involved in many training, discussion and research activities on local cultural policies.

Always led by generosity, education, curiosity and availability, Eduard Miralles had huge analytical abilities and would always provide a critical, discerning perspective, which for years contributed to enriching and broadening discussions. A linguist by choice and a cultural manager by devotion, he loved languages and enjoyed discussing terms, finding the right words and devoting particular attention to expression in all its forms: linguistic, identity-related and cultural expression.

His contributions to reflections on cultural policy serve to explain where we are, and particularly where we should be, in areas such as cultural rights, governance, and international cooperation. The UCLG Committee on Culture would like to stress that he was one of the key persons behind the Agenda 21 for culture. In the context of our activities, he also wrote an excellent article entitled “Culture, from factor of development to pillar of sustainability”, which also helped to inspire “Culture 21 Actions”, many paragraphs of which are his, word by word.

We would like to express our condolences and support to his family, to those close to him and to anyone who was fortunate to work with him over the years.

Read this article in French, Spanish and Catalan.

The "International Congress on Cultural Mapping: Linking Heritage (Tangible and Intangible) and Creative Tourism" will be held in November 29-30 in Évora, Portugal. Structured in two days, the congress aims to provide a better understanding of how cultural mapping can propose actions that enhance the awareness of cultural identities, debate its implications for local development, community engagement and policymaking, including sustainable and creative tourism, and foster debate over its long-term results.

The congress is organized by CREATOUR Alentejo team (CIDEHUS, University of Évora) and the UNESCO Chair "Intangible Heritage and Traditional Know-How: Linking Heritage", in collaboration with the Centre for Social Studies (University of Coimbra).

Registration deadline: 15 October 2018.

Throughout the ultimate years, the Committee on Culture of UCLG has been engaging to foster the strategic place of culture in the European Development Days with several partners organisations and co-organisers of the events.​

This year, the effort went even further with the launching of a Call for Action.

On the occasion of the International African Women's Day (31 July) and following the declarations by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean announcing an important seminar to promote gender equality and the improvement of social and working conditions of women in Latin America as essential conditions for sustainable regional development, UCLG Committee on Culture and its partners published the Call for Action to "Strengthen the synergies between gender and culture in development and international cooperation". The document is the result of the debates held in the framework of the European Development Days 2018 and of an important preparatory work by the teams.  

As from October 2018, the partners will officially launch the activities linked to the Call for Action, taking into account, among others, the resolutions of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (New York, July 2018).

Join our Call for Action, contact us at CDAcoordination@gmail.com

Convening organisations: Africalia - Arterial Network - Agenda 21 for Culture / United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) - British Council - Culture et Développement / Territoires Associés - Interarts - International Music Council (IMC) - UNESCO Brussels liaison office

Associated partners: ACP - Bozar - European Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ECCD) - CISAC - Culture Action Europe - ICOMOS - More Europe - Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa (OPCA) - UCLG Africa

The French region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes recently launched a very interesting publication gathering texts written by professionals in the context of training sessions on challenges, experiences and orientations of territorial cultural development, and called "Cultural territories, territorial cultures. When elected representatives, artists and inhabitants co-invest rural territories" ("Territoires de cultures, cultures de territoires. Quand élus, artistes et habitants co-investissent les territoires ruraux" in French).

Kultura Nova Foundation published the book "Do it Together. Practices and Tendencies of Participatory Governance in Culture in the Republic of Croatia", edited by Dea Vidović. The book, which deals with Croatian practices and tendencies of participatory governance in culture, builds on the results of the research project "Approaches to Participatory Governance of Cultural Institutions". The research project was conducted by Kultura Nova Foundation from 2016 to 2018 with the support of UNESCO International Fund for Cultural Diversity.

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:

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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.

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GYCF 2018

The Global Youth Culture Forum Jeju 2018 was held from 29^th October to 4^th 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:

Culture and heritage for sustainability

ICOMOS works for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places. It is the only global non-government organisation of this kind, which is dedicated to promoting the application of theory, methodology, and scientific techniques to the conservation of the architectural and archaeological heritage. ICOMOS is a network of experts that benefits from the interdisciplinary exchange of its members, among which are architects, historians, archaeologists, art historians, geographers, anthropologists, engineers and town planners

ICOMOS and the UCLG Culture Committee are partners in the #culture2030goal campaign.

Heritage at the HLPF 2018

ICOMOS, together with UNESCO, Un-Habitat, IUCN, GEN, the Government of Ireland and UCLG, will organise on next 11 July 2018 (6:30pm - 9:30pm) at Japan Society an exchange of knowledge and celebration focusing on ‘Implementing SDG 11.4 through Local Voices and Global Agendas for Cultural & Natural Heritage’ a special event to be held in parallel to the UN-HLPF. The event will bring together both local (United-States) and international stakeholders active in the protection of the world’s natural and cultural heritage, illustrating the vital connections between integrated heritage protection and sustainable development.

Declaration for the inclusion of Heritage in the Ministerial Declaration

ICOMOS, together with UCLG, the Global Planners Network (GPN), Europa Nostra and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), signed a Declaration for the acknowledgement and the inclusion of culture as well as cultural and natural heritage into the UN HLPF 2018 Ministerial Declaration. Join and support!

Culture at Work Africa - Promoting the Public Value of Culture for Social Cohesion and Urban Development in Africa is lookint to support innovative on-the-ground projects aiming at developing safe and neutral spaces for intercultural dialogue and at promoting active citizenship and intercommunity relations. Projects will seek sustainable outputs and will foster multi-stakeholder national and transnational cooperation, inclusive societies, cultural diversity and equal dignity for all.

Check out the call for proposals. Deadline: 21 September 2018, 12:00 GMT.

From 9-17 July 2018, the UN will organise its 2018 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), with the title "Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies" and focusing on the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6, 7, 12, 15 including the Goal 11 (make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) at the global level.

Local and Regional Governments at the HLPF

In this context, UCLG will be organizing and coorganizing various sessions from 15-17 July 2018:
         - 15 July 2018, 1.00pm - 5.00pm. Global Taskforce of Local and Regional Governments, UNACLA and Cities
           Alliance preparatory session.
         - 16 July 2018, 10.00am - 6.00pm. Local and Regional Governments' Forum.
         - 17 July 2018, 8.30am - 6.30pm. Local 2030: Local Actions for Global Commitments

The Committee on culture of UCLG took part in the 2018 edition of the European Development Days (5-6 June 2018, Brussels, Belgium). In the context of this important annual meeting, the Committee coorganised two sessions, together with 8 other International organisations and networks (Africalia, Arterial network, British Council, Culture et Développement, Territoires Associés, Interarts, International Music Council - IMC, and UNESCO), and the support of 5 partners (Bozar, ICOMOS, ACP, CECD, and CISAC):

- Brainstorming Lab session: "Culture for Development: Women as Agents of Change"
  5 June 2018
  9:30am - 10:45am
  Room B1

- Special event: "Cultural Heritage and Creativity through Women's Lens"
  6 June 2018
  10:45am-12:00pm
  Room D7

More details: