19 October 2015
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© A. P. Hirama, 2012
The International Conference on “Culture for Sustainable Cities” organized in cooperation with the Hangzhou Municipal People's Government and the support of the National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO, will take place in Hangzhou (People’s Republic of China) from 10-12 December 2015. This will be the first international conference organized by UNESCO in the field of culture as a follow-up to the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and Goal 11 in particular, aiming at making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
The conference will serve as a platform for discussion on the key role of cultural heritage and the cultural and creative industries in sustainable urban development, notably through the conservation and safeguarding of tangible and intangible heritage, urban regeneration, the promotion of cultural diversity and creative expressions for more inclusive societies, and by fostering a vibrant urban life.
In this framework, participants ranging from Ministers and high-level government representatives to internationally renowned experts with diverse backgrounds and experience will gather at the Dragon Hotel in the host city of Hangzhou, a town that has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to promote sustainable development in an urban context.
As UNESCO’s Director-General has recalled, “developing a more sustainable urban environment means striving for a harmonious continuum between the past, present and future, in order to improve the welfare and quality of life of all citizens.” This timely statement is of particular relevance in the present era, where more than half of the world’s population now lives in an urban setting and foreseeing that in the next 30 years this number will encompass 70% of humanity.
Cities have become prominent actors in bolstering the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, and remain at the heart of UNESCO’s efforts to promote the role of culture in urban development processes towards poverty reduction, gender equality, social justice, risk reduction and quality of life.
Through a reflection on key themes, such as: threats to urban heritage, resilience, creativity at the core of the urban economy, multicultural cities and cultural tourism, the Hangzhou Conference seeks to discuss and exchange ideas on the draft UNESCO Global Report on Culture and Sustainable Urban Development in view of the New Urban Agenda to be adopted by the United Nations at the Habitat-III Conference in Quito, Ecuador, October 2016, devoted to housing and sustainable urban development. The Conference is expected to propose recommendations on the most effective ways to maximize the role of culture in sustainable development, reinforcing its recognition within the international development agenda and as a driver for equitable change.
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