Communiqué of the Second High-Level Ministerial Meeting of the Ministers of Culture Held within the Framework of COP29 Adopted
As reported earlier, on November 15, the second High-Level Ministerial Meeting of the Ministers of Culture was held within the framework of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29).
The meeting was led by the COP Presidencies Troika, the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, and Brazil—the presidencies of COP28, COP29, and COP30, respectively.
The event was attended by ministers of culture from a number of countries and representatives of participating entities.
At the end of the event, the communiqué of the Second High-Level Ministerial Meeting of Ministers of Culture was adopted.
The document notes that significant progress has been made on the relationship between culture and climate over the past year since the establishment of the Group of Friends for Culture-Based Climate Action. It expresses deep concern about the increasing and diverse impacts of climate change on cultural heritage in all its forms, as well as the disproportionate impact of climate change on certain regions and vulnerable groups.
It is stated that, recognizing the relevance of the strategy defined by the Culture Troika of COP29, they will continue to work towards the adoption of the first Work Plan on Culture-Based Climate Action at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
To this end, the integral role of culture for climate action, as regards both climate mitigation and adaptation as well as behavioral change, and the importance of supporting the ecological transition of the cultural and creative sectors is emphasized.
In striving to achieve the commitments enshrined in international normative instruments, such as the 2022 MONDIACULT Declaration and the 2024 G20 Salvador da Bahia Declaration, the COP29 Culture Troika communiqué highlights the need for a strong commitment of Member States to:
i) Further integrate culture in policies and strategies on climate adaptation and mitigation, including national adaptation plans and nationally determined contributions;
ii) Foster cross-sectoral policy-making at the national level, including through enhanced inter-ministerial cooperation;
iii) Harness the transformative agency of the cultural sector to promote behavioral change and sustainable production and consumption patterns.
iv) Invest in knowledge building and data collection on culture and climate change;
v) Promote structured dialogue and coordinated advocacy on culture-based climate action and sustaining a standing working mechanism in the COP;
vi) Foster international cooperation on culture and climate action, including South-South and North-South cooperation, based on values of solidarity and inclusiveness; and,
vii) Bolster support for the inclusion of culture as a stand-alone goal in future discussions on how to advance sustainable development beyond 2030, recognizing the power of culture as a transformative enabler and driver for sustainable development.
The document also expresses gratitude to the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan for convening the second High-Level Ministerial Meeting of the Ministers of Culture within the COP framework and welcomed the launch of the Culture For Climate (C4C) initiative, which contributes to the ongoing efforts to make culture part of the climate frameworks.
According to the communiqué, it was agreed to reconvene at COP30 in 2025, under the presidency of Brazil, to take stock of new developments and challenges related to the culture-climate nexus.
For more information on the communiqué adopted at the II High-Level Meeting of Ministers of Culture, please click on the link below.
