Theme 2016 : Celebrating Cultural Diversity.
Тема 2016: Празднование культурного разнообразия.
Tema 2016: Celebrando la Diversidad Cultural.
Thème 2016: Célébration de la diversité culturelle.
موضوع 2016: الاحتفال بالتنوع الثقافي.
Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, 21 May 2016.
Celebrating cultural diversity means valuing an outstanding source of exchanges, innovation and creativity, recognizing that the wealth of cultures is the constitutive power of humanity and an important asset for peace and development, the promotion of which is inseparable from the observance of human rights.
There are thousands of things that you can do, are you taking part in it?
Celebrating cultural diversity also means being aware of the ties that bind us to our environment, because cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature, as clearly stated in the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, adopted in 2001.
Celebrating Cultural diversity means opening up new perspectives for sustainable development and promoting creative industries and cultural entrepreneurship as sources of millions of jobs worldwide – particularly for young people and especially for women. Culture is a sustainable development accelerator whose potential has been recognized in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations. Culture offers the unique opportunity to reconcile the economic and social aspects of development – cultural goods and services have identities, reference points and values, while enabling millions of creators, artists and professionals to make a living from their work. Celebrating cultural diversity means enabling them to practice their trade and helps them to enrich the cultural landscape, which in turn enriches us.
Celebrating, at the same time, cultural diversity that broadens our horizons and human rights that unite us: this is the core of UNESCO’s mandate, for heritage, education, information and knowledge sharing. The enemies of human rights always attack cultural diversity, which symbolizes the freedom to be and to think,
and which is unbearable to them. On this day, let us dare to respond to them collectively: I call upon all Member States to strengthen the spirit of this day, as a peaceful weapon against the temptations of isolationism, closure and exclusion, which lead humanity to renounce itself, ignoring its own wealth.
- Visit an art exhibit or a museum dedicated to other cultures.
- Invite a family or people in the neighborhood from another culture or religion to share a meal with you and exchange views on life.
- Rent a movie or read a book from another country or religion than your own.
- Invite people from a different culture to share your customs.
- Read about the great thinkers of other cultures than yours (e.g. Confucius, Socrates, Avicenna, Ibn Khaldun, Aristotle, Ganesh, Rumi).
- Go next week-end to visit a place of worship different than yours and participate in the celebration.
- Play the “stereotypes game.” Stick a post-it on your forehead with the name of a country. Ask people to tell you stereotypes associated with people from that country. You win if you find out where you are from.
- Learn about traditional celebrations from other cultures; learn more about Hanukkah or Ramadan or about amazing celebrations of New Year’s Eve in Spain or Qingming festival in China.
- Spread your own culture around the world through our Facebook page and learn about other cultures.
- Explore music of a different culture.
WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION
- Intercultural Dialogue
- UNESCO report: Investing in Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue
- Reflections on Cultural Diversity
- Action in Favour of Cultural Diversity
- Culture for Development Indicators
- Strengthening the System of Governance for Culture in Developing Countries
- Diversity of Cultural Expressions
- Photo gallery
Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
- Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights
- Special Rapporteur on Contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
- Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent
- Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples
- Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
From setting up a digital arts laboratory in Senegal and boosting cultural policy development in Togo to strengthening the music scene in Tajikistan as well as training the new generation of cultural entrepreneurs in Argentina, UNESCO’s International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) contributes towards sustainable development and poverty reduction through creativity. This film highlights the concrete impact of some of the projects financed by the IFCD around the world. The Fund supports developing countries to bolster economies and create jobs by restructuring cultural policies and strengthening capacities and structures in cultural and creative industries.