'Culture can never be indifferent to what is happening in the world', Spanish PM says

In the inauguration speeches of global cultural conference Mondiacult, Catalan and Spanish leaders spoke about the ongoing war in Gaza and culture's role in social justice.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has stated this Monday that the world of culture can never be “neutral or indifferent” to what is happening in the world.

During an inauguratory speech at the UNESCO culture policy conference, Mondiacult, in Barcelona, ​​Sánchez said that culture is a “commitment” to freedom, dignity, memory and peace.

The war in Gaza was present throughout the inauguration ceremony, which was attended by 165 delegations from around the world.

Catalan president Salvador Illa called for an "end to the genocide in Gaza," while Spain's Minister for Culture, Ernest Urtasun, said that culture must raise its voice against “violence, war, and genocides.”

Sánchez said that the conference must build a global agenda for culture in the coming years and reaffirm its essential role in social justice. He recalled that the priorities will involve promoting a culture of peace and artificial intelligence.

The Spanish leader made a defense of different languages, traditions, and perspectives, and recounted words of Palestinian poet Marwan Makhoul to demand an end to the bombings.

Salvador Illa, meanwhile, began his speech by assuring that “Catalonia is and will be alongside international organizations that have allowed us to establish dialogue as mechanisms for understanding between countries.”

Illa also took advantage of the presence of more than 150 countries to call for an end to the “genocide of the Palestinian people by the Israeli government.”

“No future imposed by force, violence, injustice, and cruelty will be viable. Let no one be carried away by a false idea of ​​victory. Palestine today symbolizes the defeat of the world,” the Catalan president said.

He added that “in the face of authoritarianism and hatred, culture is the most effective antidote as it spurs dialogue and understanding of the other.”

Mondiacult 2025

Barcelona is hosting Mondiacult 2025 until Wednesday. The global conference on cultural policies and sustainable development is the most relevant international meeting in the field and is promoted by UNESCO.

In addition to the thematic axes of cultural rights, culture in the digital age, integration of education into culture, economy in culture, cultural dimension of climate change, and heritage in crisis, this year the Spanish government has introduced 'artificial intelligence' and 'the culture of peace'.

The program consists of intergovernmental plenary sessions, parallel events, exhibitions, and a digital collective.

In addition to the debate aspect, organizers want international commitments to be adopted, and it is planned to agree on a Barcelona Declaration, a consensus document that will define the main lines of international cultural policies and sustainable development in the coming years.

Neither the United States nor Israel are participating in Mondiacult 2025, after the US pulled out of UNESCO last year, while Israel opted out of the event.