REPORT OF THE 4TH UCLG WORLD CONGRESS
development: she observed that culture has been at the centre of progress and good governance during the last three decades. She explained that Amartya Sen’s understanding of “development as freedom” can today be illustrated with many examples in the field of culture, all over the world. She argued that much more progress is still needed and therefore she encouraged UCLG and civil society to be bolder and to widen their circles of influence. Ms Marianne Prodhomme explained why Angers had chosen to develop the Agenda 21 for culture with the plural “Agenda 21 des cultures”: (a) because Angers’ policies are elaborated with civil society; the only way to guarantee ownership and sense, and (b) because Angers acknowledges culture is constitutively plural, diverse, human; not a top-down dogma. Ms Ngoné Thioune from Saint-Louis in Senegal explained the local cultural policy, based on a bottomup approach and pushing for (a) explicit presence of culture in urban planning and fight against poverty, and (b) specific programmes for arts and heritage. Ms Chien Joanna Lei from Taipei recalled that cultural vitality is as important for sustainability as the economy, equity and environment. She explained Taipei’s “public policy by design (PPD)”: a social movement based on the needs of people. Mr Charles Vallerand emphasised that (a)
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rabat 2013 - the world summit in numbers | www.uclg.org
cities are the key place for discussion on the role of culture in sustainability and (b) policies have no meaning unless citizens are the actors in its elaboration and implementation. He also said that culture must be at the heart of the Post2015 Development Agenda, with its own realistic, transformative and coherent goal. Recommendations included: strengthen the UCLG Committee on Culture; more services to cities; exchanges on current and future cultural policies of cities so that good practices can circulate; a new Agenda 21 for culture to be approved in 2014; an open process to discuss and agree on contents and mechanisms of follow-up; promotion of Mexico international award for best practices in Culture and Sustainable Development; global advocacy for a more central role for culture in development; advocacy needs follow up and strengthening; UCLG should reinforce its leadership and involve more partners; a Goal on culture in the Post-2015 Development Agenda would be transformative and coherent; reaching this goal means boldness, this Goal is fully compatible with (and complements) the stand-alone Goal on Sustainable Cities that UCLG and the Global Taskforce are requesting.