Cultural diversity is at the heart of the European Union's policies and actions to facilitate mutual respect and understanding, promote democracy and human rights, contribute to development and peace, within the EU's borders and beyond.
On the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, we confirm the EU's commitment to the promotion and protection of cultural diversity at all levels. And, as a global actor, we reaffirm the EU's stand as a devoted party to UNESCO's 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Promotion and respect of cultural diversity and access to culture are fundamental pillars for the development of open, cohesive and prosperous societies. Cultural diversity enriches our societies and contributes to building trust and long-lasting relationships with our neighbours and partners. This is what the European Union is all about.
EU Member States have reinforced their commitment to culture as an essential and global public good by signing the Cáceres Declaration last year. We are encouraged by recent efforts of the G7 and the G20 to prioritise culture on the multilateral agenda and with view to the UN Summit for the Future in September.
The integration of the cultural perspective in our policies is key, because it will only be through the genuine understanding and respect of the different cultural values and expressions that we will be able to advance globally towards a more sustainable future for all.
The European Union will continue supporting cultural diversity and the protection of cultural heritage, especially serving as a beacon of hope, reconciliation, reconstruction and recovery in conflict zones. We demonstrated this through our continuous support to Ukrainian cultural and creative sectors since the start of the Russian war of aggression.
Safeguarding, developing and promoting cultural and linguistic diversity and heritage are particularly key objectives of Creative Europe, our flagship culture programme supporting culture and audiovisual sectors in the EU, candidate countries and our neighbourhood. The EU's commitment to the promotion of cultural diversity was recently showcased with the participation of the EU, for the first time ever, as Guest of Honour at the International Book Fair in Guadalajara, Mexico, in November 2023.
Another concrete example of the EU's global outreach is the EU-funded project Reviving Mosul and Basra Old Cities implemented in historical urban centres in Iraq, and contributing to economic recovery, resilience, cultural identity, social cohesion and inter-community reconciliation, while promoting young people's hope for a more prosperous future.
Furthermore, the EU promotes the creation of sustainable and trusted inter-cultural connections world-wide through people-to-people connections, under its Global Gateway investment strategy. We are establishing EU Youth Sounding Boards to bring together, facilitate dialogue and listen to young people, in all their diversity, at the global level and in partner countries. Their inputs are essential to make EU external action even more sensitive to youth and cultural diversity.
The EU will continue making the best of the potential of international cultural relations to better identify and address global challenges. And we will keep supporting a development that is based on respect, trust and understanding, which are necessary to build sustainable and fruitful relations among us all, our civil societies and public spheres, overcoming differences through constructive dialogue, in a spirit of transnational solidarity.
On the international Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, the EU reaffirms its will to continue championing unity in diversity, and the essential role of inter-cultural understanding to ensure a sustainable future for all, in Europe and worldwide.
