Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the Award Ceremony of the Minerva Prize. Time to shift our vision of culture

Transcription

1 Address by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the Award Ceremony of the Minerva Prize Time to shift our vision of culture Rome, 22 November 2010 Thank you very much. I am very touched to received this prize. I would first like to thank Mr Gianni Letta, Undersecretary of State to the Prime Minister, for his kind words of support. I appreciate them most sincerely. Thank you also to you, Illustrissima Professoressa Maria Rita Saulle, Dear Chairman of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, Signore Puglisi, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am conscious of the great honor it is to receive this prestigious prize and to be invited to join such a respected Company of Knowledge. Standing here today, I cannot help but recall the many men and women, both illustrious and anonymous, who have come here before me, to take decisions related to public affairs, to politics, to the arts and to the nature of peace. There could be no better place than Rome to fully understand the intricate connections between culture and human governance. I accept this honour as an opportunity to pay tribute to Madame Anna Maria Mammoliti, who has done so much for women, in Italy and around the world, and also to Madam Maria Rita Saulle, for your tireless efforts to protect the rights of the child, and the rights of women. DG/2010/128 REV2. Original: English

2 I am very pleased to address you on a theme that is dear to me, and which is I think crucial to sustainable peace: culture and human development a field in which it is also very true that Senza le donne non si cambia. UNESCO s mission was defined as that of building peace in the minds of men and women through cooperation in education, science, culture, communication and information. A peace based exclusively upon the political and economic arrangements of governments would not be a peace which could secure the unanimous, lasting and sincere support of the peoples of the world the peace must therefore be founded upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind. This is also very true for human development and sustainable growth. The financial crisis has shown that development based only on economic and financial factors is an illusion. It is not financial capital, which we know to be unstable, nor natural resources, which are limited, that will shape the future of states and societies. It is human capital. If we are to prepare for the future and invest to emerge stronger from this crisis, we must focus on human beings and with this, on culture, education, science and communication. I am confident that education and culture bring sustainability to development, and lead to peaceful societies. The world is not safe when over one billion people live in extreme poverty. It is not safe when people lack access to education, when women do not enjoy equal rights. Our essential task is to build a truly united community of humanity, in order to act together and face our global challenges. I firmly believe this can be done, although it is difficult. In 2000, the United Nations set itself 15 years to achieve eight essential development goals. For the first time, all countries agreed on quantified objectives, with a specific deadline, in a founding declaration that now provides the roadmap for international development. These goals make up the most humanist agenda for the twenty-first century. DG/2010/128 REV2. - Page 2

3 UNESCO has been committed to placing the educational and cultural dimensions on the global agenda. We have advocated for this necessity, and I believe that we are making headway. We need to shift our approach to Culture. Culture is not expenditure, and should not be seen as a cost or even as a burden in a time of economic crisis. Culture is an opportunity for development; culture is an investment out of the crisis. In the final declaration of the last summit on Millennium Development Goals, in New York, the United Nations underlined for the first time the role of the cultural sector in its own right as a strategic resource for development. I uphold the need for a new humanism for the twenty-first century; this shift in approach provides good illustration of this. I see a number of ways in which culture plays an essential role in development for peace. First, nothing really sustainable is ever achieved for individuals and communities without their knowledge, or against their culture. Cultural diversity must be taken into account for individuals and communities to take ownership of the assistance given and for this assistance to be effective. Secondly, the culture industry is a dynamic and prosperous sector of the economy that provides fabulous avenues for development through growth and employment. Thirdly, we all know the popular saying that culture is what remains when everything has been forgotten. Culture is also what remains when everything has been lost. It is what gives us the strength to pick ourselves up after disasters, as we have clearly seen in Haiti and Pakistan. Lastly, culture is an instrument of peace and dialogue, which can help to prevent and to resolve conflicts, which are some of the greatest obstacles to human development. Within this overall context, women are strategic agents of change. We know that a woman s level of education impacts not only on her economic and social position, DG/2010/128 REV2. - Page 3

4 but also on her children s nutrition, health and education as well as more broadly, on the development of communities as a whole. In Burkina Faso, for example, mothers with secondary education are twice as likely to give birth in health facilities as those with no education. In fact, secondary education for girls and women carries the highest returns in social, economic and political terms. In recent years, we have multiplied very efficient vocational education programs, empowering women through the teaching of weaving and craft skills, in Africa, in Latin America and Asia. Women empowerment helps to build sustainable development and recovery. There are also numerous examples of how efforts of women contribute to the achievements of a culture of peace. As former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said: For generations women have served as peace educators, both in their families and in their societies. They have proved instrumental in building bridges rather than walls. And this is an opportunity that must be seized. UNESCO s mandate in education and culture places the Organization in a unique position to promote women s rights, women s empowerment and gender equality. Indeed, gender relations are critical aspects of culture. They evolve and develop though education. Respect for the diversity of cultures should not mean that customs can serve as an excuse to justify discrimination against any human being. This is our firm message. Ladies and Gentlemen, We should not impose solutions nor answer other people s questions in their place. Instead, we should seek help people to find the resources within themselves to tackle the challenges of development, in ways that are genuinely theirs. As Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has argued, It is important to favour the creation of conditions in which people have real opportunities of judging the kind of lives they would like to lead. This is why it is crucial to give access to quality education for all DG/2010/128 REV2. - Page 4

5 and to empower men and women as agents for positive change. I see this, also, as a new vision of solidarity, and as part of a New Humanism. UNESCO has efficient instruments for this. The UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions were designed precisely to place cultural diversity at the heart of development. Let us not forget that culture is also a strategic resource and an economic sector of prime importance. I would even say that human creativity is the ultimate renewable energy in our economies of scarcity. Tourism, museums and local crafts generate income and employment. Creative industries represent a key sector in the economies of developing countries whether their internal market is large, such as in China, Brazil and India, or not, such as in Colombia or Venezuela. Cultural tourism accounts for 40% of the total earnings of world tourism. Here in Italy, and especially now, there is no need for me to emphasize how important this can be, and how crucial it is to protect heritage for future generations. Often looked down upon by more traditional industries, the cultural sector is underfunded. There again, UNESCO is working to introduce innovative funding and public-private partnerships in order to develop the cultural sector. Here is the true Art of Peace: protecting culture, giving access to quality education, and using it as an instrument to empower men and women, Of course, we need to translate this vision into concrete solutions. We work everyday to do so, together with all our partners. Global challenges need global responses. Global governance starts with global dialogue. UNESCO is committed to creating the conditions that are necessary for this global dialogue. We may not find all the right answers, but unless we change our mindset, we will not find any of them. DG/2010/128 REV2. - Page 5

6 I receive this Minerva award as an encouragement, and I recall Minerva s constant companion, the Owl, which is a strong symbol of wisdom and insight, able to see in the dark, awake when others sleep. In times of trouble we must rely on the Owl, we must rely on knowledge and experience. I strongly believe this is true for individuals, for societies, and for International Organizations as well. As Italy has always proved its attachment to the importance of learning and culture, I see this award as confirmation of our common vision, and further demonstration that we share a common agenda. Thank you very much. DG/2010/128 REV2. - Page 6