G7 Ministers' Meeting on Culture

The Italian G7 Presidency calls for a focus on promoting joint action to enhance and safeguard culture as a global public good and catalyst for a sustainable future.

17/09/2024

The G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Culture, scheduled to convene in Naples from September 19 to 21, 2024, and presided over by the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli, will commence with a fundamental premise: culture constitutes the very essence of a nation. It shapes national identities and embodies their core values and principles, including freedom of expression, democracy, and pluralism. Cultural heritage, in all its tangible and intangible manifestations, along with the arts, creativity, knowledge systems, and the creative economy, serves as the cornerstone of a people’s identity, functioning not only as a vital public good but also as a significant driver of sustainable development. Culture acts as a powerful instrument for civic education and an effective means of fostering integration and social empowerment. It nurtures mutual respect and understanding among community members, serving as a natural antidote to all forms of violence and extremism. For these reasons, it is imperative to enhance the role of culture within our societies and to safeguard cultural resources from contemporary threats such as climate change, the illicit trafficking of cultural goods, the destruction of cultural heritage due to armed conflicts and disasters, copyright violations, censorship, and restrictions on freedom of expression. Additionally, we must identify collaborative approaches to navigate the opportunities and challenges presented by technological advancements.

The Italian G7 Presidency calls for a focus on promoting joint action to enhance and safeguard culture as a global public good and catalyst for a sustainable future. More precisely, the Culture Ministerial will prioritise defending and promoting cultural and linguistic identities in the digital realm, addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by artificial intelligence for culture and creativity, advancing efforts to combat illicit trafficking of cultural goods on a global scale, bolstering the resilience of cultural heritage against climate change, and ensuring the protection of cultural heritage in the context of armed conflicts, with a particular emphasis on the regeneration of Ukrainian culture and cultural heritage from the devastation caused by Russia’s war of aggression.

As a source of knowledge and values, a facilitator of intercultural dialogue, and a generator of economic activity and jobs, culture plays a fundamental role in building mutually beneficial partnerships with emerging economies and developing nations, particularly in Africa. In light of this, the G7 Culture will pay special attention to relationships with these countries, focusing on Africa to address the increasing demand for support in training and capacity building, enabling African nations to leverage culture as a resource for development.