Eduardo González
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, received yesterday at the La Moncloa Complex the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the occasion of the election of Barcelona as the future headquarters of the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (Mondiacult). in 2025.
During the meeting (which was also attended by the Minister of Culture, Ernest Urtasun), Sánchez celebrated UNESCO’s decision to bring to Spain the main international meeting on cultural policies, Mondiacult, which brings together the 194 member states to jointly define the agenda. world for culture. To date it had only been held in Mexico. Spain presented its candidacy in 2023 with the support of the Presidency of the Government and the Ministries of Culture and Foreign Affairs.
Furthermore, the President of the Government and Audrey Azoulay spoke about the Culture of Peace, “the backbone of the Spanish candidacy”, one of whose examples is the project (developed by UNESCO and led by Spain) for the creation of a cultural center in Lviv (Ukraine), a city declared World Heritage and currently in serious danger.
Likewise, both addressed other issues, such as Artificial Intelligence, which “will be one of the topics to be debated in the edition to be held in Barcelona,” according to Moncloa in a press release. This technology “represents great risks, but also important opportunities in all areas, also in culture, and for both Spain and UNESCO it is a priority,” he added.
Spain is the country in the world with the largest number of biosphere reserves and UNESCO Chairs and the third by number of sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. It is also the fifth largest European contributor to the Organization’s regular budget.
