May 21, 2012: World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
Cultural diversity is crucial for development
The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 2002 and celebrated on 21 May, provides an opportunity for mobilization on the part of all actors (governments, policy makers, civil society organizations, communities, cultural professionals) to promote culture in its diversity and in all its forms: tangible and intangible heritage, creative industries, goods and services.
On this Day, UNESCO emphasizes the need to fight against imbalances that exist between global exchanges of cultural goods, and stresses the importance of preserving the world’s most vulnerable cultures, together with the need for cultural policies and structural measures in developing countries. It also highlights the importance of being aware of the value of cultural diversity in languages is also stressed.
Special attention is given to national cultural policies that recognize the contribution of traditional knowledge, particularly when it comes to environmental protection and natural resource management, which promote synergies between modern science and local knowledge.
UNESCO Programmes
ATLAS OF THE WORLD’S LANGUAGES IN DANGER
Bolster the efforts of speaker communities to maintain or revitalize their mother tongues
INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR CULTURAL DIVERSITY
Supporting the emergence of dynamic cultural industries
LOCAL AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS
Some 350 million individuals in more than 70 countries represent more than 5000 languages
THE CULTURAL DIVERSITY LENS
A practical e-learning tool to integrate culture in development
CULTURE FOR DEVELOPMENT INDICATOR SUITE
How culture contributes to development at national level
CULTURE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Cultural diversity fosters dialogue, peace and social cohesion
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND THE WORLD SUMMIT FOR INFORMATION SOCIETY
Give access to content of local relevance or locally produced
