Over 1,000 cultural organisations, leaders and practitioners have added their voices to a Global Call to Action in advance of this year’s COP 28 in Dubai.
Urging the UN Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC) to adopt a groundbreaking ‘Joint Work Decision on Culture and Climate Action’ to ensure culture-based solutions to climate change are recognised and implemented.
Culture-led solutions that are inclusive, rights-based, place-specific, demand-oriented, and focused on people and nature are already abundant. Yet despite its potential, culture has not yet been integrated into climate policy and planning.
This global campaign asks for a ‘Joint Work Decision (JWD) on Culture and Climate Action’, a UN process which would trigger policies and frameworks to enable culture to bolster climate action. A High Level Ministerial Dialogue on Culture-based Climate Action has been scheduled for 8 December at COP 28, to ask the UN to adopt the JWD at next year’s COP 29.
“We need everyone from across the cultural landscape to unite and support this campaign: from artists, musicians, museums to designers, story-tellers and heritage keepers. We also need those voices who understand that culture matters,” stated Alison Tickell, Founder of Julie’s Bicycle, who are working with partners Climate Heritage Network and others on the campaign.
“The cultural dimension must be put at the heart of climate policy and planning because without it, climate action will fail.” Andrew Potts, Climate Heritage Network.
Over 250 leading organisations from a wide array of sectors ranging from culture to climate and the built environment, are supporting this campaign, including International Council of Museums (ICOM), International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICMS), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), Climate Heritage Network, to name a few.
