Communiqué of Second High-Level Meeting of Culture Ministers on Culture-Based Climate Action adopted

Communiqué of the Second High-Level Meeting of Culture Ministers on Culture-Based Climate Action has been adopted within the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Azernews reports citing the Culture Ministry.

The document notes the significant progress made in the relationship between culture and climate over the past year since the establishment of the Friends Group on Culture-Based Climate Action. It emphasizes the increasing multifaceted impact of climate change on cultural heritage, as well as the disproportionate effects of climate change on certain regions and vulnerable groups, expressing deep concern.

It is stated that the relevance of the strategy established by the COP29 Culture Trilogy is acknowledged, and efforts will continue towards the approval of the first action plan on Culture-Based Climate Action within the UNFCCC framework.

For this purpose, the indispensable role of culture in climate action concerning the mitigation of and adaptation to the effects of climate change, as well as the importance of supporting the ecological transition of cultural and creative sectors, is highlighted.

The communiqué emphasizes the commitment of the member states of the COP29 Culture Trilogy to the following provisions, while striving to fulfill the obligations established in international normative documents such as the 2022 MONDIACULT Declaration and the 2024 G20 Salvador da Bahia Declaration:

1. Further integration of culture into policies and strategies for the reduction and adaptation to the impacts of climate change, including national adaptation plans and nationally determined contributions;

2. Promotion of the formation of intersectoral policies at the national level, including strengthening interministerial cooperation;

3. Utilizing the transformative potential of the cultural sector to promote behavior change and sustainable production and consumption patterns;

4. Investing in knowledge building and data collection in the fields of culture and climate change;

5. Promoting structured dialogue and coordinated advocacy related to the maintenance of a permanent operational mechanism for Culture-Based Climate Action and COP;

6. Promoting international cooperation in the field of culture and climate action based on values of solidarity and inclusivity, including South-South and North-South collaboration;

7. Increasing support for the inclusion of culture as an independent objective in future discussions on promoting sustainable development beyond 2030, recognizing the transformative role of culture as a facilitator and driving force for sustainable development.

The document also expresses gratitude to the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry for hosting the Second High-Level Meeting of Culture Ministers under COP29 and welcomes the advancement of the "Culture for Climate" (C4C) initiative that contributes to the ongoing efforts to integrate culture into climate action.

The communiqué states that an agreement has been reached to reconvene during COP30, which will be held in Brazil in 2025, to evaluate new developments and issues related to the culture-climate nexus.

Recall that several culture ministers from various countries and representatives of participating organizations attended the Second High-Level Meeting of Culture Ministers on Culture-Based Climate Action.

The meeting was held under the leadership of the tripartite presidency of the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, and Brazil, representing COP28, COP29, and COP30, respectively.