Vietnam proposes initiatives to implement the Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development: Minister
WVR - Within the framework of the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2025) organized by UNESCO in collaboration with the Spanish government, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung attended and delivered an important speech at the International Forum on Cultural Rights and Cultural Economy.
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From September 29 to October 1, the MONDIACULT 2025 conference took place in Barcelona, Spain, gathering Ministers/Heads of Delegations from 163 countries and 90 international organizations, 100 non-governmental organizations, and 2,500 delegates including experts, scientists, cultural practitioners, artists, and media reporters.
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| Minister Nguyen Van Hung attended and spoke at the international forum on cultural rights and cultural economy within the framework of MONDIACULT 2025. |
The International Forum on Cultural Rights and Cultural Economy was one of the most anticipated events of the Conference, especially as cultural rights and cultural economy are two very important topics increasingly gaining attention from the global cultural and artistic community, as well as nations and international organizations.
The event was a place for Ministers/Heads of Delegations to unanimously affirm the importance of ensuring the implementation of cultural rights and cultural economy, considering them crucial factors towards ensuring human progress and development.
UNESCO needs to soon issue a Global Action Program on Culture
Speaking at the Forum, Minister Nguyen Van Hung emphasized that 80 years ago, in the Declaration of Independence in 1945, which marked the foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, affirming Vietnam's independence and freedom, President Ho Chi Minh highlighted important contents such as: “All men are created equal” and “They are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”.
This serves as the guiding principle, the most important orientation for the Party and State of Vietnam in determining the special essential role and position of culture throughout the nation's history, where culture deeply permeates the lives of the people and actively participates in building a democratic, just, civilized, and prosperous Vietnam.
The development of culture, ensuring cultural rights, and human rights have been institutionalized in the Constitution—the highest law—as well as in many other legal documents of Vietnam.
Culture has been integrated and appropriately represented in all development policies of the country; culture is placed on par with the economy, politics, and society, contributing to human development, fulfilling international commitments, and achieving the United Nations' sustainable development goals.
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| Minister Nguyen Van Hung at the International Forum on Cultural Rights and Cultural Economy within the framework of MONDIACULT 2025. |
To implement the important contents and goals highlighted at the MONDIACULT 2025 Conference, including cultural rights and cultural economy, Minister Nguyen Van Hung proposed that UNESCO should soon research and issue a Global Action Program on Culture, with six main priority areas (cultural rights, digital technology in the cultural field, culture and education, cultural economy, culture and climate change, culture – heritage and crisis) and two focal areas (culture for peace, artificial intelligence and culture), with criteria systems suitable for each group of countries worldwide.
Notably, Minister Hung proposed Vietnam's initiative to implement the Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development, focusing on implementing the important cultural priorities and contents that the international community has been and will continue to be concerned with and address, urging the international community to pay attention to implementation in the coming time, contributing to ensuring a more peaceful, stable, and prosperous world.
Minister Hung's sharing received strong support from other speakers at the Forum. Mr. Seyyed Abbas Saleh Shariati, Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance of Iran, stated that cultural rights and cultural economy should be placed on par with policies on food security and clean water.
Meanwhile, Ms. Asta Vrečko, Minister of Culture of Slovenia, proposed leveraging scientific and technological advances to promote global cultural rights.
Ms. Ngola Marie-Françoise Ramadan-Mamata, Minister of Arts, Culture and Tourism of Central Africa, affirmed that sustainable economic development is the foundation for ensuring cultural rights and heritage preservation, contributing to enhancing national status.
Mr. George Mirtskhulava, Deputy Minister of Culture of Georgia, shared experiences in preserving and promoting cultural identity and diversity in a multi-ethnic society, particularly through youth education to protect heritage and strengthen national stability and prosperity…
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| Minister Nguyen Van Hung and the Vietnamese delegation take a photo with Spanish Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun. |
International community values Vietnam's experience
Discussions among leaders at the Forum extended beyond cultural rights and cultural economy, covering many other important issues and contents such as focusing on implementing UNESCO's important Conventions on culture; solutions to enhance societal awareness of the role, position, and significant contributions of culture, ensuring cultural rights and developing cultural economy in creating cohesion among peoples, peace, and stability in social communities; supporting and promoting cultural and artistic creativity through the development of cultural industries and entertainment industries; enhancing the role of important cultural institutions such as cinemas, libraries, museums, cultural centers…
Minister Nguyen Van Hung highlighted some of Vietnam's successful experiences, such as focusing on institutionalization, mobilizing important resources for cultural development, including public-private partnership models like Vietnam's construction and inauguration of the National Exhibition Center—one of the 10 largest exhibition centers in the world, successfully organizing major exhibition events, attracting tens of millions of visitors, aiming to host international-scale events in the near future.
Additionally, Vietnam's practical lessons on developing cultural enterprises, cultural entrepreneurs; promoting cultural tourism models, combining the protection and promotion of cultural heritage values, including UNESCO-recognized world cultural heritage with sustainable tourism development… were also shared by Minister Nguyễn Văn Hùng and received much acclaim from counterparts participating in the Forum.
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| Minister Nguyen Van Hung presents a commemorative painting to Spanish Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun. |
After three days of vibrant and effective activities, the closing ceremony of MONDIACULT 2025 was solemnly held on the afternoon of October 1, with the presence of Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, along with numerous Heads of Delegations and delegates. MONDIACULT 2025 concluded with a commitment to building a global agenda on culture, continuing the achievements from the 2022 session in Mexico.
Countries reaffirmed that culture is a core pillar in development policies and crisis response. Discussions revolved around priority topics and focal areas of the Global Action Program on Culture.
UNESCO announced the Global Report on Cultural Policy, evaluating the role of culture in development. The conference emphasized the commitment to building a specific, measurable, and feasible roadmap to strengthen the position of culture in future development programs.
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| Dr. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation (far right); Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, Director of the Institute of Culture, Arts, Sports, and Tourism of Vietnam, take a photo with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. |
During the mission to attend MONDIACULT 2025, Minister Nguyen Van Hung and the Vietnamese delegation held bilateral meetings with Mr. Ernest Urtasun, Spanish Minister of Culture, Mr. Ernesto Villegas, Minister of People's Power and Culture of Venezuela, Mr. Jorge Rodríguez Vives, Minister of Culture of Costa Rica…
At these meetings, the ministers expressed their admiration and affection for Vietnam and agreed to jointly implement specific actions to enhance cultural cooperation between Vietnam and other countries, while implementing the policy priorities and focal areas outlined at MONDIACULT, aiming to make culture an independent goal in the post-2030 agenda.
