Sustainable development can only be achieved if it includes cultural rights: UN expert

NEW YORK (20 October 2022) – Culture is an indispensable part of any development, if it is to be sustainable, and ensuring that each person and community can freely exercise their cultural rights is essential, a UN expert said.

“Although States agree in principle and affirm in resolutions that culture is an enable and a driver of sustainable development, cultural rights have been severely neglected in development discussions, initiatives and structures so far,” said Alexandra Xanthaki, the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights. “The sustainable development agenda is currently underdelivering in addressing the cultural dimensions of sustainable development, and cultural rights are currently being violated all over the world in pursuit of the dominant development model.”

In her report, presented today to the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur stresses that a one size fits all approach to development is not consistent with cultural rights. To be truly inclusive and human rights based, alternative visions of development have to be considered, and local populations allowed to make choices according to their values, their cultures and philosophies.

“Development should be self-determined and community-led. Ensuring the active, continuous and informed participation of the individuals and communities in all phases of development, from the inception to the implementation and delivery, is the only way to fully align development with the aspirations, systems and world views of the individuals and groups who are affected by development,” the expert said. “This is what international human rights standards relating to the right to take part in cultural life and in decision-making processes that affect one’s cultural life imply.”

The Special Rapporteur said the sustainable development agenda has recognised the cultural sector as a contributing sector, but the intention to mainstream culture through all the goals, as an expression of people’s ways of life and aspirations, has failed so far.

“We need to decisively start including cultural rights across the board in the second half of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda if we want to reach them, and seriously consider the need for a standalone goal on culture for the future. My mandate stands ready to assist in doing so,” she said.

ENDS

Alexandra Xanthaki (Greece) was appointed UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights in October 2021. Ms. Xanthaki works as a Professor of Laws at Brunel University London, United Kingdom. Throughout her academic career, Ms. Xanthaki has published over 50 publications relating to the cultural rights of minorities and indigenous peoples, cultural diversity, cultural heritage, balancing cultural rights with other rights and interests, and multiculturalism and integration in international human rights law. She has worked with NGOs, civil society and has consulted States on such issues.

Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.