Overview

• Ministers approved a final text that urges recognition of culture as an independent UN development goal in the post‑2030 agenda.
• The declaration sets nine priorities spanning cultural rights, education, cultural economy and decent work, peacebuilding, heritage and climate, crisis protection, digital access, AI and culture, and cultural data and evidence.
• It calls for AI used in cultural contexts to be reliable, ethical, transparent, safe, sustainable and inclusive, and for strong intellectual‑property protections.
• Mondiacult will now convene every four years, with the next edition in Riyadh in 2029, after drawing more than 160 delegations to Barcelona.
• Civil‑society and youth platforms pressed for resources, accountability and inclusive participation, while Mexico’s pledges on indigenous rights contrasted with a proposed 2026 budget cutting funds for its culture ministry and agencies INAH and INBAL.