Overview

• Spain’s Pedro Sánchez opened the conference at Barcelona’s CCIB, where Spanish officials condemned what they called a genocide in Gaza and argued that culture must actively defend dignity, memory and peace.
• UNESCO’s Director‑General Audrey Azoulay did not attend the inaugural session due to health reasons, with culture chief Ernesto Ottone delivering her remarks on culture as a lever for reconstruction and trust.
• Organizers report more than 170 delegations and dozens of culture ministers in attendance, with the United States absent following its announced exit from UNESCO; Israel is not sending a delegation, and Palestine participates as a member state.
• UNESCO’s first Global Report on cultural policies says cultural and creative sectors account for 3.39% of global GDP and 3.55% of employment, highlighting per‑capita public cultural spending of about $418 in Europe/North America—roughly 13 times higher than elsewhere.
• Delegates have begun negotiations on a consensus Declaration of Barcelona to steer cultural policy in the coming years, including efforts to anchor culture within global development goals, alongside visible cultural diplomacy such as a Jordi Savall peace concert and heritage showcases.