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UNESCO’s Mondiacult Opens in Barcelona With Gaza Condemnations and AI, Peace Priorities

Organizers are using the Barcelona gathering to press for culture to become a post‑2030 UN development goal.

Ernest Urtasun, Salvador Illa, Pedro Sánchez y Ernesto Ottone, subdirector general de Cultura de la UNESCO, en el centro de la foto de ministros de Cultura presentes en Mondiacult, este lunes
Eva Yerbabuena y Miguel Poveda, en su actuación en la ceremonia inaugural de Mondiacult 2025, en Barcelona, este lunes.
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Overview

  • More than 160 national delegations and dozens of ministers convened at the CCIB, with the United States absent after announcing its withdrawal from UNESCO.
  • Spanish leaders led the opening by denouncing the devastation in Gaza and presenting culture as a tool for peace and rights, drawing an ovation for the Palestinian ambassador as the Palestinian culture minister was unable to attend due to border closures.
  • UNESCO director‑general Audrey Azoulay missed the ceremony for health reasons, deputy culture chief Ernesto Ottone delivered her remarks and flagged AI and peace as priorities, and Spain’s Ernest Urtasun was elected to chair the conference.
  • UNESCO released its first Global Report on culture, estimating the sector at 3.39% of global GDP and 3.55% of employment, and highlighting a roughly 13‑to‑1 gap in per‑capita public cultural spending between Europe/North America and the rest of the world.
  • Delegations will work toward a draft Declaration of Barcelona and concrete policy and financing commitments through October 1, alongside a public cultural program featuring performances and heritage showcases.