Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain
09/30/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/30/2025 13:01
At Mondiacult, Ministry of Foreign Affairs strengthens cultural cooperation agenda linked to major contemporary challenges
PRESS RELEASE 117
At Mondiacult, Ministry of Foreign Affairs strengthens cultural cooperation agenda linked to major contemporary challenges
- The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation side events highlight the international dimension of culture for peace and sustainable development
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Barcelona hosts Mondiacult 2025 following the proposal of Minister Albares and former Minister for Culture Iceta
Today
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, through the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), strengthens Spain's role in Mondiacult 2025 as a key player in the construction of a global cultural agenda based on peace, cultural rights and sustainable development. This edition of the UNESCO Conference is taking place in Barcelona at the proposal of Minister José Manuel Albares and former Minister for Culture Miquel Iceta.
Through a structured cultural cooperation strategy, Spanish Cooperation highlights initiatives in Mondiacult 2025 that link culture to major contemporary challenges through its side events. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs consolidates its presence through these activities, projecting Spanish cultural cooperation as a driver of peace, inclusion, sustainable development and heritage protection on the international agenda.
New Culture and Development Strategy
On 1 October, the AECID will share the main results of the evaluation of the Culture and Development Strategy, approved in 2007, which will serve as a basis for drafting the Agency's future Strategy. This event will mark a milestone in Spanish cultural cooperation, with the participation of Eva Granados Galiano, State Secretary for International Cooperation; Alfons Martinell Sempere, expert in cultural policies; Eloísa Vaello Marco, Deputy Director of Cultural Cooperation of the AECID; as well as institutional representatives from the Republic of Paraguay and the Dominican Republic. The moderator will be Gemma Carbó Ribugent, a specialist in cultural management.
On the third day of Mondiacult, the AECID will also lead, together with SEGIB, a discussion on the creative economy and cultural policies for sustainable development. After the International Forum on the Creative Economy held in Barcelona on 27 and 28 September, this space will highlight the Ibero-American contribution to cultural policies. Along with the Director of the AECID and the Cervantes Institute, the Secretary-General of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) and representatives of the Governments of Chile and Colombia will also participate.
Protecting cultural heritage in the event of conflict
The first event, held on Monday 29 September, was dedicated to culture for peace and heritage protection in conflict zones. The AECID presented its project "Hub of Culture, Peace and Resilience in Lviv", a significant contribution from Spanish Cooperation and UNESCO to the implementation of the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
The panel brought together Anastasiia Bondar, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine; Andriy Sadovyi, Mayor of Lviv; Antón Leis García, Director of the AECID; and Krista Pikkat, Director of Culture and Emergencies at UNESCO, to address the relevance of culture as an instrument for peace and the need to protect heritage in crisis scenarios.
Ibero-America on the global cultural agenda
On the same Monday afternoon, the AECID promoted a space for dialogue with a strong Ibero-American focus. The "Forum on Culture, Rights and Sustainable Development" was co-organised with the Organisation of Ibero-American States, SEGIB, the CAF and the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA). The event highlighted the dynamism of Ibero-America in the design of innovative and inclusive cultural policies, with the participation, among others, of Mariano Jabonero, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Ibero-American States, and Alejandra Claros, Secretary-General of the CAF, as well as representatives of the Government of Brazil and the AECID.
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