A Pact for the Future
At the UN Summit of the Future in New York 22-23 September 2024, world leaders adopted a Pact for the Future that covers a broad range of themes including peace and security, sustainable development, climate change, digital cooperation, human rights, gender, youth and future generations, and the transformation of global governance.
The outcome document was approved by acclamation after years of hard multilateral work.
This was a once-in-a-generation opportunity to enhance cooperation on critical challenges and address gaps in global governance. The world’s multilateral system rose to the challenge and laid out a path towards a common human agenda for the future, says Cornelius Holtorf.
For the first time, culture was recognized by the world’s governments as an integral component of sustainable global development.
Why Cultural Futures Make Us Hopeful
Building better futures for human beings benefits from acknowledging the importance of culture for being human
During the Building Better Futures Festival on 19 September 2024, the UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures offered a session entitled “Why Cultural Futures Make us Hopeful”.
The session explored the role of culture in anticipation and futures thinking. The speakers discussed why a global Pact for the Future should take culture seriously, what we can learn from transcultural futurisms, and how cultural heritage can be a tool for future-making.
Read more from the global artist Kai Altmann (XLE.LIFE) and the heritage professional Alison Heritage (ICCROM, Rome, Heritage Foresight initiative).
Interested in the work of the UNESCO Chair on Heritage Futures?