Cutting Edge | From standing out to reaching out: cultural diplomacy for sustainable development

Culture increasingly permeates international relations and foreign policies. Cultural diplomacy is harnessed by countries to promote their cultural distinctiveness, thus enhancing the world's cultural diversity while paving the way to cooperation and dialogue. In a globalized, interconnected world where countries are increasingly interdependent, cultural diplomacy can be critical to fostering peace and stability. By supporting mutual understanding, trust and exposure to cultural diversity, it enhances international relations in many areas of cooperation. This unique form of intercultural dialogue has the power to bolster and renew multilateral cooperation, beyond competing interests, to put forth global public goods, while also tackling some of the pressing issues of our time, such as disinformation, social inequalities, conflict and climate change. 

New models of cultural diplomacy are emerging that are mutually beneficial for the countries involved and build on culture as a resource for social cohesion and dialogue. Traditionally about winning “hearts and minds” for strategic purposes – or even, sometimes, instrumentalised for divisive purposes - contemporary cultural diplomacy can be seen as more about long term cooperation and sharing values. Whether it be enabling the mobility of artists to promote cultural diversity, lending museums pieces to build a shared understanding of the past, pooling expertise to boost the capacity of the creative industries or launching languages programmes, cultural diplomacy initiatives have multiple benefits for fostering global citizenship. Furthermore, facing the homogenisation of a globalised culture, cultural diplomacy can also serve as a way of enhancing a country’s national and local cultural assets and so promote cultural diversity.Valuing cultural diversity, in turn, enhances social inclusion and well-being through the arts and creativity, as well as cultural heritage, leading to enhanced participation and the feeling of being part of a society. As the economic weight of the cultural sector is now firmly established, cultural diplomacy efforts can also be leveraged to boost the cultural assets and creative industries of a country to support decent jobs and to highlight their economic leadership.

UNESCO has been a unique global platform for cultural diplomacy since its inception in 1945, rooted in its conviction in the “free exchange of ideas and knowledge… for the purposes of mutual understanding and a truer and more perfect knowledge of each other’s lives,” as articulated in its Constitution. Particularly through its normative instruments and programmes, UNESCO facilitates cultural diplomacy, opening new arenas for cooperation and dialogue on complex and sometimes sensitive issues related to culture, creativity, and heritage, building international consensus and frameworks for action.

Forms of culture diplomacy have existed for centuries, with explorers, travellers, traders, teachers and artists being early “cultural diplomats”. Documents on the UNESCO Memory of the World list - such as those related to peace building and cultural exchanges between Korea and Japan from the 17th to the 19th century - bear witness to formal government exchanges since the birth of the modern state. It was used by many European countries as a token of pride and courtesy and/or to build political alliances. In the late 19th century countries such as France (1883) and Italy (1889) began setting up networks of institutions to promote their cultures and languages abroad. Some countries, such as Brazil, began mapping cultural relations as early as 1920’s to promote its image abroad – particularly in North America, Europe and Latin America – but also to connect with historical roots in sub-Saharan Africa in subsequent decades, marking a trend of strategies that have an external (foreign policy) and internal (nation building) purpose.The 1920’s also shifted the contours of cultural diplomacy as radio broadcasts in foreign languages could be used as a way to share cultural messages to populations abroad. Across history, culture was sometimes instrumentalised as part of geopolitics and competition between different countries..

Following independence, several countries centred their foreign policy around culture, or development policies around inter-state cooperation in culture. Cultural diplomacy was a way of recovering from the dark pages of their past marked by discrimination and persecution. For instance, Senegal’s foreign policy strategy focused on the idea of “culture-peace”, including intercultural dialogue as one of its main pillars, thus prioritizing soft power over hard power. Whereas in the Caribbean, culture was a cornerstone of national development policies and a strong regional multilateral dimension emerged through cultural diplomacy efforts, including through festivals such as the Caribbean Festival of Arts - CARIFESTA (1972) forging inter-state relations through the arts, which predates the creation of The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) which collaborates in other policy areas.

Despite being a long-term practice of cultural relations at State level in different forms, the term "cultural diplomacy" has only recently been established. Building on the notion of “soft power”, coined in the 1980’s by Joseph Nye, Milton Cummings proposed a definition of cultural diplomacy being the “exchange of ideas, information, art, language and other aspects of culture among nations and peoples in order to foster mutual understanding”. Cultural diplomacy encompasses a wide range of practices with different objectives, be it forging alliances, stimulating economic development or supporting peace and security. John Lenczowski categorizes several instruments of cultural diplomacy, including the arts, exhibitions, exchanges, educational programmes, literature, language teaching, broadcasting, gifts, promotion of ideas (like rule of law), promotion of social policy (like campaigns against HIV), history and religious diplomacy (like interfaith dialogue). Other researchers are increasingly linking the arts, festivals and geopolitics.

Beyond State driven policy processes, cultural diplomacy engages a wide range of non-governmental actors such as artists, curators, journalists, teachers, lecturers and students which support or amplify these processes, differentiating it from other areas of diplomacy. International art biennials, for example, rely on artists and curators. The Fulbright Foreign Student Programme of the United States of America or the European Union’s ERASMUS student exchange programme are also a tool for fostering cultural exchange and building mutual values, whilst multilingual public media also influence cultural cooperation. The development in recent years of non-state actors is transforming international relations, accelerating the circulation of ideas. Civil society organizations often have more flexibility to pursue exchanges and programmes. Such cultural relations often grow more organically, rather than having strategic foreign policy purposes. The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (Germany) even identifies private sector cultural diplomacy. Given the move towards more socially responsible business practices, the ability to understand and embrace the different values and needs of diverse cultures and societies becomes ever more important.

Museums are a particularly effective vehicle for cultural diplomacy. As platforms for civic discourse among a broad group of users, they bring together globally shared experiences for mutual understanding among cultures, such as the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on the issue of genocide and The Casa de la Memoria in Colombia that explores armed conflict. Opened in 2017, the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum was the first museum in the world that was the result of a diplomatic agreement, between France and the United Arab Emirates, and aims to foster a dialogue between civilizations. Networks of museums, such as the Ibermuseos of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), also collaborate to share expertise to strengthen museological heritage and the social functions of museums.

Although cultural diplomacy is traditionally State-driven and anchored in bilateral processes, it is also gaining traction at the local level, fostering new forms of culture-based networking and cooperation worldwide.  Global exchanges through cities can foster cooperation and leadership as well as pooling expertise, reshaping governance models of the cultural sector particularly for post-pandemic recovery. Cities are laboratories for new models of external cultural relations and their proximity to citizens allows more responsive and innovative policies and initiatives. UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network (UCCN), for example, joins together 246 cities across the globe to embed cultural and creative industries in their local development, allowing these cities to promote their culture. Similarly, UNESCO’s World Heritage Cities Programme brings together urban World Heritage around the world, for the sharing of experiences and providing assistance for addressing the particular conservation challenges that these sites face. Morocco has effectively harnessed the city space through cultural festivals, such as Marrakech International Film Festival and the Mawazine music festival in Rabat, bringing together international performers and visitors, as well as enhancing the status of these cities internationally.

Furthermore, digital technologies are transforming methods of cultural diplomacy, as digital platforms are no longer simply a platform for visibility and dissemination of messages and information but also the method for engaging audiences. “Network cultural diplomacy” is a term evolving around digital technologies. For example, Oman and China’s cultural ministries recently held a digital cultural exchange week for youth, artists and entrepreneurs to share experiences and increase cultural cooperation between the two countries. The pandemic particularly increased digital demands and offer and opened new avenues to continue cultural diplomacy. An example is a livestreaming tour in Chinese facilitated by the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London, in August 2020 through the platform Kuaishou, which was highly successful.

Whilst the primary goal of cultural diplomacy remains the advancement of national interests, there is a perceptible shift towards more mutually beneficial models that seek to build trust, establishing cooperation and partnership. transitioning from “standing out” to “reaching out”, as one study put it. Genuine cultural diplomacy is now a two-way communication process, entailing not only projecting a country’s image and value to other countries and peoples but also endeavouring to understand the culture, values and images of other countries and peoples. As such, culture can open up pathways for more complex political diplomacy as it is a way of kickstarting dialogue. For example, in 2018 UNESCO recognised the joint inscription of a traditional Korean sport on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. UNESCO supported the joint application by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea, brokering the highly symbolic step on the road to inter-Korean reconciliation, demonstrating the peace-building power of cultural heritage, as a bridge between peoples. 

In some cases, cultural diplomacy can also directly or indirectly pursue economic benefits, as cultural diplomacy is understood as a lever to boost exports. Viet Nam in 2021 launched a new cultural diplomacy strategy to harness culture, which not only brings economic benefits to the localities but also helps the country raise its influence and spread its cultural values to the world. For example, China and New Zealand in 2015 embarked on a project to promote tourism through a museum initiative: the Te Papa National Museum organized exhibitions at the National Museum of China and vice versa. Peru was an early practitioner of “gastrodiplomacy”, using national cuisine as an element of its public diplomacy. Through its campaign “Cocina peruana para el mundo” (Peruvian Cuisine for the World), Peru used cuisine to establish a national brand and to export this brand globally. Whilst a large element of this policy was to protect the cultural heritage of the country, it also aimed to promote the export of Peruvian goods, such as cacao and quinoa, as well as encourage the opening of Peruvian restaurants abroad, thus creating more economic opportunities. Other countries are also promoting their common culinary traditions, such as through the inscription in 2020 of “Knowledge, know-how and practices related to the production and consumption of couscous” by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The term “cultural diplomacy” has broadened considerably in recent years, also encompassing social development. The role of culture for participation, social inclusion, well-being and freedom of expression is well-recognised. Cultural diplomacy programmes now tackle issues such as social cohesion, racism, inequality, discrimination against minorities and migrants, the cultural dimension of inter-religious issues and post-conflict resolution. Panama’s 2018 Cultural Diplomacy Strategy, for example, “positions culture as a resource for sustainable development not only in national spaces of consolidation but also at a regional and international level” and is rooted in cultural rights and the 2030 Agenda.

National governments today are gradually evolving and refining their models for diplomacy, including cultural diplomacy strategies. Since 2007, China has made significant efforts “to publicize the fine traditions of Chinese culture and strengthen international cultural exchanges to enhance the influence of Chinese culture worldwide,” leading to the establishment of several new think tanks, university courses and associations. China’s One Belt One Road programme includes one of the biggest soft power efforts globally, through an important cultural and educational component that aims to build on the historic legacy of the cultural connections along the ancient Silk Road. The Qatar National Vision 2030 (2008), calls for a deepening “cultural exchange with the Arab peoples in particular” and to reflect Qatar’s role as a “responsible member of the international community”, explicitly linking culture and sports. Other countries have embedded cultural diplomacy as one of the strategic axes of their foreign ministry and have a dedicated directorate within their ministry of foreign relations, testifying to the power of culture to advance cooperation, as well as investments and trade. Malaysia’s new Foreign Policy Framework 2021, for example, included cultural diplomacy approaches.

Reflecting this trend, there has been a proliferation of new institutes dedicated to cultural diplomacy. Historically representing European countries, more recent examples include The Peres Centre for Peace (Israel established in 1996), Russkiy Mir Foundation of Russia (2007), The Confucius Institute (China 2004), Yunus Emre Institute (Turkey, 2007) and Korean Cultural Centers (Republic of Korea, 2009). Different cultural diplomacy policies and institutes have significant differences in approaches. For example, the UK focuses on education, France and Germany emphasise language and Canada concentrates on exhibiting the diversity of their cultural development. Some cultural foundations create bridges between multiple countires, such as Asia-Europe Foundation, the EU Japan Institute and Anna Lindh Foundation based in Egypt that unites 3000 civil society organizations to contribute to the development of an Intercultural Strategy for the Euro-Mediterranean Region. The Institute for African Culture and International Understanding (Nigeria 2007), under the auspices of UNESCO, also has a regional reach.

Other countries have chosen to invest in long-term initiatives, such as India's Project Mausam which aims to connect countries on the Indian Ocean through the shared knowledge systems, traditions, technologies and ideas along maritime routes. Kazakhstan has a tradition of organizing conferences focusing on intercultural and interreligious dialogue, often organized by the International Centre for the Rapprochement of Cultures, under the auspices of UNESCO. New Zealand’s government set up the Cultural Diplomacy International Programme in 2012 to boost New Zealand’s profile and economic, trade, tourism, diplomatic and cultural interests, including through and exhibition entitled Tuku Iho by the New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute in Chile, Argentina, and Brazil and artist exchanges with Samoa. In Africa, the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) a film festival in Burkina Faso and the Luanda Bienniale in Angola also foster regional cooperation.

The multilateral arena is especially vital for cultural diplomacy, with some countries increasingly investing in regional or global forums. Cultural diplomacy in the multilateral sphere has existed in in the form of World Expos, which began in 1851 in the United Kingdom. Originally conceived to promote industry and national identity, Expos began to connect cultures and present national achievements in all domains of human activity and since the year 2000, the main UN agendas have guided the selection of Expo themes. The Dubai Expo 2020 currently taking place (postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic) under the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future” and is the first time a country from the Arab States has hosted. Organizations such as the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) deepen diplomatic relations through efforts to promote the French language and the Commonwealth of Nations that aims to “influenc[e] international society to the benefit of all through the pursuit of common principles and values.” Even organizations of hard power, such as NATO recently launched a Fellowship Programme in the field of cultural diplomacy.

At the regional level, culture has long been a vehicle for deepening cooperation in other policy areas. For example, the 1964 Charter of Arab Cultural Unity states that “the cultural and intellectual unity is the main basis upon which Arab Unity is built” (leading to creation of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) in 1970. In Africa, culture quickly became recognised as an important element of the African Union (AU), following its establishment in 2002 as a replacement to the Organization of African Unity (1963-1999), notably through the 2006 Charter for African Cultural Renaissance that recognises the important role that culture pays in mobilising and unifying people around common ideals and promoting African culture to build the ideals of Pan-Africanism. common ideals and promoting African culture to build the ideals of Pan-Africanism. The AU Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want in 2021 is a further manifestation of this desire. More recently, the Commonwealth of Independent States established an Intergovernmental Foundation for Educational, Scientific and Cultural Cooperation in 2006. The onset of the pandemic, has also prompted deeper cooperation on culture at the regional level. For example, the South American sub-regional trading bloc, MERCOSUR, just released its first ever joint statistical exercise on the cultural sector whilst the eight members of the Central American Integration System (SICA) have developed a regional integration strategy centred on cultural diplomacy. 

Regional-level cultural diplomacy policies and strategies are becoming increasingly integrated, as exemplified by the ASEAN Strategic Plan for Culture and Arts 2016-2025. However, the European Union (EU) has perhaps the most clearly articulated position for regional cultural diplomacy. Firstly, it established in 2006 the European Union National Institutes for Culture, creating a network in some 150 countries. Then in 2016, it sought to consolidate a regional cultural diplomacy strategy. The “Towards an EU Strategy for International Cultural Relations” joint communication explicitly recognised the security dimension of culture for “promoting peace and fighting radicalisation through intercultural dialogue”. It accelerated the prominent positioning of culture as the core of the EU’s foreign and security policy, for example, leading to the foreign policy branch - Europe’s External Action Service (EEAS) - to engage more strategically with heritage. In June 2021, this resulted in the adoption of a new EU approach to cultural heritage in conflicts and crises, indicating that the EU is consolidating its leading political role in this field.

Foreign relations are increasingly engaging in the field of culture and in the promotion of cultural diplomacy from the perspective of valorizing national assets. This is not just in the realm of the arts and heritage but also the use of culture more generally to promote sustainable development, intercultural dialogue, peace and security, global citizenship education, social inclusion and environmental sustainability. The recent historic declaration of the G20 attests to this shift in perceptions of culture as a driver for broader policy change. The Republic of Korea’s cultural diplomacy policy not only focuses on promotion of Korean culture (Hallyu) abroad but also reinforcing its efforts through UNESCO. Participating in UNESCO's work, through the UNESCO Conventions and their Committees not only allows Member States to promote their cultural riches but in so doing, contributes to the safeguarding of cultural diversity. This can be through progressively expanding and deepening criteria for what culture and heritage we collectively value, and deepening cooperation on thematic issues, such as the preservation of rock art or earthen heritage. There are also some 20 Category II Centres for culture, (institutions linked to but not legally part of UNESCO) across all continents, which, through capacity-building, knowledge sharing and research, provide a valuable and unique contribution. These centres are beacons of regional cooperation and cultural diplomacy.

UNESCO, with its global mandate on culture and promoting the free flow of ideas and images is the global platform for cultural diplomacy, building in particular on legal frameworks enshrined in its Conventions and programmes. Reflecting the important place of culture in international relations, the UNESCO 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was the second important UN-brokered agreement in the field of international humanitarian law, after the 1948 Genocide Convention. In 1966, in a context of increasingly frosty relations through the Cold War, UNESCO Member States adopted a Declaration of the Principles of International Cultural Cooperation to tackle “profound difficulties of understanding one another” and “undesirable practices in the conduct of international relations”, illustrating the need for cultural cooperation to contribute “ to the establishment of stable, long-term relations between peoples, which-should be subjected as little as possible to the strains which may arise in international life”. The fact that the 1972 World Heritage Convention  is the most ratified of all of the international conventions (with 194 States Parties) and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage the most rapidly ratified international convention (with 179 States Parties in under 20 years) attests to the vital importance of culture for multilateral dialogue.

By encouraging multi-country listings, where cultural heritage transcends territories and countries, UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention directly supports cultural diplomacy efforts. The World Heritage List includes,for example, the Qhapaq Nan Andean Road System (covering 30,000km across six countries in South America) and the Great Spa Towns of Europe (comprising 11spa towns, located in seven countries). The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier World Heritage property spans several continents with its 17 sites across Europe, Argentina, India and Japan. Due to the number of sites listed along the Silk Roads, UNESCO has a dedicated programme that bears witness to the historic routes known for peaceful trade, and a rich history of religious and harmonious cultural exchange.

Likewise, the growing number of multinational inscriptions on UNESCO’s Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the 2003 Convention bear witness to the circulation of culture across countries, thereby fostering cultural cooperation. Examples are numerous from Camel racing, a social practice and a festive heritage associated with camels (United Arab Emirates - Oman), to the musical art of horn players, an instrumental technique linked to singing, vibrato, resonance of place and conviviality (France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Italy), to the art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe and the Argentinian and Uruguayan tradition of the Tango. Falconry was jointly inscribed by no fewer than 24 countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic and United Arab Emirates). In 2021, 16 Arabic-speaking countries jointly listed Arabic calligraphy: knowledge, skills and practices. Also inscribed on the Representative List is the celebration of Nowruz, marking the first day of spring for over 3000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions, and proclaimed as an International Day by the UN General Assembly in 2010.

The return and restitution of cultural property has become an increasingly prominent issue for cultural diplomacy, reflecting a shift in North-South policy discussions towards renewed dialogue on culture. The 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property - developed through inter-governmental dialogue and ratified by 141 States - provides a common framework not only for countries to take measures to prohibit and prevent the import, export and transfer of cultural property but also provide the conditions for its return and restitution. Since its adoption, increasing collaboration between national police services, as well as through Interpol, has seen multiple returns of looted and illicitly trafficked items. Recent examples include the 3,500 year old “Gilgamesh Tablet”, one of the oldest literary works in history, which was formally handed back to Iraq by the United States of America. The voluntary handover of a fragment of the Piedras Negras stela from a private collector to Guatemala, also demonstrated an evolution in the international environment, made possible through the international cooperation of Guatemala, France and UNESCO. In recent years, there has been an increase in demands for the restitution of artefacts from the colonial era reflecting a shift in North-South policy discussions towards renewed dialogue on culture. The 1970 Convention provides a framework for such policy discussions and encourages these bilateral efforts.

Cultural diplomacy is also conducive to enabling the exchange of cultural goods and services, the mobility of artists and respect for artistic expressions - a vision which is at the core of UNESCO’s 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. By providing a legal framework to support a balanced flow of cultural goods and services and promote the mobility of artists, particularly from developing countries, the 2005 Convention supports the development of bilateral and multilateral cultural cooperation agreements that cover both operational programmes and professional exchange activities. In a context where the mobility of artists from the Global South is hampered by increasingly restrictive visa regimes - as underlined by UNESCO’s soon to be published Re|Shaping Policies for Creativity report - such cultural diplomacy efforts are particularly critical.

Cultural diplomacy  as practiced by States today has   fostered   a   stronger recognition of the power of culture and cultural diversity as an added-value in today’s multicultural  societies.  By  placing  culture  at  the  centre  stage,  cultural  diplomacy efforts are conducive to enhanced investments  towards the cultural sector, employment  and  social  inclusion.  Digital  technologies,  the  rise  of  civil  society,  and the recalibration of international  cultural cooperation  have all given rise to new models for cultural diplomacy and stronger policy engagement with the cultural sector. Furthermore, there has been a shift from self-promotion to value-promotion,  as cultural diplomacy  increasingly  targets the recognition  of countries'  cultural assets, as well as historical  and social legacies rooted in the practices  of peoples and communities.

Along with these shifts in focus – from projection to cooperation – cultural diplomacy also engages a broad, diverse range of stakeholders. Although cultural diplomacy is traditionally State-driven, new forms of culture-based networking and cooperation at the local level are also increasingly gaining traction. Global exchanges through cities, as a form of cultural diplomacy can foster cooperation and leadership and pool mutually beneficial expertise. Similarly, regional-level cultural diplomacy initiatives are increasingly potent conduits for sharing values and expertise and supporting regional integration. These multilayered cultural diplomacy efforts can reshape governance models of the cultural sector, including for post-pandemic recovery.

When grounded in genuine commitment to promote intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity, cultural diplomacy can renew multilateralism, fostering more inclusive, mutually beneficial international cooperation patterns. Countries increasingly acknowledge that enhancing the world's cultural diversity and fostering cultural understanding - as major targets of contemporary cultural diplomacy policies - are equally critical to peace building and security, and even more so in an increasingly fragmented world.

Such approaches to cultural diplomacy allow countries to identify common cultural values and legacies, opening pathways for renewed alliances, thus enacting the principles of the UNESCO 2001 Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. Multi-country nominations as part of UNESCO Culture Conventions, regional agreements to support the mobility of artists or the development of cross-border cultural tourism routes, reflect such policy endeavors. In doing so, cultural diplomacy has the power to strengthen peace, security and development through the promotion of the world’s cultural diversity - as opposed to instrumentalizing culture for divisive purposes - also underlining the dynamic essence of culture and its capacity to renew over time.

However, such a comprehensive vision requires a consolidation of national cultural diplomacy policies and a clearer articulation across the policy spectrum. Despite recognizing the value of cultural diplomacy and actively engaging in it, many countries do not have a specific policy, with responsibilities scattered across government and no earmarked funds. Consolidated cultural diplomacy policies would be beneficial to Member States’ national interest, as well as international cooperation. This requires, in particular, that countries foster data-led policy-making and to examine specific challenges and opportunities raised by the digital transformation.

UNESCO provides normative instruments and policy fora for countries to strengthen, articulate and amplify their cultural diplomacy goals. UNESCO Culture Conventions offer dialogue platforms and operational tools to support, for example, the safeguarding of common heritage, the mobility of artists or the restitution of cultural property. The upcoming World Conference on Cultural Policies - MONDIACULT 2022, due to be hosted by the government of Mexico in September, will renew the commitment to global policy dialogue - a vital forum to demonstrate the power of cultural diplomacy to deepen dialogue and cooperation for a more peaceful, prosperous and culturally-diverse world.