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Cutting Edge | Culture & Education: A Strategic Investment for Inclusive and Sustainable Development
Culture Education A Strategic Investment for Inclusive and Sustainable Development The COVID19 pandemic has devastated the culture and education sectors worldwide Widespread lockdowns have heavily impacted access to culture and the livelihoods of cultural professionals calling for policies that promote cultural diversity and boost mechanisms for improved social and economic conditions The closure of places of formal and informal education have left millions of people out of schools and training resulting in significant losses to learning employment and wellbeing The wideranging impacts of the crisis have weakened human rights including the rights to education and culture the scars of which will be borne for years to come Recovery is not only a question of independently regenerating the two damaged sectors but of building solid and comprehensive public policies that strengthen the synergies between both development areas while ensuring full compliance with a humanrights based approach While it is increasingly recognized across the globe that culture enriches education this relationship must be revisited in order to better adapt to todays opportunities and challenges Whereas substantial data are available on education there is a deficit of research and figures that demonstrate the ways in which culture is integrated in education This is a broader reflection of longstanding policy priorities that undervalue culture and its contribution to learning processes A paradigm shift is needed to allow for agile adaptive and innovative societies Todays societies are increasingly interconnected and interdependent Through globalization urbanization and migration cultural diversity is an intrinsic component of our societies generating vast opportunities for creativity and innovation and for engagement across cultures At the same time the global landscape is increasingly complex uncertain and precarious marked by social and economic disparities that are exacerbating divides tensions and conflicts At the same time global challenges brought about by migration and accelerated climate change are further jeopardizing peace and stability in some parts of the world both across and within countries Digital transformation has opened up new opportunities for jobs learning dialogue and creative expression but many people remain out of reach of its benefits As many countries may struggle to keep up with the speed and expansion of technological advances digital communication artificial intelligence and biotechnology are also bringing serious ethical and governance concerns into mainstream discourse While the world may be increasingly interconnected inequality and poverty are threatening peace and sustainability These challenges have revealed deficits in education systems and human skillsets which are insufficient and illadapted to societal needs Similarly education systems need to build critical skills and competencies to nurture adaptability agility inclusivity social responsibility and global citizenship This calls for determined efforts and policy adaptation to shape holistic education systems that address learning content and outcomes pedagogy and the learning environment in formal nonformal and informal settings enable learners to transform themselves and society contextualize learning that is adapted to local needs and cultural realities integrate valuebased pedagogies that promote universallyshared values such as nondiscrimination equality respect and dialogue and commit to promoting inclusive equitable quality education UNESCOs Global Citizenship Education GCED programme upholds the abovementioned values that promote peace and human rights education prevent violent extremism through education teach about the Holocaust and genocide as well as promote multilingualism which all form part of the Education 2030 Agenda and Framework for Action notably Target 47 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development