UNESCO Member States and their cities collect culture data to implement the Culture|2030 Indicators and to strengthen evidence-based policies and actions.
© Daniel Aboki
Across the world, 16 countries and 15 cities have committed to collecting cultural data and implementing the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators. This will help to build national and local capacities for collecting data to inform cultural policies and actions. Thirteen participating countries have launched the implementation of the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators through kick-off workshops in 2025. These workshops introduced national and city-level teams to the methodology, and brought together representatives from ministries, local authorities, and cultural institutions. They also provided a platform to review available data sources, coordinate stakeholders, and define work plans for the data collection phase, which was guided by UNESCO experts. Each workshop has fostered multi-stakeholder dialogue, capacity development, and the alignment of national and local priorities.
Ten of these Member States and their cities received assistance from the European Union as part of the framework of the UNESCO–EU Programme “Advancing evidence-based policies and actions and supporting policy making to enhance the contribution of creative sectors and industries to sustainable development.” These include Barbados (Bridgetown), Benin (Ouidah), Cabo Verde (Ribeira Grande de Santiago), Ghana (Kumasi), Honduras (Trinidad, Santa Bárbara), Jordan (Salt), Namibia (Windhoek), Panama (Colón), Tunisia (Tunis), and Zambia (Lusaka). Together, they are joining the 12 countries and 14 cities that have previously implemented the methodology for collecting cultural data with the support of SIDA and AECID, bringing the total number of countries and cities to 28 and 29, respectively. Capacity building has also been supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Currently, the implementation in Mauritius (Port Louis), Thailand (Chiang Mai) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Coventry) is being financed by the countries themselves. Meanwhile, Albania (Berat), the Republic of Moldova (Cahul), and Vanuatu are integrating the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators into existing projects.
The programme provides a framework that enables countries and cities to measure the contribution of culture to economic, social, environmental, and knowledge-based development. With 22 thematic indicators linked to key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it addresses the long-standing gap in national and local data on culture and sustainable development. The programme and methodology assist Member States and their cities in producing credible national and local cultural data and encourage participatory approaches and community involvement, while providing support from the UNESCO Expert Facility. Thanks to the support of a European Union-funded project, the Expert Facility’s global roster of experts was renewed in 2024 and has been trained by UNESCO. These experts are familiar with framework tools and technical guidance, which they adapt to local contexts to deliver tailored training and capacity-building services in close collaboration with national stakeholders. By pooling expertise, facilitating peer learning, and sharing globally recognized good practices, the Expert Facility helps countries to strengthen their institutional capacity and recognize the important contribution of culture to sustainable development.
By implementing the initiative, countries and cities receive technical guidance on appreciating the importance of culture in their economies and educational systems, as well as in shaping social life and public spaces. This enables them to improve the collection of verified cultural data, identify gaps, and strengthen governance to inform evidence-based policymaking. The initiative also fosters environmental resilience.