IFACCA is pleased to release its 2024 Extended Report Culture as a Public Good: Navigating its role in policy debates; the latest in its Sustainable Futures series featuring insights from eight experts: Dwinita Larasati (Indonesia), Matina Magkou (Greece), Sonia Montecino (Chile), Maru Mormina (United Kingdom), Farai Mpfunya (Zimbabwe), Pablo Raphael (Mexico), Tarisi Vunidilo (Fiji), and Stephen Wainwright (New Zealand).

The concept of culture as a public good has gained momentum since the declaration for the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022 that emphasised the role of culture as a driver for sustainable development and asked the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General to integrate and anchor culture as a global public good in the UN agenda beyond 2030, as a goal in its own right. In May 2024, culture was recognised in the revised draft of the Pact for the Future under Action 7. This recognition heralds a new era for culture. As a global network of government agencies that advance arts and culture, IFACCA, is in full support of culture as a standalone goal in the post-2030 agenda, and will work closely with our members and wider network to support and strengthen our shared common agenda.

2024 marks a critical year in the journey to ensure that culture is recognised and anchored in government agendas, with many upcoming key international events that will shape the global landscape on public policy. This report will be important for our inquiry and reflection throughout this journey. This includes in September 2024, when the UN will host its Summit of the Future with plans to confirm the aforementioned Pact for the Future; in May 2025, when IFACCA and Arts Council Korea will host the 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture in Seoul, Republic of Korea with the theme Charting the future of arts and culture; and in September 2025, when UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of Spain will host the next MONDIACULT in Barcelona.

The discourse surrounding culture as a public good encompasses a wide array of perspectives and considerations, ranging from economic theory to social and political sciences. The recognition of culture as a public good holds significant implications for policymaking, resource allocation, and societal values. As outlined in our report, there is no singular definition or approach to understanding culture as a public good. Rather, it is a complex and multifaceted concept that requires ongoing debate, exploration, and refinement. To contribute to the debates, we present you with the perspectives of our eight authors.

• Culture as an Irreducibly Social Good by Maru Mormina

• Cultural heritage: crossroads and challenges in uncertain times by Sonia Montecino

• A Public Good Paradigm for Whose Culture? An African Perspective by Farai Mpfunya

• Southeast Asia: A Region of Dynamic Diversity by Dwinita Larasati

• Kia mua ka muri, walking backwards into the future: reflections for an arts strategy in Aotearoa New Zealand by Stephen Wainwright

• Participatory Practices in the Narrative of Culture as a Public Good: A European Perspective by Matina Magkou

• Museums as Public Goods: A Pacific Perspective by Tarisi Vunidilo

• The Dilemmas of Culture as a Public Good by Pablo Raphael

All our authors draw on lived experience and the imperatives that shape their diverse contexts. Their realities are interwoven and show us that dialogue is critical and urgent.

Our report seeks to start an inclusive conversation that reminds us of culture’s power and strength in difference, as we approach milestones that will help frame and reinforce its position. It is not intended to resolve or offer a universal definition of culture as a public good. It is also complemented with an overview on definitions of public good in economic and social terms; as well as a series of considerations and recommendations, which we hope will help clarify and demystify the concept of culture as a public good, and contribute to developing a nuanced narrative that is relevant to arts, culture, heritage, and related sub-sectors.

Finally, we present a series of recommendations, and we propose an interplay between the notion of culture as: a public good, an irreducibly social good; a common good; a shared good; especially as a dimension of humanity.

1. Recognise culture in both its symbolic and its sectoral forms

2. Protect and promote culture as an irreducibly social good

3. Avoid the commodification of culture, see culture beyond the economic frame

4. Develop cultural capabilities for resilience and adaptivity

5. Address systemic inequalities locally and globally, and embrace diversity as a key lever

6. Provide an enabling environment for agency and self-determination in cultural narratives

7. Ensure policy work is practical, actionable, understood and inclusive.

Download report in English and Spanish