Cities, cultures and developments

A report that marks the fifth anniversary of Agenda 21 for culture

• United Cities and Local Governments

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27 November 2009

The Agenda 21 for culture is the first document with a worldwide mission that advocates establishing the groundwork of an undertaking by cities and local governments for cultural development.

The Agenda 21 for culture was agreed upon by cities and local governments from all over the world to enshrine their commitment to human rights, cultural diversity, sustainability, participatory democracy and creating conditions for peace. It was approved by the 4th Forum of Local Authorities for Social Inclusion of Porto Alegre, held in Barcelona on 8 May 2004 as part of the first Universal Forum of Cultures.

This report aims to give evidence of some of the cities that have been active in the promotion of the implementation of this declaration, as well as to collect and organise some of the ideas that could articulate the work of the Committee on culture, and aid UCLG as a whole, for the next five years.

The report is made up of twenty articles. Twelve articles have been written by prominent officials and officers developing their activity in cities, local governments and associations that are closely related to Agenda 21 for culture, such as Jordi Martí with Carles Giner (Barcelona), Bettina Heinrich (Berlin), Hernán Lombardi (Buenos Aires), Kurt Eichler (Dortmund), Asma Chaabi (Essaouira), Catherine Cullen (Lille), Jean-Robert Choquet with Marie-Eve Bonneau (Montréal), Christopher Hudson (Local Government and Shires Associations of New South Wales), Biljana Mickov (Novi Sad), Sergius Gonzaga (Porto Alegre), Judy Spokes with Aunty Joan Hendriks (Redland City) and Paz Sánchez Zapata (Seville). Seven articles have been written by researchers, activists and distinguished personalities from the civil society, as Simon Brault, Irena Guidikova, Jon Hawkes, Lupwishi Mbuyamba, Christine Merkel, Teixeira Coelho and Gottfried Wagner with Philipp Dietachmair. An introduction completes the report.

Image: yewenyi / Flickr