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The protection of culture should be a UN goal – and a human goal

The protection of culture should be a UN goal – and a human goal
Illustration: The ruins of Palmyra in Syria (Getty Images)

By: Thangam Debbonaire / The Financial Times
Translation: Telegrafi.com

Playwright Bertolt Brecht said that the function of art is not to reflect the world as it is, but to be a hammer with which to sculpt it. The UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have exactly this goal: to create a world that meets basic needs, that is educated, that treats preventable diseases and fights environmental degradation. But culture is not one of them – and it should be. Adding it as the 18th Goal, as proposed by the Campaign for the 2030 Culture Goal, would prove that the international community values ​​culture not only as a means to achieve other goals, but also as an end in itself.

Culture is a vital way to repair the damage of conflicts, to heal wounded places, to restore relations between nations with a troubled history, and to create sustainable economies. While the Sustainable Development Goals aim to protect life – this new goal would aim to make it more meaningful.


Around the world, populist politicians often instinctively use culture as a tool of mobilization. Oppressive forces have long used the destruction, manipulation or elimination of cultural objects and histories as weapons.

But culture is also a space where progressive politics and emerging economies must be shaped in ways that recognize its power to build our future and understand our past. Yes, some may manipulate it for narrow gain, but culture remains a force for good. Our innate creativity and ability to tell stories about who we are, what we can become and how we can relate to each other and the environment around us are the true forces of change. Music, paintings, sculptures, historical artifacts, and poetry not only provide us with tranquility, but also help us understand the world and our place in it. Without culture, there is no imagination for invention, no escape through stories, and no vision of what might be possible.

The protection of culture has a low priority in politics. All over the world, large sums of money are generated from the removal, trafficking and illegal trade of artifacts from ancient temples and monuments. Antiquities and sculptures of religious or cultural significance and artistic grandeur have become commodities. There are international treaties and national laws to address this, but it continues to happen.

One example is the failure to prevent the looting, trafficking and trade of Syrian artifacts under the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Syria is now in dire need of funds to develop a sustainable economy and create jobs. Tourism can be a way for this: its cultural heritage would undoubtedly attract visitors from all over the world. International aid funding, which rightly prioritizes essential needs such as health, could be expanded to support cultural revitalization as well. In the current post-Assad context, there is an opportunity – however fragile – to promote the unofficial 18th Sustainable Development Goal in ways led and managed by Syrian civil society. It would also provide employment opportunities for locals as the country recovers from decades of repression, conflict and economic destruction.

Another potential benefit is repairing the damage of colonialism and slavery. This is not just about money. The return of brutally taken antiquities, changing the way stories are told, cooperation between museums of former colonizing and former colonized countries are all part of this. The inclusion of culture in the SDGs can highlight this.

If we add culture to the list, as a feature of existence to be valued, would it have any impact? At this point, maybe not for Syria and other post-conflict areas. But it would provide formal recognition of the full range of freedoms, including the freedom to express culture, which are necessary to create a better future for us all.

The SDGs currently describe what is needed for human beings and our planet to survive, develop and thrive. We all need food, water, clean air, sustainable energy and shelter – yet despite signatories, conferences, events and campaigns to promote these goals, they remain out of reach for millions of people.

The great Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwish, wrote: "To be human is to love, to create and to resist." Achieving the SDGs would provide people with the tools to exist sustainably, resist oppression and care for each other. If we consider sustainable development as the ultimate freedom and meeting the SDGs as the path to it, everyone would be better off.

Darwish also acknowledged that creativity is essential. Brecht understood that the purpose of art is to create something new. Failure to achieve the SDGs risks the continued growth of destructive and oppressive forces around the world, both in established democracies and in developing states. It is in everyone's interest that culture be added as the 18th goal and that all goals be pursued with renewed urgency. /Telegraph/