Culture and Climate at the Biodiversity COP16 in Cali, Colombia, October 2024

The British Council attended COP16, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, in Cali, Colombia, in October 2024. This year, the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge of Colombia, in collaboration with the British Council, hosted an all-day event on “Sustainable Stages.” The event addressed challenges and opportunities in reducing carbon emissions, managing resources efficiently, and incorporating sustainability into planning and development practices.

Senior Relationship Manager at the British Council in Brussels, Rosanna Lewis, represented the organisation, presenting its climate strategy and approach to addressing the climate crisis through arts and culture.

Through working groups, panels, and talks with event producers, regulatory bodies, and sustainability experts, the event aimed to inspire and shape sustainable policies in Colombia, aligning with their National Plan for Culture 2024–2038. Read the full article on COP16 here.

Putting Culture on the Agenda at COP29 – Baku, Azerbaijan, November 2024

EUNIC partnered with Julie’s Bicycle during our Climate Culture(s) Creative Lab in Berlin in 2023. Julie’s Bicycle, a pioneering not-for-profit organisation, mobilises arts and culture to address the climate, nature, and justice crisis.

At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Julie’s Bicycle shared updates from their Global Call to Action, a campaign to embed culture at the heart of climate policy. This initiative leveraged 12th November – World Leaders Climate Action Day – as a key moment to showcase the collective commitment to the cause and to bring creativity into the green and just transition. Julie’s Bicycle is urging national governments’ climate negotiators to place cultural heritage, arts, and creative industries at the forefront of climate action. They are inviting individuals, professionals and organisations to lend their voices to the cause. Find out more here.

EUNIC members present in Baku are also organising activities in dialogue with COP29. The Embassy of Latvia in Azerbaijan, for example, launched an exhibition on nature and the environment. Titled “Whispering Forest – The Science of Sound” by Elnara Nasirli, the exhibition was organised in partnership with the Ministry of Ecology of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Gazelli Art House, among others. Check out the exhibition here.

The Entertainment & Culture Pavilion of COP29 hosted several impactful events and featured The Creatives for Climate Action – Thailand Toolkit (a 2023 EUNIC Cluster Fund project), which received special attention, including at the ASEAN Climate Solutions Pavilion and the Sustainable Fashion Show at the Thailand Pavilion.

Building an Environmentally Responsible Cultural Sector: Discussions at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 2024

Creatives for Climate Action – Thailand (CCAT) is a project that unites European and Thai stakeholders in the creative industries to promote sustainability and climate action in Thailand’s cultural sector. Supported by the EUNIC 2023 Cluster Fund, the project included a two-day conference and resulted in a hands-on toolkit for green events in Thailand. This facilitated knowledge sharing, network building and raised awareness of regenerative practices.

Founder & Executive Director of Creative Migration and CCAT Producer, Susannah Tantemsapya, was invited to participate in the International Seminar on Culture and Climate Change at the G20 Brasil taking place in Rio de Janeiro, November 2024.

As a speaker on the panel discussion, 'Reducing emissions: creating an environmentally responsible cultural sector', Tantemsapya shared the opportunities and challenges of producing the CCAT conference and the pioneering process of developing a practical toolkit for sustainability in cultural productions in the Southeast Asian context.

Organised by the Ministry of Culture of Brazil’s activities during its G20 in cooperation with UNESCO and the Organisation of Ibero-American States (OEI), the conference aimed to highlight the fundamental role of culture in addressing climate change, offering innovative responses while discussing ways to support the cultural sector in mitigating and adapting to the challenges of climate change.

An interview with Creative Migration was also published by the Asia-Europe Foundation, highlighting the Cluster Fund project and the resulting toolkit.

Combating Desertification: A Look Ahead to COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 2024

The EUNIC Saudi Arabia cluster, supported by the 2023 Cluster Fund, is organising a three-day conference titled “The Great Heat.” This event will explore the role and responsibility of artists, art professionals, and cultural institutions in addressing biodiversity loss, resource depletion and desertification.

This conference is being organised in partnership with the Saudi NGO AEON, known for its environmental initiatives, and will take place as part of COP16 in Riyadh in December 2024 - more updates on that coming soon.

The conference will feature a workshop, guided by Saudi and European experts, showcasing best practice examples from various countries. The workshop’s outcomes will be used to formalise a charter to be implemented by cultural organisations.

EUNIC, climate and cultural relations

EUNIC is committed to showcasing our members' initiatives to place culture at the heart of climate policy discussions and developments. We are equally dedicated to empowering our members to achieve this.

Our Sustainability Toolkit brings together a set of resources designed to help cultural relations professionals navigate the challenges of collective climate action and embed sustainability into their practices. Explore the toolkit here.

Stay tuned for our upcoming series of Knowledge Sharing Workshops, where we will work towards a more strategic approach to climate action as a network and prepare for joint participation at COP30 in Brazil.

Got questions? Don’t hesitate to get in touch!