Culture is framed not as a commodity or national asset, but as a commons—a shared, co-produced space of meaning, expression, and belonging. This perspective foregrounds cultural rights as fundamental human rights, linked to participation, identity, and self-determination. The diversity of cultural expressions is not only to be protected but actively produced through equitable access, recognition of marginalized voices, and plural participation in governance. The document calls for a shift from a market-driven approach to a rights-based model, where states and institutions support the enabling conditions for cultural creation, circulation, and access. Cultural policies should not treat communities as consumers or mere tradition-bearers, but as active subjects with the agency to define and shape cultural life. Key principles include: the indivisibility of cultural rights; the need to decolonize heritage practices; the democratization of funding and infrastructure; and the recognition of both individual and collective cultural identities. Particular attention is given to Indigenous peoples, minority groups, migrants, and women, whose cultural expressions are often excluded or misrepresented in dominant narratives. In this vision, cultural governance becomes a field of ethical and political responsibility, oriented toward justice, sustainability, and the reaffirmation of cultural life as a public good.
UNESCO (2018). Re|Shaping Cultural Policies: Advancing Creativity for Development – 2005 Convention Global Report. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
