On October 1, at the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2025) co-organized by UNESCO and the Government of Spain in Barcelona, Vietnam’s Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Van Hung, delivered a keynote speech at the International Forum on Cultural Rights and Cultural Economy.

Accompanying him were Dr. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Thu Phuong, Director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies.

MONDIACULT 2025, held from September 29 to October 1, gathered ministers and heads of delegation from 163 countries, 90 international organizations, 100 NGOs, and more than 2,500 experts, cultural practitioners, artists, and media representatives.

Vietnam’s initiative for a Decade of Culture

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Minister Nguyen Van Hung.

Speaking at the forum, Minister Nguyen Van Hung emphasized that Vietnam’s 1945 Declaration of Independence, proclaimed by President Ho Chi Minh, affirmed fundamental human rights including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These principles, he noted, have guided Vietnam’s consistent view of culture as central to human development and national prosperity.

Minister Hung called on UNESCO to develop a Global Program of Action on Culture, structured around six priority areas (cultural rights, digital technology in culture, culture and education, cultural economy, culture and climate change, and culture–heritage in times of crisis) and two focus areas (culture for peace, and culture and artificial intelligence).

He also proposed Vietnam’s initiative to launch a Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development, calling on the international community to prioritize cultural policies and frameworks that foster peace, stability, and prosperity worldwide.

International recognition of Vietnam’s cultural leadership

Minister Hung shared Vietnam’s experiences in integrating culture into development policies, citing examples such as public-private partnerships in cultural infrastructure. He highlighted the recently inaugurated National Exhibition Center, one of the world’s ten largest, which has attracted tens of millions of visitors and is positioned to host global-scale cultural events.

Vietnam’s approaches to promoting cultural industries, creative economy, cultural tourism, and the preservation of UNESCO-recognized world heritage sites were warmly welcomed by international peers.

Other leaders echoed Vietnam’s vision. Iran’s Minister of Culture Seyyed Abbas Saleh Shariati emphasized placing cultural rights on par with food and water security, while Slovenia’s Minister of Culture Asta Vrečko stressed leveraging technology to advance global cultural access.

At the closing ceremony on October 1, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay reaffirmed that MONDIACULT 2025 concluded with a strong commitment to build a global cultural agenda, continuing the legacy of the 2022 Mexico conference. UNESCO also released its Global Report on Cultural Policy, underscoring culture as a pillar of sustainable development.

During the mission, Minister Nguyen Van Hung also held bilateral meetings with cultural ministers from Spain, Venezuela, and Costa Rica to strengthen cooperation and promote shared priorities in advancing culture as a development goal beyond 2030.

PV