– As delivered –

Remarks by H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly

21 May 2021

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,  

Thank you for joining today’s High-Level event on Culture and Sustainable Development. This will be the second General Assembly meeting on culture since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, building upon the 73rd session’s discussions. It allows us an opportunity to address concerns that have become more important in light of the impacts of COVID-19.

The fact of the matter is that, far too often, we as a society are blind to the socio-economic contributions of those in the creative and cultural spheres. This is a mistake. The breadth of this sector alone – covering everything from advertising to architecture, from fashion to film and television – is immense and diverse. Together, these areas account for 3% of the global economy, generating 2.25 trillion US dollars annually, and supporting 30 million jobs worldwide. This is more than the car industries of Europe, Japan, and the United States combined. They are the largest sectors providing employment for young people.

Above and beyond these economic contributions, the creative sectors enrich our lives. Simply put, culture represents the human journey through the stream of life, and records human experience and expression from all ages and regions of the world. Culture is what endures, what survives. Think of the monuments, heritage sites, traditions, and stories that stand the test of time, passed down by communities across generations, beyond any one person’s life. They help us understand our circumstances and find meaning and purpose through historical and artistic reflection.   

This impact on our lives has become only more pronounced this past year. Whether it was a favourite book, re-read many times, or the musical performances, shared free for all, we each found small and creative elements to boost our emotional and mental health when we needed it most. And this is not isolated to the pandemic. Evidence shows that culture and creativity promote overall good health and help prevent and treat mental and physical health concerns.

Dear colleagues,  

Despite their size, value, and influence, we still do not reflect this in our policy and fiscal decisions. We still position this sector at the back of the queue, if you will, vastly underestimating its overall contributions.   

We see this in the fact that millions of workers in the creative fields remain underemployed or unemployed, often unable to access stimulus funds from the pandemic or being overlooked in other forms of support. Likewise, for many the loss or absence of digital connectivity hindered their ability to work. Going forward, we must give the creative sectors the tools needed to thrive. In doing so, we must ensure the availability of comprehensive and up-to-date data on the creative sectors’ contributions towards the SDG’s economic, social, and environmental pillars. Only in this way can policymakers be fully informed of the benefits and act accordingly.

Dear colleagues, 

The UN membership designated 2021 as the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. The intention behind this was to expand the global creative economy’s contribution to job creation and entrepreneurship, and support developing countries’ transition to high-value-added sectors, such as sustainable tourism, performing arts, and heritage conservation activities. Today’s event, and this entire year, must support the foundations of a transformational year for culture, whereby the UN system and international and regional organizations come together, break the silos, and expand partnerships for culture. 

In closing, and before we move on to the remainder of the day, I want you to consider this:

Who did we turn to for comfort and reprieve, during the darkest days of the pandemic?

Where did we find solace?

For many of us, it was in music, the arts, and the pages of books.     

Truly, we must not forget for a moment the essential role that those in the creative and cultural spheres played during this period.    

As we deliberate on the role of the creative sectors in supporting and being supported by a recovery from COVID-19, let us ensure that we address the bottlenecks limiting their potential – such as inadequate policy protections and rights for the creative sector workers and business. By limiting these sectors, they limit our societies’ capacities to build back better. Let us unleash these sectors’ creative energies to the betterment of all.

I thank you very much.