Cultural relations as a shared vision
As well as strengthening trust and understanding internationally through culture, and advocating for the role and recognition of culture as a core component of international relations, building a shared approach to international cultural relations among our members is central to our collective vision.
Our statutes define this clearly: one of our main goals is “to act as an advocate for the values related to cultural relations.”
But what exactly are international cultural relations and what do we mean by a cultural relations approach?
A useful definition comes from the Preparatory Action: Culture in External Relations report, published by the European Union in 2014. It describes cultural relations as:
“An umbrella expression referring to the fostering of understanding between countries and especially their peoples in the field of culture. Cultural relations seek to engage in dialogue with a much broader public than is the case with cultural diplomacy or public diplomacy.”
What are cultural relations?
The European Union outlined its vision for international cultural relations in the Joint Communication on this topic, endorsed by Member States in successive Council Conclusions.
This approach is based on the following principles:
☑️ Engaging in dialogue, mutual listening and learning
☑️ People-to-people approach and partnering with local stakeholders
☑️ Bottom-up approach, based on partners’ needs
☑️ Co-creation and joint capacity-building (pooling resources)
☑️ Broader definition of culture beyond arts (including education, creative industries, development cooperation, cultural heritage, tourism, sports, etc.)
