Call to Action: Culture at the Heart of Climate Action

The International Union of Architects has joined and is a founding signatory of the ‘Global Call to Action to Put Cultural Heritage, Arts and Creative Sectors at the Heart of Climate Action’ launched by the Climate Heritage Network. 

We join the call asking the national governments who are parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement to adopt a ‘Joint Work on Culture and Climate Action’ decision (JWD) at the COP.

This decision would reflect a commitment from the UNFCCC to begin a consultative process to understand the full contribution of culture – including cultural heritage, arts and the creative sectors – to climate action.

A “Joint Work” is a recognised process by which the COP can request the UNFCCC Secretariat and its subsidiary bodies to jointly address a critical, gap issue – in this case the intersections of culture and climate action. It would pave the way to the adoption at a subsequent COP of a landmark work programme putting culture and heritage at the heart of climate policy, planning and action.

We call our members and architects around the world to sign-on to the Global Call and promote its aims. If you recognise culture as an indispensable pillar of climate action, sign up to support the campaign, and share it with your networks and communities.