Photo © Scott Webb

Each year on 21 May, World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development celebrates the richness of the world’s cultures and the essential role of intercultural dialogue.

Cultural diversity is a driving force for development, a means of leading a satisfying intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life. It is necessary for the development of individuals.

The United Nations General Assembly first declared this World Day in 2002, following UNESCO’s adoption of the 2001 Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, recognizing the need to “enhance the potential of culture as a means of achieving prosperity, sustainable development and global peaceful coexistence.”

“The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is an occasion to promote culture and highlight the significance of its diversity as an agent of inclusion and positive change. It represents an opportunity to celebrate culture’s manifold forms, from the tangible and intangible, to creative industries, to the diversity of cultural expressions, and to reflect on how these contribute to dialogue, mutual understanding, and the social, environmental and economic vectors of sustainable development.”

Source: UNESCO