A/78/213 I. Introduction 1. Cultural rights are indispensable to sustainable development. Development can only be sustainable if it is both determined by and infused with the values of the people that it involves and the meanings they give to their existence, takes into consideration their aspirations, protects their resources and incorporates their heritage in all its dimensions – tangible, living and natural. A human rights approach with a strong consideration for cultural rights is both a framework for and a guarantee of success for any development agenda. 2. With respect to cultural rights, there are intrinsic links between the capacities of individuals to develop their own identities and give meaning to their lives, and the broader development processes of society. Both require individuals to have ac cess to, enjoy and meaningfully participate in cultural resources, knowledge and decision making processes that have an impact on their way of life. There is a continuum between the development of each person’s identity and the development of communities, societies and, ultimately, entire nations. 3. In her report to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session (A/77/290), the Special Rapporteur laid out the principles that must guide the consideration o f culture and the realization of cultural rights in development. She affirmed that sustainable development: (a) includes cultural development; (b) reverses inequalities and stereotypes through, inter alia, the adoption of positive measures; 1 (c) is selfdetermined and community-led, contextualized to specific cultural environments and seeking to fully align itself with the aspirations, customs, traditions, systems and world views of the individuals and groups most likely to be impacted; (d) is not a one-size-fits-all model; and (e) is a forward-looking, ever-evolving and ongoing process aimed at causing profound transformations in the current system, based on the ecology of knowledge. 4. In the report, the Special Rapporteur noted that these principles had unfortunately been largely sidelined in sustainable development strategies. Through wide consultations with civil society, it was made clear to the Special Rapporteur that the international governance system has an enormous role to play in integrating cultural rights into the development discussion and into the processes, procedures and practices relating to sustainable development., which is what the present report will address. 5. The development that all organizations should aspire to – in human rights terms, the right to development – is self-determined, and shaped by the various contexts, values and world views that individuals share in communities. It is therefore the closest levels of governance – at the local, city and community levels – that are best equipped to hear, adapt and respond to the concrete and specific aspirations for development of the inhabitants, and implement participatory, inclusive and democratic decision-making processes. 2 The global and international levels of __________________ 1 2 4/24 See Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, general comment No. 14 (2000), para. 12 (c) and (d); and general comment No. 13 (1999), para. 6 (c) and (d). Benin reported that, by increasingly aligning their projects with the national legal and strategic framework, international development and financial organizations helped to strengthen the capacities of cities to take into account the cultural dimension of local development. See the contribution of Benin (2022). See also United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Culture and Public Policy for Sustainable Development: Forum of Ministers of Culture 2019 (Paris, 2019), pp. 8 and 9 for the same conclusion. See also the contribution of Ecuador, the contribution of Ireland and the contribution of the United Cities and Local Governments Culture Committee. The contributions received are available on the webpage of the mandate and are referred to throughout the report by naming the submitting stakeholder. See https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-forinput/2023/call-inputs-report-cultural-rights-and-governance-development. 23-14310