A/78/213 II. Cultural rights and international governance: positive seeds A. Department of Economic and Social Affairs 10. The General Assembly has explicitly and repeatedly recognized that cultural rights are important in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, and that the international community should give consideration to the intersection of culture and sustainable development. In 2021, the Secretary -General affirmed that a key driver behind his proposals to reform the United Nations development system was the need for it to better tailor its response to the diverse needs, priorities and circumstances of programme countries. This came from a recognition that for too long, international development assistance, including from the United Nations, had advanced a one-size-fits-all approach and failed to appreciate the diversity of programme countries in terms of income levels, vulnerability, history, culture and more (A/75/905, para. 94). 11. In his report entitled “Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals: towards a rescue plan for people and planet” (see A/78/80-E/2023/64, para. 56), the Secretary-General acknowledges the importance of culture in sustainable development but also the fact that it has been sidelined: Culture is a global public good and a critical enabler and driver of progress towards the Goals. Culture serves as a source of k nowledge, values and communication, as a contributor to environmental sustainability and as a generator of economic activity and jobs … Culture and respect for cultural diversity, however, remain undervalued and underutilized in the push for Goals related progress. Greater consideration of culture’s role in supporting the achievement of the Goals – including within relevant indicators – would generate an important boost for implementation of the Goals between now and 2030. B. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 12. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has long been promoting the protection of culture and several of its instruments recognize the importance of culture in development pr ocesses. In 2019, UNESCO published a report entitled Culture and Public Policy for Sustainable Development: Forum of Ministers of Culture 2019, which contains an overview of the policies, trends and perspectives of cultural policies in the light of the cha llenges of sustainable development. According to the report, “the purpose of cultural policies is now to promote respect for human rights” 6 and the missions and prospects of UNESCO are reviewed in this context. It includes information about how the UNESCO standard-setting texts were adapted to better respond to development challenges and explicit recognition of the link between culture and sustainable development. 7 13. Earlier UNESCO instruments for the protection of heritage did not originally mention an explicit connection between heritage protection and development. However, subsequent interpretations of the texts highlight how they are connected to several Sustainable Development Goals. For example, in the operational guidelines for the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, it __________________ 6 7 6/24 UNESCO, Culture and Public Policy for Sustainable Development: Forum of Ministers of Culture 2019, p. 7. Ibid., pp. 12–16. 23-14310