A/HRC/49/54 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 22 March 2022 Original: English Human Rights Council Forty-ninth session 28 February–1 April 2022 Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Cultural rights: an empowering agenda Report of the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Alexandra Xanthaki* Summary In her first report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Alexandra Xanthaki, presents an overview of her vision for the mandate. Building on the important work conducted by her predecessors, the Special Rapporteur highlights important aspects in the evolution of the nature and scope of cultural rights and reflects on the corresponding States’ obligations. In the report, the Special Rapporteur highlights the positive nature of culture for the individual and the empowering force of cultural rights. The Special Rapporteur commits to working more closely with United Nations bodies in promoting cultural rights and cultural diversity, emphasizes the importance of good practice and identifies a preliminary list of issues deserving more attention that she intends to address during her tenure. * The present report was submitted after the deadline so as to include the most recent information. GE.22-04245(E)