A/77/290 58. The sector embraces a “hive mindset” in its practices, and is thus well positioned to support alternative sustainable development solutions. 76 For example, there are creative projects helping farmers in such countries as Burkina Faso, Ghana, the United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda to cross-fertilize ideas supporting sustainable solutions through a network of radio stations. A similar programme in South Sudan helps people to rebuild their lives and cultural identities after many years of conflict. 77 Investment in these initiatives must continue to enhance the capabilities of people living precarious lives. 59. Creative solutions are often the most cost-effective solutions, developed by lean-functioning organizations, using operational models that imaginatively utilize the resources around them to maximize impact. Funding for the sector is often secured through non-State international actors, offering projects on the ground independence from political agendas. The Special Rapporteur commends such investment. However, access to international funding may encourage States to neglect their own responsibilities to support a sector that has much to offer to sustainable development. International efforts should be made to preserve budgets for culture, as cultural funding is often the first to be cut when difficult financial decisions are made. States contemplating reductions in official development assistance will be reducing opportunities for low-income countries to invest in cultural programmes that support their own development needs. 60. Some States have acknowledged the importance of the cultural sector. For example, in Malta, Strategy 2025 is aimed at addressing the immediate needs of arts and culture and reaffirming the intrinsic value they bring to society while acknowledging the role of culture in tackling global issues, such as democracy and collective action, climate change and other matters related to social and environmental sustainability. 78 In Spain, the Red Española para el Desarrollo Sostenible (the national branch of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network) helps the cultural sector to integrate the 2030 Agenda into its work and to show how it contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. 79 61. The cultural sector’s contributions to sustainable dev elopment must be highlighted, keeping in mind that efforts to quantify them can have the effect of reducing their scope to only certain types of outputs – those that can be marketed and measured – as opposed to taking a cross-cutting approach to all goals and policies. To counter this, more integrated efforts need to be made. Promising initiatives include the new integrated strategy on culture and nature based on human rights developed by the Steering Committee for Culture, Heritage and Landscape of the Cou ncil of Europe; the development of an instrument on human rights and the environment; and the exploration of the contribution of heritage communities to climate change and sustainable tourism, inspired by the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society. 80 62. Very much linked to the concept of economic development is the current discussion in Argentina about the responsibility of multilateral lending agencies – especially the International Monetary Fund – as it relates to conditionalities linked to __________________ 76 77 78 79 80 16/24 See, for example, the public research approach espoused by t he Dutch creative organization Waag, which is centred on the role of citizens’ knowledge in advancing sustainable solutions. Further information is available at https://waag.org/en/. Examples discussed during the expert consultations. Contribution of Malta, p. 3. REDS-SDSN, “Hacia una cultura sostenible: guía práctica para integrar la Agenda 2030 en el sector cultural”, March 2021; “Contribuyendo a la estrategia de desarrollo sostenible desde la cultura”, March 2021, and “Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible y sus metas desde la perspectiva cultural: una lectura transversal”, December 2021. Contribution of the Council of Europe, pp. 2–4, 7 and 8. 22-12659