January 18, 2022
Culture | 2030 Indicators – UNESCO
The purpose of the UNESCO Culture | 2030 Indicators is to measure and monitor progress on the positive contribution of culture to the implementation of the objectives and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at national and local level.

The National Institute for Cultural Research and Training (INCFC), together with the Ministry of Culture, Cluj-Napoca City Hall and the Cluj Cultural Center is involved in the implementation of the project UNESCO Culture | 2030 Indicators.
During the 2018-2019 period, Romania has successfully completed the transposition of the previous set of indicators: UNESCO Indicators (CDIS). Culture for Development Indicators (CDIS), developed by the National Institute for Cultural Research and Training, in collaboration with UNESCO and the then Ministry of Culture and National Identity [UNESCO CDIS Indicators – Culture for Development Indicators. Romania – Analytical and technical report]. The analytical and technical report was launched at the National Conference of Cultural Managers, 6th edition (October 26th-27th, 2019), in the presence of the UNESCO CDIS Specialist, Alma Mrgan-Slipičević.
At this time, Romania is among the first member countries of the European Union to implement the new set of UNESCO Indicators: Culture | 2030, with the help of national partners, but also the European Commission and the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation (SAIDC), Government of Sweden.
Implemented on a voluntary basis by countries and cities and based on an in-depth analysis of the many ways in which culture contributes to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development, the UNESCO Culture | 2030 Indicators project provides evidence of the transforming role of culture, making it more visible and more tangible.
The role of culture in building a more sustainable world is now widely recognized and reflected in the international agenda. UNESCO’s advocacy efforts to address culture and development over the past decade have resulted in the adoption of three reference resolutions by the United Nations General Assembly (2010, 2011 and 2013), which recognise the role of culture as a factor which facilitates and stimulates sustainable development. This process culminated in the integration of culture into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted in 2015.
By strengthening the cross-cutting visibility of culture in the 2030 Agenda, the UNESCO Culture | 2030 Indicators will help build a strong link between culture and development, based on statistical evidence, in support of decision-makers.
Conceptual framework, methodology and mechanisms for implementing the UNESCO Culture | 2030 Indicators builds as much as possible on existing data sources, using qualitative and quantitative data to assess the contribution of culture, integrates data from reporting on UNESCO cultural conventions and programs, develops tools at both national and urban level, gives priority to strengthening the capacity of relevant entities, facilitates cooperation between institutions and proposes a framework adaptable to the different capacities for collecting and aggregating statistical data.
Once the framework is implemented, analytical material and good practices will contribute to a better understanding of the role of culture in achieving the goals of sustainable development under the 2030 Agenda.