The date, also dedicated to promoting dialogue between cultures, recognizes their power to achieve peace and sustainable progress.
According to figures from the United Nations (UN), culture also has an important economic value, since it represents 3.1 percent of the gross domestic product and 6.2 percent of employment worldwide.
At the same time, it is one of the fundamental issues to address to strengthen peace in a context dominated by conflicts in countries with little intercultural dialogue.
Other data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognize the cultural and creative sector as one of the most powerful engines of development in the world.
That organization estimates that more than 48 million jobs on the planet—almost half of them occupied by women—belong to that sector.
In addition, it is the branch that employs the most and provides opportunities to young people under 30 years of age.
For this reason, UNESCO calls for giving it the place it deserves in public policies and international cooperation.
“Cultural diversity is a driving force for development, not only with regard to economic growth, but as a means of having a more enriching intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual life,” says the UN.
All these aspects are included in the seven conventions of culture, which provide a solid basis for the promotion of cultural diversity.
Diversity is an essential component to reduce poverty and achieve the goal of sustainable development, thanks, among others, to the regulatory device developed in the cultural field.
Furthermore, the recognition of cultural diversity, through the innovative use of the media and Information and Communications Technologies in particular, leads to dialogue between civilizations and cultures, respect and mutual understanding.
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