Music and Dance on the UN Sustainable Development Goal #18 for the post-2030 Agenda: A Network Dialogue

Abstract

Session VIE05: A Network Dialogue: Music and Dance on Sustainable Development Goal #18 Special dialogue session with Susana Sardo, Silja Fischer, Kate van Order, Robert Baron and Samantha Bennett

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations aim to address global challenges and achieve a better and more sustainable future for all by 2030. Among the 17 SDGs, none is dedicated to culture, despite many collective and individual voices calling for it. The movement to include an SDG18 on culture in the post-2030 Agenda, supported since Mondiacult 2022 also by UNESCO, highlights the critical role of culture in promoting sustainable development, advocating for its recognition as a vector and sector of development, and as an (under-used) accelerator to achieve the SDG goals.

As powerful instruments of education, empowerment, and advocacy, music and dance are vital cultural manifestations. Furthermore, their substantial economic impact—through job creation, tourism enhancement, and the stimulation of creative industries—contributes to economic growth and poverty mitigation. What impact could the establishment of a Sustainable Development Goal for culture have on music and dance? How could an SDG for culture be significant for the academic fields of musicology, ethnomusicology, dance studies, and folklore? How do the music and dance sectors relate to the ten targets proposed by the #Culture2030goal campaign?

This roundtable explores these issues by fostering dialogue among leading networks such as the International Music Council, the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance, the International Musicological Society, the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, and the International Society for Ethnology and Folklore. It also aims to assess the role of these networks in advocating for a standalone goal for culture in the post-2030 Agenda. Show more