Policy in Practice - Sustainable Futures for All: UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education

Workshop Presentation
Klara Kostal,  Stephanie Godec,  Karalyn Monteil  

UNESCO’s Framework for Culture and Arts Education was adopted unanimously by UNESCO Member States at the World Conference on Culture and Arts Education in Abu Dhabi in February 2024. This global commitment to culture and arts education puts access, inclusion, and equity, including in the digital environment, center stage. The Framework is a critical tool for policymakers to create sustainable futures by anchoring a cultural dimension in all education contexts and settings. Museums - as intrinsically linked to place and societies – can strengthen education relevance and expand the possibilities for inclusivity by grounding a stronger connection between learners and their communities. An introduction of UNESCO’s Framework by Karalyn Monteil (UNESCO) will give insight into the policy document, its concrete goals, and proposed measures. Presentations of examples of good practice from diverse regions and disciplines will then demonstrate how such measures unfold in practice, focusing on two key areas of the Framework: How can digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) facilitate access to museums? What skills are necessary to navigate the museum spaces of the future? What role can museums play in the fight for social inclusion of persons with disabilities through culture and arts education? How must museums adapt to become accessible to all as a lifelong and lifewide learning space? And how can these measures help to strengthen cultural rights and the right to education? The workshop will shed light on how UNESCO’s Framework can be implemented in practice.