The Report on the 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture captures the vital discussions that took place during the Summit in Seoul, Republic of Korea in May 2025, where over 400 delegates from more than 90 countries gathered under the theme Charting the future of arts and culture. The Summit report presents key takeaways and calls for action as we navigate a global context defined by crises, conflict and rapid change. As we approach the development of a new agenda for global governance post-2030, the discussions from the Summit provide crucial insights that will help us position culture as a priority and turn commitments into concrete actions.
As the report says:
‘Transnational cultural exchange and mobility are a vital part of international cooperation that relies on the free flow and movement of ideas, people, goods and services, and delegates considered how they can create more beneficial and reciprocal effects from international connectedness. Delegates recognised mobility as a tradition and human right that is strongly connected to freedom of artistic expression and a longstanding human custom that predates national borders; and recognised challenges and obstacles to cultural exchange and mobility, including the environmental impact of travel, access to visas, funding and information, representation of Indigenous artists in international exchange, and the tension between artistic expression and expectations that artists should represent national interests. They also discussed how we might better support mobility and transnational exchange; highlighted opportunities to develop partnerships, co-creation and collaboration that embed fair practices; and called for greater visibility and emphasis on reciprocal cultural exchange in the global governance of culture, including via international forums such as MONDIACULT.’
This drew in part from a panel facilitated by On the Move Secretary General Marie Le Sourd called ‘Global connections: rethinking transnational cultural exchange and mobility’, with speakers Maanka A. Chipindi (Zambia), Dereka Deleveaux-Grant (The Bahamas), Diego Mencaroni (Italy/USA), and Yuanyuan Sun (China).
The report is currently available in English and Spanish with a Korean version soon to be released.