2ND DAY OF CULTURE SUMMIT

The second day of the Summit, organized under the theme “Culture Shaping the Future” and hosted by Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, continued with diverse panel sessions and events.

Goshtasb Mozaffari, Secretary-General of Asian Mayors Forum, participated as a panelist in the session on “Cultural Diplomacy: The Role of Cities and Local Governments in the International Cultural Cooperatıon” moderated by Onur Eryüce, Advisor to the Mayor.

During his speech, Mozaffari said, "Culture is like a floating iceberg in ocean waters. It has two parts: visible and invisible. We see the tangible part but it has more than this. Cultural diplomacy connects cities and adds value to them.”

Nicola Khamis, Mayor of Beit Jala and Co-President of the UCLG-MEWA Committee on Gender Equality participated as a panelist in the session “Promotıng Local Actions on Culture and Gender Equality.”

Khamis highlighted that "We should ensure that all of our strategies are employed to empower women in cultural, social, and political fields. Traditions and culture must not be barriers to women's empowerment."

In the following session titled “Culture and Sustainable Tourism,” Nidai Güngördü, Mayor of Kyrenia and President of UCLG-MEWA Committee on Culture and Tourism, said “Culture is the root of love, tolerance, and peace. It is very important to ensure the sustainability of cultural sustainable and establish its connection with tourism."

In addition to this, within the scope of the Summit, UCLG-MEWA Committee on Culture and Tourism promoted its new book titled “Cultural Heritage Glossary in English-Turkish.”

At the closing plenary of the 2-day 4th UCLG Culture Summit, Mohamed Saadie, UCLG-MEWA President, underlined that "With the corona crisis, the value of culture has grown, as it has restored communities to their originality and provided an opportunity to reconnect with one's roots despite all other challenges."

The Summit ended with the adoption of the “Declaration of Izmir: Culture Shapes the Future of Humanity.”

You can access the declaration here.