Italy is strengthening its role in cultural diplomacy at the United Nations, placing heritage, creativity and sustainable development at the center of the international agenda in New York.
On September 1, Italy assumed the presidency of the UN Group of Friends of Culture, sharing the leadership with Mexico. The group brings together numerous member states committed to recognizing culture as a driver of peaceful societies, sustainable development and economic growth. The move gives Italy a prominent platform to promote an area closely tied to its identity, its creative industries and its extraordinary concentration of historical and artistic heritage.
The initiative gained additional significance on September 4, when the UN adopted a resolution establishing the International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development, covering 2027–2036. Italy played a key role in promoting the resolution together with Vietnam and other countries. The new decade is designed to give culture a more structured place in global development strategies.
At the UN in New York, Italy is also linking cultural protection to emerging technologies. During a high-level meeting, attention focused on artificial intelligence and its potential use in documenting, preserving and recovering cultural heritage, as well as fighting illicit trafficking of artworks.
Italian diplomacy is presenting culture not simply as preservation of the past, but as an active instrument of international cooperation. The approach builds on Italy’s broader multilateral engagement and on initiatives already promoted through UNESCO-related conferences in Naples in 2023 and 2025.
For Italy, the 2027–2036 decade offers a major opportunity to transform cultural leadership into long-term global influence.
