Culture Summit Abu Dhabi kicked off its third and final day with a series of discussions including a session on the critical subject of culture and climate change. Moderated by Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, Assistant Director General for Culture, UNESCO, the conversation looked at what artists, architects, policymakers, and others within the culture sector can do to reach sustainable solutions.
“We need to have artists and cultural thinkers at the highest level of all institutions. We need to really involve people who think differently and who think creatively, well how to shift the paradigm rather than only relegating them to the realm of responding. We need to be at the forefront of change,” said Sumayya Vally, architect, and co-founder of Johannesburg-based practice Counterspace.
Culture Summit Abu Dhabi is organized by DCT Abu Dhabi in collaboration with global partner organizations bringing expertise in diverse fields, from culture and arts to media and technology. Partners include UNESCO, Economist Impact, Google, the Design Museum, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation and the Recording Academy. Other participating partners include Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Film Commission, Sandstorm Comics, Cultural Foundation, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Berklee Abu Dhabi, Culture Resource, Arab Fund for Arts & Culture, and the Institut Français.