October 10, 2022 | UCLG ASPAC Culture Committee, led by Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, organised its Committee meeting in a hybrid format on 10 October 2022, as part of the UCLG ASPAC Council and the 7th UCLG Congress in Daejeon.
In his video message, Mr. Young Hun Oh, Governor of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, remarked that the pandemic calls for collective wisdom from humanity to create a community that values nature and where everyday lives are peaceful and happy. He also underscored the essential role of culture and arts.
Mr. Jordi Pascual, Coordinator of the UCLG Culture Committee, reported that culture ministers approved in UNESCO Mondiacult 2022 the need for a culture goal. He added that the UCLG Culture Committee tried to be a step further and already published how this culture goal should be with 10 targets and a roadmap. He also congratulated Xi’an for completing the Seven Keys Programme.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, as the lead of the UCLG ASPAC Culture Committee, presented its completed and ongoing activities. Ms. Eunhae Grace Jung, Director of Eco orot, reported on the Jeju-UCLG Global Young Creatives Residency Programme with the theme Islands in Flow. The theme reflected how Island and people are all connected, and the flow of creativity. The programme included a pre-workshop, residency, and exhibition and had 22 participants – 13 from Jeju and nine from other nations (South Africa, US, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Hong Kong).
Ms. Younjoo Kim, Curator of Culture Space Yang, introduced the upcoming exhibition “Before the Ticking of the Second-hand Stops” scheduled from November 3 to 23, 2022. The exhibition attempts to raise awareness and change the perspective on the urgency of addressing marine waste, marine pollution, and climate change. There are three participating artists: Mr. Ralph Eya from the Philippines is working on a project to explain ecology, Ms. Yeunmi is dealing with the consumption-centric society, and artist Ms. Lee Daseul has been raising wild plants to think about the paradox we live in.
Outstanding culture initiatives that received Special Mentions in the 5th edition of the International Award-UCLG-Mexico City-Culture 21 were showcased during the UCLG ASPAC Culture Committee Meeting. Mr. Adi Panuntun, Hutan Menyala Project Leader and Chairman of Bandung Creative City Forum, presented the Hutan Menyala Tahura Djuanda. It is an innovative travel destination in the form of a forest audio-visual experience. Hutan Menyala requires visitors to contribute two trees per visit, distributed all over West Java, in line with the government’s movement towards planting 50 million trees a year. The project supports SDG 13 on climate action by raising awareness of the environment and the need to tackle climate change.
Mr. Seong-il Ju, Deputy Director of the Walk-Friendly City Promotion Division of Busan City, presented the Galmaetgil Project. Galmaetgil means seagull and road which represents Busan. The Galmaetgil Project creates a human-centric trail that helps people heal their sense of isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic and improve their health and mental well-being. It also allowed Busan City to work with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and support walking programmes. Galmaetgil is also connected to a beachcombing project wherein maritime waste collected is used by children to create art, thereby increasing their awareness on climate change. The project is linked to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and 13 (Climate Action).
Prof. Byung Hoon Jeong, Emeritus Professor of Gyeongsan National University and Chairperson of the Steering Committee of UNESCO Creative City Jinju, presented the Culture and Arts Delivery Project. It was developed to address the cultural rights of the people and conceptualised with Korea’s delivery culture where everything gets delivered. The project started in 2020 and has evolved in 2021 wherein the residents can tell the city what they wanted, leading to a more customised and demand-driven cultural event.
The meeting concluded with a video message from Mr. Benjamin Magalong, Mayor of Baguio City. He briefly shared his experience of participating at the UNESCO Mondiacult World Conference in Mexico City and piloting the implementation of the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators. He added that Baguio City’s endeavours have largely been providing access and venue to the full artistic expressions in being a creative city, and expressed commitment to doing more for the city.
CLICK HERE for the meeting material
