Panama, October 1, 2025. - Panama had an outstanding participation at the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development MONDIACULT 2025 in Barcelona City, strengthening its role as a regional reference point in the articulation of cultural policies related to sustainable development, peace, education and climate action.

In his capacity as Pro tempore Chair of the Council of Ministers and Ministers of Culture of the Central American Integration System (SICA), Panama represented the voice of the eight countries that make up this region (Central America and Dominican Republic), placing the regional machinery as a successful model of cultural cooperation and financing for local development. That representation was led by the Minister of Culture, María Eugenia Herrera, who amplified the voice of Panama and the region in the main multilateral spaces of the event.

During MONDIACULT, Panama actively participated in ministerial sessions on culture, education and peace, and reaffirmed the role of culture as a cross-cutting axis for building more just, resilient and cohesive societies. Minister Herrera emphasized the need to integrate culture into educational and peace policies, especially with high social and environmental vulnerability.

Panama was also a part of the Panel convened by the European Union on Cultural Indicators, with a share of experiences about measuring the cultural impact on territorial development and called for monitoring systems that recognize diversity of cultural practices and community participation.

One of the most important challenges was the parallel event between Central and Central Africa, led by Panama with the CECC-SICA, which sought to articulate efforts between both regions to promote South-South cooperation in cultural matters. That space allowed to identify synergies in issues such as heritage, creative industries, ancestral knowledge and climate action, opening up new opportunities for interregional collaboration.

Panama also participated in the Ibero-American Conference of Ministers and Ministers of Culture, organized by the Organization of Ibero-American States and the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), and reaffirmed the commitment of Ibero-American countries to culture as an engine for sustainable development and regional cohesion.

Under MONDIACULT, Panama also joined the Friends for Cultural-Based Climate Action Group, positioning culture as a key tool for addressing climate change. From its regional leadership, Panama propose to integrate the SICA's integration mechanism into this group with the aim of strengthening cultural strategies for adaptation and mitigation in the region.

Panama's participation in MONDIACULT 2025 reflects a strategic vision that links culture, regional integration, sustainability and international cooperation. Under the pro tempore presidency of SICA, Panama reaffirms its commitment to continue to advance a cultural agenda that responds to challenges of the 21st century with a territorial, inclusive and transformative approach.