Weaving Cultural Futures: Artistic Freedom, Feminist Advocacy, and Local Governance in Action
Barcelona, Spain
MONDIACULT, UNESCO’s World Conference on Cultural Policies, was first held in 1982. Since then, the gathering has become a dominant annual gathering space for diverse members of the arts, culture, and human rights sectors. The forum, attended by all UNESCO member states, is a crucial stage for setting the global cultural agenda.
On 29 September 2025, in Barcelona, Spain, ARC — Artists at Risk Connection, in collaboration with Women X Culture Network, and UCLG — United Cities and Local Governments, will host the side event “Weaving Cultural Futures: Artistic Freedom, Feminist Advocacy, and Local Governance in Action.” With expert interventions and a performance, the event will amplify the pressing hurdles faced by creatives worldwide and the power of creativity to construct new futures.
Weaving Cultural Futures: Artistic Freedom, Feminist Advocacy, and Local Governance in Action
29 September 2025
13:30 – 14:30
Room 120-121
Barcelona International Convention Center (CCIB)
Event held in English
In a context of democratic erosion, gender inequality, and repression of fundamental freedoms, this session brings together global and local actors advancing cultural rights. Featuring voices from ARC, Women X Culture Network, and UCLG, the event will explore how artistic freedom, feminist cultural advocacy, and local policy innovation intersect to defend cultural rights as a pillar of democracy and sustainability. Through conversation and a participatory kipu action, the session invites the audience to reflect on how collective memory, existencias, and resilience can help reimagine cultural governance in the post-2030 agenda and inform the design and implementation of people-centred human rights-based local and national policies.
Agenda
- Welcome & Opening Remarks
- Brief Organizational Interventions
ARC, “Defending Cultural Rights in an Era of Democratic Backsliding”
UCLG, “Cities at the Forefront of Cultural Rights Governance,” including comments from the host city, the Institut de Cultura, Ajuntament de Barcelona (City Council)
- Narrative and Visual Performance by Women X Culture Network, “Women Cultural Rights and the Kipu of Memory”
Women X Culture Network will present a collective narrative and visual performance centered on the Kipu, the Andean device that serves as both the material and symbolic core of the representation. This feminist methodology, developed within the network, will frame the action as a dialogic gesture addressing women’s cultural rights from an intersectorial perspective.
The performance will interweave voices previously gathered from women in the Network and their organizations, along with new “knots” emerging from the reflections shared at MONDIACULT. Facilitators and narrators will connect these testimonies, creating a collective narrative thread.
If you would like to take part in this narrative, you can fill out the questionnaire here: https://tally.so/r/3EONo2
Speakers & Performers
Julie Trébault
Julie Trébault is the Founder and Executive Director of ARC — Artists at Risk Connection, a global organization dedicated to safeguarding artistic freedom and supporting artists and cultural workers under threat. Under her leadership, ARC provides critical resources and support to more than 2,100 artists in more than 60 countries facing persecution from state and non-state actors, empowering them to overcome challenges to their creative expression. Prior to founding ARC, she served as director of public programs at the Museum of the City of New York and the Center for Architecture.
Jordi Pascual
Jordi Pascual is the coordinator of the Committee on culture of the world organisation of UCLG — United Cities and Local Governments. The work of the Committee is based on Culture 21 Actions, a complete cultural rights-based toolkit on culture in sustainable cities. The Committee organizes a global award as well as a biennial Summit, manages a unique database of good practices and promotes a range of learning and capacity-building programmes for cities. As coordinator of the Committee, he is involved in the global campaign #culture2030goal that advocates for the role of cultural factors and actors in the UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals, including the need of a Culture Goal. Jordi Pascual holds a PhD on cultural rights in sustainable development (University of Girona) and teaches cultural rights and globalization (Open University of Catalonia).
Oriol Martí Sambola
Oriol Martí Sambola (Barcelona, 1979) has a degree in Political Science from the UAB and a postgraduate degree in Cultural Management and Policy (UB) and a postgraduate degree in Aesthetics and Digital Narrative (UOC). Between 2003 and 2011, he was assistant manager of FiraTàrrega, and since 2012 he has been its manager. He co-directs the Master’s Degree in Street Arts Creation at the University of Lleida. He was vice president of the Association of Cultural Managers of Catalonia, and is currently the Director of the Institut de Cultura, Ajuntament de Barcelona.
Sally Abu Bakr
Sally Abu Bakr is the Director of Cultural Development in Ramallah Municipality. She holds a BA degree in Economic and Business administration, Birziet University 1997 and informal diploma “European Diploma in project cultural Management” organized by Association Victor Hictor for cultural Democracy.
She stared off her career at Ramallah Municipality in 2009 and played significant role since then in developing the cultural policy for Ramallah “Culture in integral to a resilient and sustainable City”, in addition to her effort to join International Cultural networks and platforms such as: Creative Cities Network/ UNESCO and numerous cultural programs with twin cities.
She has participated in numerous conferences and cultural
management professional representing Ramallah vision and
practice of culture as a main pilar in sustainable development and social transformation.
Ana Francis Mor
Ana Francis Mor is the Secretary for Culture, Mexico City. She is a cultural promotor, activist and feminist. She is an actress with training in performing arts. She was elected in the Local Parliament of Mexico City and became the President of the Committee on Equality. She is the cofounder of the cabaret group “Las Reinas Chulas” (The Smart Queens), the International Festival of Cabaret and the Theatre “El Vicio” (The Vice). Her work is devoted to the rights of women and the LGBTTTIQ+ community. She is a teacher of Theology and Contemporary Thinking in the Iberoamerican University. She is the author of several books and publications, and she is often a contributor, as analyst, in digital media.
Women X Culture Network
Women X Culture Network promotes participation, gender equality, and the empowerment of women in the cultural sphere. This can involve various actions, such as encouraging the inclusion of women in leadership and decision-making roles in cultural institutions; supporting and promoting the artistic and cultural work of women, providing platforms and opportunities to showcase their work; raising awareness of gender issues and promoting equity in the representation and funding of cultural projects; advocating for policies and practices that ensure an inclusive and diverse cultural environment, free from discrimination and gender stereotypes; and facilitating the exchange of resources, knowledge, and experiences among women working in different areas of the cultural sector.
Members of the network performing at the event include:
- Romina Bianchini (Argentina)
- Susana Salerno (Argentina)
- Loreto Bravo (Chile)
- Angélica Arias (Ecuador)
- Karla Quispe (Perú)
- Clara Mónica Zapata (Colombia)
- Denisse Dahuabe (an immigrant in Barcelona from Chile/Palestine)
- Mercia Britto (Brazil)
- Karol Bergeret, Laura Iglesias, Sonia Puyol and Mireia (Catalunya)
- Raquel Martínez-Gómez (Spain)
