The National Library Hosted an International Forum on Culture and Sustainable Development

On 26 October, the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania hosted an international forum on Culture and Sustainable Development. The purpose of the forum was to initiate a discussion on the role of culture and creative industries sector in the process of sustainable development.

The participants were greeted by the Director General of the National Library Prof. Dr. Renaldas Gudauskas, who briefly introduced the mission of the National Library in the cultural life of the country and society. The forum was opened by Dr. Arūnas Gelūnas, a representative of the Permanent Delegation of Lithuania to UNESCO, who gave a presentation Culture: a Key to Sustainable Development. What kind of development is it? Other speakers from Denmark (Oleg Koefoed), Finland (Dr. Katriina Soini, Dr. Pia Strandman), Sweden (Johanna Skantze), Norway (Tone Skårdal Tobiasson), Iceland (Kristjana Rós Guðjohnsen), Estonia (Jorma Sarv), Latvia (Jonas Buchel), and Lithuania (Dr. Jekaterina Lavrinec) shared their insights and examples of contribution of creative and cultural industries to sustainable development. The latest study of links between sustainable development and culture was also presented.

The event was organised by the National Association of Creative and Cultural Industries in cooperation with the partners: Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania, Centre for Civil Education, Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania, and non-governmental organisations of the Nordic countries. The patron of the forum is the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO.