Denpasar, September 04, 2025 – The Europe Today: Indonesia’s Culture Minister Fadli Zon has urged world leaders to reaffirm the central role of culture in shaping a sustainable future, speaking at the Culture, Heritage, Art, Narrative, Diplomacy, and Innovation (CHANDI) 2025 ministerial forum in Bali on Thursday.
Fadli emphasized the importance of strengthening cultural cooperation, advancing cultural diplomacy for peace, and ensuring that digital innovation, including artificial intelligence, aligns with environmental and sustainability goals.
The CHANDI 2025 Forum, held on the resort island of Bali from September 2–5, gathered ministers and cultural leaders from more than 20 countries. The participants outlined five key commitments for the future of culture: integrating culture into sustainable development; advancing cultural diplomacy; promoting responsible use of digital technologies and AI; empowering youth and the creative economy; and enhancing protection, repatriation, and regulation of cultural heritage.
Organized under the theme “Culture Beyond 2030: Safeguarding Heritage, Building Peace, and Advancing Cultural and Creative Industries in a Digital Future,” the forum builds on the outcomes of MONDIACULT 2022, where member states called for culture to be recognized as a standalone goal in the post-2030 global development agenda.
Four priority issues framed the discussions: climate threats to cultural heritage, with one in six cultural sites globally at risk; ethical use of digital technologies and AI; culture as a driver of the creative economy; and safeguarding cultural assets in conflict zones. Delegates noted that weak legal frameworks and insufficient cross-border cooperation leave heritage sites vulnerable to looting and destruction.
Representatives from countries including Zimbabwe, Brunei, Libya, Palestine, Singapore, Syria, Iran, Jordan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Cambodia, Fiji, Malaysia, Thailand, Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, and Belarus shared national strategies to address these challenges.
Syrian Culture Minister Mohammed Yassin Saleh stressed that “culture is the heart of diplomacy and a compass for peace,” echoing the Palestinian minister’s remarks on the erosion of identity and history due to conflict.
Fadli concluded that CHANDI 2025 provides an essential platform for collective dialogue on urgent global cultural issues and for reaffirming culture’s role as a cornerstone of peace, sustainability, and international solidarity.
