As Italy continues hosting the G20 presidency, the New 7 Wonder of the World located in Rome was the main guest during the first G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting: authorities from around the world held a novel meeting in the arena of the Colosseum.
On 29 and 30 July Rome received the culture ministers of 20 of the world’s largest economies as well as delegations from UNESCO, OECD, the Council of Europe, the Union for the Mediterranean, ICCROM, ICOM and ICOMOS, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Interpol and the World Customs Organization (WCO).
According to the G20 Italia website, the five key topics up for discussion in Rome were the protection and promotion of culture and creative sectors as engines for sustainable and balanced growth; Protecting cultural heritage against risks, including natural disasters, environmental degradation and climate change, deliberate destruction and looting, illicit trafficking in cultural property; Promoting digital and technological transformation in the cultural and creative sectors; Building capacity through training to address the complexity of the contemporary world and cultural sector challenges; and tackling climate change through culture.
Other meetings were also held at Palazzo Barberini – home of Italy’s collection of ancient art, and at the Quirinal Palace with a concert by the Luigi Cherubini youth orchestra that was broadcasted live on Italian television.