Claudia Curiel de Icaza: Mexico’s Cultural Champion
Claudia Curiel de Icaza, Mexico’s Federal Secretary of Culture, delivered a speech representing her country as it hands over the reins of the Cultural Policies Summit, which this year is in Barcelona.
Addressing Global Challenges and AI
Curiel de Icaza acknowledged the challenges posed by multiple issues, including fragmentation, individualism, inequality, forced displacements, geopolitical tensions, wars, and a growing environmental crisis. She also recognized the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence, which is transforming access to culture, production, and circulation.
“In these times, the recognition of cultural rights as an indivisible part of human rights gains much greater significance. Culture is not the property of a few; it’s the symbolic fabric that gives us meaning and connects us to the world, as nothing human is alien to culture,” she emphasized.
Mexico’s Cultural Legacy and Indigenous Peoples
During the opening ceremony of Mondiacult 2025 in Barcelona, Curiel de Icaza highlighted Mexico’s recognition of diversity and communality as means to resolve conflicts and expand rights. She stressed that, in 2025, it is crucial to not only acknowledge past advancements but also update action frameworks in the face of global challenges and establish shared principles, such as the centrality of culture.
Defending Cultural Heritage and Indigenous Rights
Curiel de Icaza, representing Latin America and the Caribbean, emphasized that countries like Mexico find their greatest identity richness in cultural and natural diversity.
She was firm in stating that Mondiacult is an opportunity to reinforce regional and global core themes, such as preserving heritage, returning illegally seized goods, and defending collective rights of indigenous peoples, among other issues.
“We are a state that has asked for forgiveness for past wrongs and, in doing so, has strengthened its democracy,” Curiel de Icaza said. She mentioned the reform to recognize indigenous peoples as subjects of rights, autonomy, and self-governance.
Furthermore, she added that cultural rights imply recognizing and dignifying the work of creators, artists, technicians, managers, producers, intermediaries, and bearers of living cultures. She also emphasized the importance of artistic education as a fundamental element for human formation, critical thinking, and social transformation.
Strengthening International Cooperation
Before the summit’s commencement, Curiel de Icaza met with her counterparts, culture ministers from Ibero-American countries, to establish common agendas and bolster international cooperation in light of the upcoming global meeting.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who is Claudia Curiel de Icaza? She is Mexico’s Federal Secretary of Culture, who spoke at the Mondiacult 2025 summit in Barcelona.
- What is Mondiacult? It’s the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, held this year in Barcelona.
- What are the main topics discussed? Cultural heritage protection, returning illegally seized goods, defending indigenous collective rights, and the centrality of culture.
- What is Mexico’s stance on cultural rights? Mexico recognizes cultural rights as an indivisible part of human rights and emphasizes the importance of artistic education, critical thinking, and social transformation through culture.
- What international cooperation efforts are being made? Curiel de Icaza met with culture ministers from Ibero-American countries to establish common agendas and strengthen international cooperation before the Mondiacult summit.
