Towards a sustainable cultural diplomacy

This paper explores the relationship between cultural diplomacy and sustainability in the context of Western Europe. The study examines various stakeholders at different levels: from the United Nations that issued Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, to national entities in charge of cultural diplomacy, and regional and local arts organisations that undertake and support a variety of international cultural policies. Given the significance of state-sponsored culture in the Global North, and the role of state (adjacent) cultural agencies in the dissemination of specific versions of national culture overseas, including in the Global South, this article turns to the key institutions which have worked to represent French, German, and British culture abroad. It demonstrates that the relationship between cultural diplomacy and sustainability has different meanings for different actors. It argues that cultural diplomacy has become a tool used by authorities for championing the urgency of developmental issues and garnering worldwide public attention. However, as international cultural relations rely on the mobility of artists, many of whom are precariously employed, and goods, as well as unique and sometimes endangered cultural assets, among other challenges, this diplomatic domain must also grapple with the matter of its own sustainability.