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SDSN Spain Publishes the New Guide: Culture in SDG Progress Reports

By SDSN Spain

This handbook aims to support the cultural sector in providing their contribution to the UN’s Voluntary Reports

The Spanish Network for Sustainable Development (SDSN Spain/REDS) has worked since its foundation to promote the cultural dimension of the 2030 Agenda and to mobilize the cultural and creative sectors, offering tools and spaces to connect culture and sustainable development. Among other publications, the network has issued pioneering reports such as “How to implement the SDGs in the cultural sector” (2021) and “The impact of culture in the SDGs” (2022), both available only in Spanish.

With the aim to continue to support the cultural sector in its effort to make its impact in achieving the SDGs visible, SDSN Spain has now launched the guide La presencia de la cultura en los informes de progreso sobre el cumplimiento de los ODS (The presence of culture in SDG progress reports).

This is a methodological guide that arises from the need to support the cultural sector in the process of compiling and presenting the necessary information for including their activity in the Voluntary Reviews submitted by countries, regions, and cities at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum.

The handbook is composed of four chapters:

  • Chapter 1 demonstrates how the 2030 Agenda is an opportunity for the cultural sector, identifying a series of common principles that serve as a starting point.
  • Chapters 2 and 3 describe the elements and tools that currently exist to measure, evaluate and visualize the contribution of Culture to the SDGs.
  • Chapter 4 addresses how progress on SDGs is reported from the different local, regional and national administrations, examines the governance of the 2030 Agenda in Spain, and explains how to communicate these results so they reach the competent authorities.


Despite the wide breadth of interpretations of the relationship between culture and sustainable development by international organizations, social actors, cultural institutions, creators, artists, and cultural managers, there is still a long way to go to reflect more forcefully the potential of culture to generate well-being and sustainable development.

More information about all this work at Cultura Sostenible.