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As world leaders, policymakers and climate negotiators gather in Antalya for COP31, the first-ever Culture Global Stocktake for Climate Action (CGST) will be formally launched, marking a significant milestone in efforts to bring culture from the margins to the centre of global climate decision-making.

The CGST comes with a clear message: culture is an enabler and driver of climate action.

Culture shapes the values, knowledge systems, identities, relationships and collective practices through which societies respond to crises and imagine alternative futures. From Indigenous and local knowledge to arts, heritage, creative industries and cultural movements, culture is already driving climate action around the world. Yet its contribution remains insufficiently recognised, resourced and integrated into international climate frameworks.

The Culture Global Stocktake seeks to tackle the cultural gap in climate policy.

Inspired by the structure of the UNFCCC's Global Stocktake, the CGST provides the first comprehensive, cross-cutting assessment of how culture contributes to climate action, where critical gaps remain, and what governments, institutions and other actors can do to unlock its potential.

Developed through a year-long, global and participatory process, the initiative has brought together hundreds of contributors worldwide, including cultural practitioners, Indigenous leaders, youth representatives, researchers, institutions and policymakers. Its development has included global consultations, written contributions and a dedicated international accelerator.

The resulting policy framework addresses culture across key areas of climate action, including mitigation, adaptation, climate finance, technology, capacity-building, loss and damage, response measures and international cooperation.

From recognition to implementation

The launch at COP31 represents a pivotal opportunity to translate growing recognition of culture's role in climate action into concrete policy commitments and implementation.

With the Second Global Stocktake (GST-2) taking place in 2028, the CGST offers governments and climate stakeholders a framework for integrating cultural dimensions into climate decision-making, strengthening international cooperation and ensuring that climate solutions reflect the diverse knowledge systems, lived experiences and aspirations of communities worldwide.

The initiative calls on governments, international institutions, cultural organisations, funders, civil society and climate movements to recognise culture as an essential dimension of climate action, embed it across climate policy and implementation, and mobilise the resources and partnerships needed to make culture-based climate action possible.

Gunjan Nanda, convenor of the CGST says, “We cannot achieve a just and lasting response to the climate crisis without putting culture at its heart. Culture shapes how we understand the world, our relationship with nature and the futures we choose to build together.”

Samuel Rubin, convenor of the CGST, adds, “The knowledge, creativity and leadership of cultural practitioners and custodians still remain largely absent from climate policy. The Culture Global Stocktake is here to change that.”

Sarah Ramos, CGST Coordinator, affirms, “The CGST brings together voices and experiences from across the world to not only challenge the culture gap in climate policy but to set out a pathway for the recognition, resourcing and embedding of culture in climate policy.”

A global movement for culture-based climate action

The CGST builds on growing international momentum to recognise culture within climate governance, including progress made through the Global Goal on Adaptation, the emergence of culture within the COP Action Agenda and the establishment of the Group of Friends for Culture-Based Climate Action.

Its launch at COP31 is not an endpoint, but the beginning of a longer-term process to influence international climate negotiations, strengthen policy commitments and support implementation across countries and communities.

The initiative invites cultural practitioners, artists, Indigenous communities, policymakers, climate organisations, funders and institutions to engage with the findings, amplify its recommendations and help turn the framework into action.