IFLA Europe joins Davos Baukultur Alliance - Towards a high-quality Baukultur
IFLA Europe was invited to participate in The second Conference of European Ministers of Culture “Common Good – Shared Responsibility” in conjunction with the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum which took place in Davos, Switzerland 14-16 January 2023.
Ministers of Culture from 31 European countries along with civil society organisations and major companies from the building and real estate industry met in Davos to launch the Davos Baukultur Alliance, a network for dialogue among all parties at the international level.
IFLA Europe by was represented by Indra Purs, President of Latvian Association of Landscape Architects (LAAA) and member of IFLA Europe New European Bauhaus Working Group.
The members of the Davos Baukultur Alliance stress the Baukultur as a common good and that there is the shared responsibility of the public and private sectors and civil society. There is an urgent need to raise awareness of the cultural, social, economic, environmental and technical issues at stake and commit to the objectives and principles as set out in the Davos Declaration 2018 and the Davos Baukultur Quality System. The members of the Davos Baukultur Alliance aim to implement these objectives and principles in their policies and activities and, in cooperation with all members, further the goals of the Davos Baukultur Alliance through participation in open dialogue and act in a solution-oriented manner.
The Alliance proposes to meet the global challenges of planning and construction through high-quality Baukultur. Its aim is the sustainable, quality-oriented management of buildings, infrastructure, public spaces and landscapes for the benefit of all. The common understanding is stated in Davos Baukultur Memorandum and explained in the Davos Baukultur Alliance Context Document. Working groups within the Alliance will discuss issues of the global challenges, and jointly develop proposals for how to proceed. Switzerland will chair the new Davos Baukultur Alliance for the first five years. An initial event is planned during the opening of the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which takes place from 20 May to 26 November 2023 under the title “The Laboratory of the Future”.
The Conference issued the Joint Statement on Ukraine of the Ministers of Culture that was also supported by civil society organisations including IFLA Europe.
The Davos Baukultur Alliance 2023 – a network for dialogue, an informal platform of exchange and learning between the public sector, the private sector and civil society. Members of the Alliance include national ministries and agencies for culture and other relevant ministries, major private enterprises active in real estate development, investment and construction at the European level, as well as relevant non-governmental organisations.
IFLA Europe was one of 8 (eight) non-governmental organisations among ACE, ECTP, EPRA, Europa Nostra, ICOMOS, INGOs, and INREV. Other organisations included intergovernmental organizations - UN-Habitat, UNESCO, ICCROM and European Commission.
IFLA Europe joined and signed the Founding Act joined the Davos Baukultur Alliance.
IFLA Europe will actively follow the work of the Alliance Steering Committee to ensure the representation of landscape architecture.