Organised by the OECD in cooperation with the European Commission and UNESCO, the international conference “Unleashing the Transformative Power of Culture and Creativity for Local Development” was held on 6-7 December 2018 in Venice, Italy. The event was attended by the Italian Minister of Economy and Finance, the Secretary-General of the OECD, the Director of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities, the European Commissioner for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture and the Deputy Director-General of UNESCO.

The discussions focused on developing recommendations for economic and social policies that leverage culture and cultural heritage to enhance economic growth, job creation and social inclusion. Stefano Dominioni, Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes and Director of the European Insitute of Cultural Routes, presented the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme with a particular focus on how Cultural Routes can help achieving economic growth in local and rural areas.