Declaration on Food at the Heart of Cultural Policy and Community Well-being
The World Gastronomy Summit Declaration was approved by IGCAT members on 18 June at their Annual Advisory Forum and will be signed in Barcelona, Catalonia, on the occasion of the 1st World Gastronomy Summit, organised by IGCAT and hosted by the Autonomous Government of Catalonia World Region of Gastronomy 2025, on 27 September 2025.
This declaration represents a unifying call to action to recognise food not only as a vital component of our cultural identity, but also as a bridge between regions, sectors and communities.
World Gastronomy Summit Declaration on Food at the Heart of Cultural Policy and Community Well-being
We, the undersigned, gathered in Barcelona at the inaugural World Gastronomy Summit, in the presence of cultural leaders, policymakers, chefs, producers, scholars, and representatives of civil society, declare our shared commitment to recognising, preserving, and celebrating food as a fundamental pillar of cultural heritage and identity.
We affirm that food is far more than nourishment. It is a living expression of culture—rooted in memory, territory, tradition, creativity, and community. Culinary practices connect generations, narrate the histories of our peoples, reflect our natural environments, and shape our shared sense of belonging.
On the eve of MONDIACULT 2025, we call upon governments, international organisations, regional bodies, and civil society to join us in:
- Recognising food as cultural heritage, and integrating it fully into cultural, agricultural, tourism, and education policies;
- Supporting local and regional initiatives that promote sustainable food systems grounded in evolving cultural traditions, promoting cuisine and its ingredients;
- Empowering youth and communities to preserve and innovate upon their gastronomic heritage with pride, investing in producers and protecting regions’ ways of life;
- Encouraging research and storytelling that document and celebrate food traditions across the globe;
- Fostering inclusive dialogue that bridges cultures and generations through the shared language of food.
This Declaration is inspired by UNESCO’s leadership in recognising foodways as part of the world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, and marking 15 years since UNESCO recognised the Mediterranean diet as intangible cultural heritage, we reaffirm the critical role of gastronomy in safeguarding cultural diversity and fostering intercultural dialogue. From traditional farming and artisanal preparation to festive rituals and everyday meals, UNESCO’s work on foodways highlights the richness and vulnerability of our shared food heritage.
Let this Declaration stand as a milestone in a growing global movement that calls for gastronomy to be placed at the heart of cultural policy and community well-being.
Together, we commit to nourishing both people and planet through the protection and celebration of one of humanity’s most profound cultural expressions — the food that defines us.
DECLARACIÓ EN CATALÀ
Declaració de la Cimera Mundial de Gastronomia sobre l’Alimentació al Cor de la Política Cultural i del Benestar Comunitari
Nosaltres, els sotasignats, declarem el nostre compromís compartit de reconèixer, preservar i celebrar l’alimentació com a pilar fonamental del patrimoni cultural i de la identitat.
Afirmem que el menjar és molt més que alimentació. És una expressió viva de la cultura—arrelada en la memòria, el territori, la tradició, la creativitat i la comunitat. Les pràctiques culinàries connecten generacions, narren les històries dels nostres pobles, reflecteixen els nostres entorns naturals i configuren el nostre sentit compartit de pertinença.
A les vigílies de MONDIACULT 2025, fem una crida als governs, les organitzacions internacionals, els organismes regionals i la societat civil perquè s’uneixin a nosaltres en:
- Reconèixer el menjar com a patrimoni cultural, i integrar-lo plenament en les polítiques culturals, agrícoles, turístiques i educatives;
- Donar suport a les iniciatives locals i regionals que promouen sistemes alimentaris sostenibles fonamentats en tradicions culturals en evolució, promocionant la cuina i els seus ingredients;
- Capacitar la joventut i les comunitats per preservar i innovar el seu patrimoni gastronòmic amb orgull, invertint en els productors i protegint les formes de vida dels territoris;
- Fomentar la recerca i la narració que documentin i celebrin les tradicions alimentàries arreu del món;
- Impulsar un diàleg inclusiu que uneixi cultures i generacions a través del llenguatge compartit del menjar.
Aquesta Declaració s’inspira en el lideratge de la UNESCO en reconèixer els camins alimentaris com a part del Patrimoni Cultural Immaterial del món. En marcar-se 15 anys des que la UNESCO va reconèixer la dieta mediterrània com a patrimoni cultural immaterial, reafirmem el paper crític de la gastronomia en la salvaguarda de la diversitat cultural i la promoció del diàleg intercultural. Des de l’agricultura tradicional i l’elaboració artesanal fins als rituals festius i els àpats quotidians, la tasca de la UNESCO sobre els camins alimentaris posa en relleu la riquesa i la vulnerabilitat del nostre patrimoni alimentari compartit.
Que aquesta Declaració sigui un punt de referència en un moviment global creixent que reclama que la gastronomia es situï al cor de la política cultural i del benestar comunitari.
Junts, ens comprometem a nodrir tant les persones com el planeta mitjançant la protecció i celebració d’una de les expressions culturals més profundes de la humanitat—el menjar que ens defineix.
INSTITUTIONS SUPPORTING THE DECLARATION
If you'd like to add your institution's logo to the declaration, send it to info@igcat.org
GLOBAL VOICES SUPPORTING THE DECLARATION
Signed by:
- Laura Ruana pavon, Deputy Director General for Agrifood Enterprises, Quality, and Gastronomy, Generalitat de Catalunya, Catalonia, Spain
- Michel de Bièvre, CEO, Gilda by Belgious, Catalonia, Spain
- Derek Dunwoody, General Manager, Bia Innovator Campus, Galway, Ireland
- Patricio Tamariz, Executive Director, Comite Promotor Manabí Region Mundial de Gastronomía 2026, Manabí, Ecuador
- Ngoun Robert, CEO, Beutara / Association les Ebènes'Art, Afrique / Europe, Cameroun / France
- Liu Guangwei, Director-General, World Shiology Forum, China
- Felio José Bauzá Martorell, Presidente, AECIT Asociación Española de Expertos Científicos en Turismo, Spain
- Ben Wills, CEO, Bubble Creates, Catalonia, Spain
- Peter Astrup, Manager, PLUSS Leadership, Central Denmark, Denmark
- Gabriela Sión Saltos, Directora, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro de Manabí / Carrera de Gastronomía, Manabí, Ecuador
- Wendy Barrie, Founder & Director, Scottish Food Guide, Scotland, Scotland
- Tina Novak Samec, Direktorica, Zavod za turizem, kulturo, mladino in šport Brda, Brda, Slovenija
- Gabor Andras Varga, President, World Gastronomy Network Inc., Worldwide, USA, Germany, Hungary
- Patricija Gržinič, Director, Portorož Tourist Board, Piran Municipality, Slovenia
- Eva Štravs Podlogar, Director, Development Agency for Upper Gorenjska, Upper Gorenjska, Slovenia
- Prof. Dr. Aleš Gačnik, Associate professor, University of Primorska / Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica, Slovenia
- Mojca Polak, Director, VGST, Maribor, Slovenia
- Barbara Zmrzlikar, Head of Research & Development Department, Slovenian Tourist Board, Slovenia
- Dr Diane Dodd, President, IGCAT, Spain
- Matilde Silva Campos Ferreira, International Projects Manager, IGCAT, Portugal
- Xavier Fernandes, Communications Manager, IGCAT, Spain