UNESCO stated, in its Mexico World Conference on Cultural Policies:
“in its widest sense, culture may now be said to be the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group. It includes not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value systems, traditions and beliefs”.
There is an increased focus on culture and development in the Pacific, particularly in the context of economic valuing and human development, and the role of cultural statistics and related indicators in assessing, planning and monitoring of cultural heritages like language, beliefs, values, philosophies, religion, legends, performing arts, arts, music, symbols, clothes, traditional knowledge systems, traditional skills about medicine, agriculture, fisheries, plants and people’s relationships as well as cultural site preservation and related practices. We will specifically dedicate pages on related indicators. This is work in progress, and pages will continue to be updated as indicators are derived and related materials become available.
Current resources on Culture Statistics in the Pacific include:
