Sustainable development is often discussed through environmental and economic lenses. Yet culture – how societies remember, represent, and transmit meaning – remains one of its most fragile and essential dimensions.
This perspective framed the 13th International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD 2025), held on 10–11 September 2025 in Rome, Italy, and provided a meaningful context for the DIGICHer project’s research focus.
Hosted by the European Centre of Sustainable Development in collaboration with CIT University, ICSD 2025 brought together scholars, educators, and practitioners committed to building sustainable futures through research, practice, and education.
A Setting Where Heritage Meets Sustainability
The conference took place at Roma Eventi – Congress Centre, located within the premises of the Pontifical Gregorian University, just steps away from Rome’s most iconic cultural landmarks. This setting – surrounded by centuries of tangible and intangible heritage – underscored a central idea of the conference: sustainability is not only about the future, but also about how we care for, interpret, and transmit the past.
In this context, discussions on sustainable development naturally extended beyond environmental and economic systems to include cultural heritage, social equity, education, and community engagement.
DIGICHer in the Socio-Cultural Sustainability Dialogue
Within the Socio-Cultural Sustainability stream, researchers from VILNIUS TECH contributed a paper titled “Towards an Inclusive Digital Cultural Heritage: Frameworks for Representation and Equity.”
The presentation explored how cultural heritage digitisation intersects with sustainability when viewed through lenses of inclusion, ethics, and long-term social impact.
Rather than treating digitisation as a purely technical process, the contribution framed digital cultural heritage as a shared social responsibility – one that requires collaboration between institutions, communities, and policymakers. Particular attention was given to the risks of exclusion and imbalance when minority and underrepresented groups are not actively involved in decisions shaping their digital representation.
Cultural Heritage as a Pillar of Sustainable Development
ICSD 2025 adopted a multidisciplinary approach to sustainability, integrating environmental, economic, and socio-cultural dimensions. DIGICHer’s contribution aligned closely with this holistic vision by emphasising that:
Cultural heritage is a core element of socio-cultural sustainability.
Digital transformation influences how identities, memories, and values are preserved.
Inclusive governance strengthens resilience and social cohesion.
Sustainable digitisation depends on participation, transparency, and ethical frameworks.
From this perspective, digital cultural heritage becomes not only a tool for preservation but also a means of education, dialogue, and intergenerational continuity.
Why This Matters for DIGICHer
Participation in ICSD 2025 reinforced DIGICHer’s broader mission: to ensure that digital cultural heritage initiatives contribute positively to sustainable development by respecting diversity, empowering communities, and supporting equitable access to cultural knowledge.
By engaging with the global sustainability community in Rome, DIGICHer highlighted the importance of embedding cultural heritage within sustainability strategies – not as an add-on, but as a fundamental component of resilient and inclusive societies
Learn more about the conference: https://ecsdev.org/conference/13th-icsd-2025