The opening lecture of the Civic Agora will position cultural rights as a paradigm for interpreting culture as a key element of human development and sustainability. The role of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights, held since 2021 by Alexandra Xanthaki, has been fundamental in promoting a better understanding of the meaning of cultural rights and their translation into concrete policies and practices worldwide. In this inaugural lecture, she will address, among other topics, the relationship between the universal nature of cultural rights and the recognition of the diversity of ways of life and expression.