The FIFA World Cup final is the most-watched televised event in the world. This year, Latin America and the Caribbean took center stage in two ways, captivating more than one billion people around the globe.

Our region was represented in the World Cup final not only by the players who competed in the tournament, but also through music, sending a message of unity, harmony, and hope to the world. Under the direction of Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel, members of the New York Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela came together for a historic performance.

The partnership that UNDP has maintained for more than two decades with Gustavo Dudamel and Venezuela’s National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs (“El Sistema”) gave me the opportunity to recently welcome members of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra to our headquarters. An extraordinary group of young musicians between the ages of 18 and 28, they traveled from a Venezuela beginning a profound process of healing and recovery following the devastating earthquakes to New York City, where they joined forces with one of the world’s leading orchestras and brought the transformative power of music to audiences around the globe, under the direction of their fellow Venezuelan maestro—a milestone that should fill us with pride as a region.

Music cannot erase suffering or replace the urgency of the moment, but it can do something profoundly human: bring people together, keep hope alive, and remind the world that, even in the midst of tragedy, collaboration and creativity remain forces capable of breaking down borders, creating harmony, and bringing beauty into the world. They demonstrated this by challenging the perception of classical music as elitist and exclusive, blending it with pop, rock, and Afro-fusion through a lineup of artists that included Latin American and Caribbean stars such as Shakira, Madonna, Justin Bieber, BTS, Burna Boy, and the PS 22 Chorus (with the participation of Coldplay).

That symbolic moment also reflects a broader phenomenon. Increasingly, the culture of our region is taking center stage internationally. From music and film to gastronomy and tourism, Latin America and the Caribbean now reaches millions of people through cultural expressions that reflect who we are. This invites us to ask: Can our region’s growing cultural visibility become a driver of development, inclusion, and social cohesion?

Latin America and the Caribbean possesses a strategic asset that has long been underestimated: its cultural wealth. With 8 percent of the world’s population, the region is home to nearly 10 percent of the world’s World Heritage Sites, six of the 17 megadiverse countries, and more than 300 Indigenous languages. This diversity is attracting growing international interest and offers a unique opportunity to advance development.

The evidence is increasingly visible. Latin American and Caribbean artists are topping music charts, the region’s audiovisual productions are receiving the highest international accolades, and millions of people are discovering the region through its culture. In 2026, searches to learn Spanish increased significantly following Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance. That same year, for the first time, a Spanish-language album won the Grammy for Album of the Year. The world is listening to Latin America and the Caribbean like never before.

But visibility does not automatically translate into development.

Today, the region employs around 6.9 percent of its workforce in creative activities, above the global average. Yet it continues to lag behind in the registration of trademarks, patents, and industrial designs. In other words, the region creates significant value but captures less of it than it could. At the same time, many creators face informality, limited access to financing, and insufficient protection of their intellectual property.

Investing in culture means much more than supporting an economic sector. It means investing in people, building community, and shaping identity. Every music school, library, cultural center, or artistic space expands capabilities, strengthens communities, and creates opportunities for children and young people to reach their full potential. Creativity also builds citizenship, strengthens trust, and creates connections where divisions often exist.

That is why turning international visibility into development requires building ecosystems that allow talent to flourish. We need policies that strengthen creative industries, foster innovation, expand access to financing, protect cultural heritage, and connect global recognition with local opportunities.

This has been the driving force behind the partnership between Gustavo Dudamel, El Sistema, and UNDP. Building on this partnership, following the catastrophic earthquakes that struck Venezuela, we launched a global campaign to mobilize resources and forge synergies in support of a resilient, dignified, and people-centered recovery—one that everyone can contribute to. The campaign will include “A Concert for Venezuela” on August 23 in Los Angeles, California, with 100 percent of ticket proceeds going to the crowdfunding platform, to which everyone can contribute.

When the New York Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra shared the stage during the World Cup final, those brief moments of tribute, which connected our hearts with our Venezuelan sisters and brothers, were powerful. But their impact can transcend time and space by transforming our collective imagination as a region—especially that of our young people—and expanding our sense of what is possible.

That is the power of culture. An inseparable part of our history. In our most difficult hours, it allows us to process pain together while, at the same time, dreaming together about our future. As Latin America and the Caribbean takes center stage in two ways this Sunday, may we not only inspire the world, but also see ourselves reflected as a society and make culture a driver of development and of the collective construction of our future.