On July 16, 2025, UNESCO Headquarters in Paris hosted a globally significant event: the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Olympic Arts Charter, organized by the World Olymp’Arts Council (WOAC). More than 200 distinguished guests from 70 countries and regions across five continents gathered to witness and sign the historic Olympic Arts Declaration.
The signing of this Declaration embodies a high-level global consensus and a shared commitment to using art as a bridge to promote international understanding, peace, and cultural exchange. It reaffirms the mission of fostering dialogue among civilizations and building a more inclusive, diverse, and sustainable future.
This solemn moment is considered one of the most influential cultural events since the creation of the Olympic Arts Charter in 1995. It not only commemorates the achievements of the past three decades in advancing global cultural exchange through the Olympic Arts, but also establishes a solid foundation for future international artistic cooperation.
In his speech, Marc Verriere, President of the WOAC, stated:
"Thirty years ago, we opened the chapter of the Olympic Arts here; today, representatives from 70 countries and regions gather once again to sign a common declaration — a commitment that transcends borders and cultures, and a mission for the future in the service of all humanity."
During the celebration, the WOAC announced its international strategy for the next five years, including hosting major art festivals worldwide, fostering cross-disciplinary creative collaborations, and nurturing young artistic talent — ensuring that the “Olympic Arts” continues to serve as a cultural bridge uniting the world and promoting peace.
The joint signing by representatives from 70 countries and regions injects fresh vitality into the spirit of the Olympic Arts, opening a new chapter for global cultural unity and cooperation.
PAYS | NOM | TITRE / FONCTION |
ALGERIA | Ryma Taleb | Olymp’Arts National Committee| Architect |
AUSTRALIA | Charles Billich | Artist | philanthropist | Professor |
AUSTRIA | Katarina Wenty | Artist Poet | Spoken Word Artist |
BANGLADESH | Bibi Russell | Renowned Designer and Former Model |
BELGIUM | Koen Vanmechelen | Conceptual Artist | Creator of the Cosmopolitan Project |
| Sonia De Clerck | Representative, Belgium Olymp'Arts Committee |
BENIN | Sessi Tonoukouin | Representative, Benin Olymp'Arts Committee |
BOLIVIA | Marco Antonie Cabero Zabalaga | National Olymp’Arts Supporter |
BRAZIL | Fernando Chiari Cruz | Representative, Brazil Olymp’Arts Committee |
BULGARIA | Encho Keryazov | Acrobat | Arts Philanthropist |
| Kodzhabasheva Svetla | Supporter of Olymp’Arts |
CAMBODIA | Loung Ong | Author | Human-rights Activist | Screenwriter |
CAMEROON | Son Exc. André-Magnus Ekoumou | Ambassador & UNESCO Delegate |
CHILE | Maria Fernanda Garcia Iribarren | Actress | Cultural Manager | Executive Director, The Museum of Memory and Human Rights. |
CHINA | Qin Wen | Executive President of the World Olymp’Arts Council |
COSTA RICA | Juan Manuel Delgado Mendez | Olymp’Arts National Committee |
COMOROS | Emilie Amirdine | Olymp’Arts National Committee |
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | Marcel Usumba | Olymp’Arts National Committee |
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | Jose Julio Gomez Beato | Dominican Republic Olymp’Arts Committee |
ECUADOR | Estefania Penafiel Loaiza | Visual Artist | Researcher |
EGYPT | Aya Tarek | Multidisciplinary Artist | Street Art Pioneer |
FINLAND | Mirka Amanda Parenteau | Olymp’Arts National Committee |
| Ronny Mattias Eriksson | Olymp’Arts National Committee |
FRANCE | Marc Verriere | Founder President of the Olympic Arts |
| Jean-Philippe Baur | Rotary International representative and Governor (France section) |
GERMANY | Nina Genovese | Olymp’Arts National Committee Representative |
GHANA | Rocky Dawuni | Grammy-nominated Afro Roots Musician | UN Goodwill Ambassador |
| Godfred Edusei Derkyi | Supporter of Olymp’Arts |
GREECE | Filippos Tsalahouris | Dean of Athens Conservatory |
HONG KONG (CHINA) | Rocky Shi | Producer representative |
IVORY COAST | Yakouba Konate | Supporter of Olymp’Arts |
ITALY | Antonio Marzo | Olymp’Arts Italian Committee |
| Franco Marzo | Olymp’Arts Italian Committee |
IRAN | Bahman Mehabadi | Member, World Philharmonic Orchestra, represented |
JAPAN | Hanako Yamadasmith | Japan representative |
KAZAKHSTAN | Karateyev Tair | National representative |
KENYA | OUKO Felicia | Olymp’Arts Kenian Committee |
MACAU, CHINA | Pansy Ho | Macau representative |
MALAYSIA | Hong Yi | Artist known for “painting without a paintbrush.” |
MAURITIUS | Son Exc. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim | Former President of Mauritius |
MEXICO | Azul Lizeth Almazan Lopez | Mexico's Olympic diver at Sydney 2000 |
MOLDOVA | Son Exc. Mrs Corina Cålugåru | UNESCO Delegate |
MOROCCO | Sadeck Waff | Famous Artist Olymp’Art National Committee |
NETHERLANDS | Kees Van Oostrum | Former President, American Society of Cinematographers |
NIGERIA | Bolaji Olaniyi Oguwo | Renowned Artist | Professor, Painting Dept. of Creative Arts University of Lagos Akoka |
PAKISTAN | Syed Jamal Shah | Olymp’Arts national representative |
| Tara Uzra Dawood | Dawood Global Foundation |
PERU | Susana Baca de la Colina | 3-time Latin Grammy Award Winner | Singer | Songwriter |
PHILIPPINES | John Kenneth Paranada | Olymp’Arts national representative |
POLAND | Szymon Oltarzewski | Olymp’Arts national representative |
PORTUGAL | Jennifer Carneiro | Journalist | Magellan |
QATAR | Son Exc. Dr. Nasser Hamad Hinzab | Ambassador & UNESCO Delegate |
REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO | Princesse Louise Kamwiziku | Olymp’Arts National Committee |
ROMANIA | Alexandra Dariescu | Olymp’Arts National Committee |
RUSSIA | Anna Sherbinina | Fedora Platform European Operas and Ballets |
SINGAPOUR | Paul Rozario | National Representative |
SOUTH AFRICA | Paruk Farhana | Olymp’Arts National Committee |
SOUTH KOREA | Leenam Lee | Olymp’Arts National Committee Representative |
SOUTH SUDAN | Son Exc. Michael Amanamoi | Ambassador & UNESCO Delegate |
SPAIN | Diandra Ferrera De Lima | Fedora Platform European Operas and Ballets |
SRI LANKA | Romesh Gunesekera | Artistic National representative |
SWITZERLAND | Nathalie Eckert-Loosli | Swiss Olymp'Arts Committee Member |
| Frédéric Hohl | Swiss Olymp'Arts Committee Member |
THAILAND | Tuck Muntarbhorn | Multi-disciplinary Conceptual Artist |
TUNISIA | Hedi Bourguiba | Artist national representative |
TURKEY | Gazioglu Solmaz Seda | Olymp’Arts representative |
UKRAINE | Herman Makarenko | Conductor, National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre |
UNITED KINGDOM | Lauren Catriona Bevan | Representative Olymp’Arts Committee |
UNITED STATES | Derek Brown | Director, Olymp’Arts 2023 Official Promotional Film |
VIETNAM | Le Khanh Linh | Eco-entrepreneur | Model | Founder, The Yên Concept |
ZIMBABWE | Chido Govera | Olymp’Arts representative, The Future of Hope Foundation |
Representatives from 70 Countries and Regions Sign the Olympic Arts Declaration at UNESCO
Olymp'Arts Manifesto (1995–2025)
UNESCO – July 16, 2025
Introduction to the 30th Anniversary of the "Olymp'Arts" (1995–2025)
The Olymp'Arts Manifesto (the first modern “Olympic Arts”)
“The challenge of our time is to create beauty. And that depends on our ability to understand the past, and bring it forward into the future, in an aesthetic way.”— Stefano Zecchi, writer/philosopher
The motto of the Olymp'Arts is Dostoyevsky's dream: “Beauty will save the world.”
It is on these foundations that the first modern Olymp’Arts were established at UNESCO, on July 10 and 11, 1995, by 65 countries who signed the first Olymp’Arts Charter.
The purpose of this historic revival—originally founded in 566 BCE in ancient Greece, two centuries after the Olympic Games (776 BCE)—aims to formally separate two distinct Olympic competitions: one dedicated to the body, the other to the mind and creation.
This separation respects the unique calendar devised by the ancient Greeks, who decided to schedule the Art Olympiads “in the third year following each Olympic Games.”
As humanity enters the Age of Aquarius, a time of great transformation, artists stand as messengers from the invisible worlds that surround us. They embody privileged links that can guide us toward humanist values—values that correspond precisely to the evolution and awakening consciousness of this new millennium, into which we are now tentatively stepping.
The modern Olympiads of Art are nothing less than a quest for universal beauty:Beauty that transcends trends and influence;Beauty shared unknowingly by all cultures;Beauty that inspires joyful emotion;Beauty dreamt of by all peace-loving peoples.
It is a search for beauty and harmony that may lead us toward universal peace.
And for the first time in the history of artistic competitions, it is the global public, exclusively, that will judge the universality of the works —presented strictly anonymously—via a entire novel process.
Everything that exists on this planet and has been created by humankind originates from human imagination and dreams.
The dream of Olymp'Arts is to realize what is today still seen as mere utopia—a dream of peace and beauty that, thanks to modern technology and global online voting, will give rise to the world’s first true cultural democracy.
Marc Verriere
Founder and President of the Modern Olymp'Arts
July 16, 2025
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