Culture, that word which seeks to cover so much ground, has not been left out of those debates. For quite a while now figures from the academic and social arenas as well as different intergovernmental and civil society organisations have been working on the theory behind the role that culture can play in development, and the actions which promote its practical application.

Having said this, despite all this work carried out in the area of culture and development, civil society, cultural organisations and the NGOs, amongst others, have all identified the need to examine further the role of culture in development processes, both on the theoretical level and in its practical application through development activities and projects: starting with the cultural comprehension of the very concept of development, and then clarifying what is understood by culture in development cooperation, in order to generate tools which favour the application of the theory and the mainstreaming of culture in development practice.