Ernesto Ottone Ramírez wins the 2025 ENCATC Award for Outstanding Contribution
We are thrilled to announce that Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez is the winner of the 2025 edition of the ENCATC Award for Outstanding Contribution.
Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez is the Assistant Director-General for Culture at UNESCO, where he has been leading global initiatives in cultural policy, heritage protection, and creative industries since 2018. A Chilean cultural policy expert and international cultural manager, between 2015 and 2018 he served as Chile’s Minister President of the National Council of Culture and the Arts, and later as the country’s Minister of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage.
The Award Panel, an interdisciplinary group integrated by 11 ENCATC members from different world regions, evaluated and assessed all nominations recognizing Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez for his visionary leadership and dedication. His commitment has significantly shaped the global cultural landscape, positioning culture as a pillar of sustainable development, social inclusion, and peace. His career reflects the support for culture in both theory and practice. Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez has been instrumental in steering UNESCO’s cultural agenda during pivotal moments, such as the 2022 Mondiacult conference, where culture was recognized as a global public good for the first time in decades. His efforts have redefined global cultural policy frameworks and elevated the role of culture within international development discourse.
ENCATC's president, Gerald Lidstone, commented: “Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez stands out as a leader who understands culture as a fundamental force shaping our societies. His ability to translate complex cultural issues into actionable international policy has had a profound global impact. From redefining the global narrative around cultural rights to building bridges across governments, academia, and civil society, He has consistently demonstrated the kind of interdisciplinary leadership we strive to recognize with this Award. His role in landmark moments, such as the 2022 Mondiacult conference, and his advocacy for evidence-based cultural governance, mark him as a true architect of modern cultural policy."
ENCATC's Secretary General, GiannaLia Cogliandro Beyens, expressed: "It is with deep admiration that we honour Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez with the 2025 ENCATC Award for Outstanding Contribution. His unique combination of leading global cultural policy at UNESCO, proven impact on cultural development worldwide, commitment in advocating for cultural rights and sustainability resonates with ENCATC’s emphasis on transformational leadership and innovation, international cooperation and advocacy, and impact on policy and practice. Mr. Ernesto Ottone Ramírez is not only a cultural policymaker of exceptional stature—he is a global connector and a source of inspiration for generations of cultural professionals worldwide."
The Award Ceremony will be held during the 2025 ENCATC Congress on 15th September, in the evocative frame of the Ateneu Barcelonès in Barcelona, Spain.