Culture is increasingly recognised as the fourth pillar of sustainable development in the ‘developed world’, with international peak bodies such as United Cities and Local Government (UCLG) identifying culture as a policy domain that governments should consider and support. A Committee for Culture was recently established by UCLG in the Asia-Pacific region, indicating a likely relevance to Asian and Pacific nations including many considered as ‘developing’. However, this impetus is not universal, with neither the Millennium Development Goals nor the recent Sustainable Development Goals, identifying culture as a focus for policy and activity. This disparity might be appropriate given the different development trajectories of rich countries and the developing world, or these international progress initiatives might be missing a vital link.The seminar addresses this topical issue, bringing together scholars and practitioners with expertise on culture and development from Australia, Europe and Asia. Issues to be examined include: what role should or could culture play in desired futures for the developed and developing world? Can cultures be developed and if so, how? How can those changes be understood and assessed?