AG/RES. 1518 (XXVII-O/97)

INTER-AMERICAN CULTURAL PROGRAM

(Resolution adopted at the seventh plenary session, held on June 5, 1997)

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY,

HAVING SEEN Article 2.f of the Charter of the Organization of American States, which establishes the promotion, by cooperative action, of the economic, social, and cultural development of the member states as one of the essential purposes of the Organization;

BEARING IN MIND:

Resolution AG/RES. 1434 (XXVI-O/96), "Inter-American Cultural Program," wherein the General Assembly reaffirmed the importance of culture for the integral development of the member states and the need for the OAS to strengthen and enrich the Inter-American Cultural Program, and gave instructions for the preparation and adoption of a work plan to support the preservation, enhancement, and awareness of cultural and linguistic identity in the Hemisphere, the promotion of the arts, and the conservation of historical and archeological sites;

Resolution CIDI/RES. 23 (II-O/97), "Inter-American Cultural Program," wherein the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) instructs the Permanent Executive Committee of CIDI (CEPCIDI) to convene a meeting of high-level experts to prepare an Inter-American Cultural Program, to be presented to CIDI for consideration at its Third Regular Meeting; and

The Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development 1997-2001, which includes culture among its priorities and in which agreement is reached to strengthen and enrich the Inter-American Cultural Program in support of member states' efforts in this area; and

TAKING INTO ACCOUNT:

Document CP/doc.2881/97 corr. 1, "Creation of the Office of Cultural Affairs," and the creation of that office; and

The Annual Report of the General Secretariat on the Inter-American Cultural Program (AG/doc.3472/97), presented pursuant to resolution AG/RES. 1434 (XXVI-O/96),

RESOLVES:

1. To reaffirm the importance of culture for the integral and sustainable development of the member states and to support the implementation of resolution CIDI/RES. 23 (II-O/97), adopted at the Second Regular Meeting of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI), in particular the preparation of an Inter-American Cultural Program.

2. To instruct the Permanent Executive Committee of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CEPCIDI) to review the General Secretariat documents "Creation of the Office of Cultural Affairs" and the "Annual Report of the General Secretariat on the Inter-American Cultural Program" (AG/doc.3472/97).

3. To instruct the General Secretariat to provide support, through the appropriate entities, in particular the Office of Cultural Affairs, and under the coordination of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development, for the preparation of and follow-up to the various decisions on this matter.

4. To reiterate its request to the General Secretariat that it present the 1998 annual program of activities of the Office of Cultural Affairs to CEPCIDI by September 30, 1997, for its approval, and that it present quarterly progress reports on the said program.

5. To direct that the mandates set out in the preceding paragraphs should be implemented within allocated resources approved in the program-budget and other resources.

6. To instruct CIDI to report on the implementation of this resolution to the General Assembly at its twenty-eighth regular session.