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Culture as Common Denominator for Integral Development to Be Focus of Ministerial Meeting at OAS

The Ministers and Highest Appropriate Authorities of Culture of the Americas will meet on November 9 and 10, 2011, at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC, with the objective of establishing strategies to promote culture as a common denominator for integral development in the countries of the region. The meeting is being held in the framework of the celebrations of 2011 as the Inter-American Year of Culture and with the goal of issuing recommendations for the Sixth Summit of the Americas, to be held in April 2012 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

The Fifth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and Highest Appropriate Authorities of Culture will feature the participation of the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, as well as the following authorities who have confirmed their presence: Eleston Adams, Minister of Culture of Antigua and Barbuda; Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas) of Canada; Manuel Enrique Obregón López, Minister of Culture and Youth of Costa Rica; José Rafael Lantigua, Minister of Culture of the Dominican Republic; Winston Peters, Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism of Trinidad and Tobago; Marcella Liburd, Minister of Health and Culture of St. Kitts and Nevis; Arley Gill, Senator and Minister of State of Grenada; Justina Charles, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Dominica; and María Claudia López Sorzano, Deputy Minister of Culture of Colombia.

The event will constitute a forum to address the progress and outcomes of 2011 as the Inter-American Year of Culture and the role culture plays in promoting prosperous communities and peaceful coexistence, as well as economic empowerment and social inclusion, and citizen participation for the strengthening of democracies. Furthermore, other topics of debate will be the achievements and challenges of the Inter-American Committee on Culture 2008-2011 and the outlines for 2013, as well as perspectives on the ministerial process and the Sixth Summit of the Americas.

Secretary General Insulza said recently that the Member States of the OAS “recognize the significance of culture as an essential element of the economy, of diplomacy, social inclusion and peace building.” He also said that “despite the global economic crisis, there is in our Hemisphere a hopeful view of the region’s future, full of opportunities for economic growth and social development in every one of our countries.” In this context, he called on “all Ministers and high-level authorities to make the most of the discussions and shared experiences, with the common objective not only of recognizing and celebrating our valuable cultural patrimony, but to seek to fulfill the potential of its great benefits in improving the wellbeing of our peoples.”

This hemispheric gathering, based on the presumption that the exchange of information, policies and programs will strengthen the capacity of countries to face their challenges, will include ten plenary sessions moderated by the different authorities on Culture from the Member States on the subjects of the meeting. The inaugural session is scheduled for Wednesday, November 9, at 9:00 EST (14:00 GMT), with the participation of Secretary General Insulza.

The objective of the Inter-American Year of Culture is to highlight the diversity of culture in the Americas and promote its key role in the economic, social, and human development of the countries of the continent. The activities within its framework include multilateral projects among the Member States of the Organization, such as a music festival in The Bahamas, the poetry competition Gabriela Mistral in Chile, and a folk festival organized by Colombia in Washington, DC.

As the principal political forum in the Western Hemisphere, the OAS considers that culture is a source of identity and pride in each one of the countries of the Hemisphere, and that it integrates them as members of the same community, region and continent. Also, the Organization reasserts that culture contributes to the common objective of countries to create a world of peace, respect, understanding, and tolerance.

Culture has been part of the Organization since its origins, beginning with the First Inter-American Conference of the American States in 1889-1890, which established the Columbus Library, still today the depository of all of the institution’s documentary knowledge. Today, the OAS plays an important role in the promotion and facilitation of the inter-American dialogue at the highest political levels, also on this matter. As Technical Secretariat of the Inter-American Committee on Culture (CIC), it has significantly contributed in following-up to the mandates included in the Declarations and Plans of Action of the Summits of the Americas and the sector’s Ministerial Meetings.

The CIC is a technical-political body that coordinates the implementation of the inter-American ministerial dialogue and was created at the First Ministerial Meeting held in Cartagena de Indias in July of 2002. Since then, there have been four Inter-American Meetings of Ministers and Highest Appropriate Authorities of Culture on diverse subjects, such as cultural diversity and public policy; culture and equality; culture as a source of economic growth, employment and development; culture and the role of indigenous peoples; and how to incentivize the participation of youth in the economy of culture.

For more information on the Ministerial Meeting, click here.

The meeting’s draft agenda is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

WHAT: Fifth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and Highest Appropriate Authorities of Culture

WHEN: Wednesday and Thursday, November 9 and 10, 2011

WHERE: Rubén Darío Hall
OAS General Services Building
1889 F St., NW
Washington, DC 20006

Reference: AVI-244/11