Ministerial Meetings

Inter-American Meetings of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities

The Inter-American Meetings of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities promote dialogue at the hemispheric level on the topic of culture and development within the political agenda. The Inter-American Committee on Culture follows up and implements the mandates of the Ministerial Meetings as well as those of the Summits of the Americas related to culture. Topics of discussion at these meetings have included: the role of culture in social development and economic integration and growth; preservation of cultural heritage; challenges of cultural industries; culture and indigenous peoples, etc. The Technical Secretariat which supports both the Meetings of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities and the Inter-American Committee on Culture is the Department of Economic Development.

• The Eighth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities will have as its main theme: “Strengthening the Creative Economy and Culture Sector: Repositioning the Culture Sector to Secure Sustainable Development.” The theme underscores the importance of harnessing the power of the Creative Economy and Culture Sector to support jobs and growth; the potential for the sector to be an agent of cooperation, a recognition that culture is who we are and what shapes our identity, contributes to poverty reduction and paves the way for a human-centered, inclusive and equitable development.
  
  Other sub-topics to be discussed at the meeting are:
  
  1. Measuring the Culture Sector’s Contribution: Cultural Data and Cultural Satellite Accounts.
  2. Enhancing the Capacity of Businesses and Enterprises in the Creative Economy through Greater Financial and Technical Support.
  3. Safeguarding Cultural Heritage: Developing Inter-Sectoral Linkages for Sustainable Economic Growth.
  
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• The Seventh Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities was held in Asunción, Paraguay, on November 17 and 18, 2016.
  This Ministerial had as a main theme: “Development in the Americas: Strengthening the Circulation of Cultural Goods and Services”. This theme took into account that the economics of culture is an emerging issue on the political agendas of several OAS member states and that the related aspects of the production of cultural goods and services, as well as their distribution and consumption, should be strengthened.
  
  Other sub-topics discussed at the meeting were:
  
  1. From local production to regional consumption: opportunities and challenges for the circulation of cultural goods and services.
  2. Challenges involved in generating employment and social inclusion and promoting cultural diversity.
  3. Regional programs on the circulation of cultural goods and services.
  
  The Meeting also provided the opportunity for the election of new authorities of the Inter-American Committee on Culture
  
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• The Sixth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities was held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on August 12 and 13, 2014.
  
  This Culture Ministerial Meeting was an excellent opportunity to strengthen cooperation and exchange views on the central theme “Cultural Interdependence in the Context of Globalization”, and focused on the following three sub-themes:
  
  - Cultural entrepreneurship: A tool for innovation and social inclusion;
  - Local development through culture; and
  - Strengthening inter-sectoral linkages: tourism and culture
  
  Each sub-theme had panelists from among government, private sector, academia and other subject matter experts.
  
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• The Fifth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities took place at OAS Headquarters, Washington D.C. on November 9 and 10, 2011. The theme of the meeting was “Culture, a common denominator for integral development”.
  
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• The Fourth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities took place on November 20 and 21, 2008 in Bridgetown, Barbados. On this occasion the ministerial dialogue centered on the topic: "The Economy of Culture in the Americas: A Path to Sustainable Growth and Social Inclusion".
  
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• The Third Ministerial Meeting was held on November 13 - 15, 2006 in Montreal, Canada and it focused on four main topics:
  
  - Preservation and presentation of cultural heritage
  - Culture and the creation of decent jobs and the overcoming of poverty. 
  - Culture and the enhancement of the dignity and identity of our people. 
  - Culture and the role of indigenous peoples.
  
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• The Second Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities took place in Mexico City on August 23 - 24, 2004. On that occasion discussion focused on the place that culture occupies in social development and economic integration in the Americas. The ministerial dialogue  focused on three main topics:
  
  - Culture as an engine for economic growth, employment and development
  - Challenges faced by cultural industries.
  - Culture as a tool of social cohesion and the fight against poverty.
  
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• The First Meeting was called in response to a mandate from the Summit of the Americas of Quebec, and was held on July 12 - 13, 2002 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. This meeting brought to fruition OAS Member States' desire to create a common space that would allow them to establish priorities and hemispheric plans of action within the field of culture.
  
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