About the Meeting

The Inter-American Meetings of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities promote political dialogue at the hemispheric level on the topic of culture, its role and contribution to development. The Inter-American Committee on Culture follows up and implements the mandates of these Meetings as well as those of the Summits of the Americas related to culture. Recent themes at these meetings have included inter alia: Cultural Interdependence in the Context of Globalization; Development in the Americas: Strengthening the Circulation of Cultural Goods and Services; Preservation of Cultural Heritage; Challenges of Cultural Industries; and Culture and Indigenous Peoples. 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