FIRST INTER-AMERICAN MEETING OF MINISTERS OF OEA/Ser. K/XXVIICULTURE AND HIGHEST APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES REMIC-I/doc. 7/02July 12-13, 2002 11 November 2002 Cartagena de Indias, Colombia Original: Spanish

FINAL REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Background 4II. Participants 5III. Development of the Meeting 5

A. Preparatory Session 5B. Opening Session 6C. First Plenary Session 6D. Second Plenary Session 8E. Third Plenary Session 10F. Fourth Plenary Session 13G. Closing Session 14

IV. Attachments1. “Theme 1 Discussion Paper. Fostering Cultural Policies in a

Globalized Environment”2. “Building Development through Culture” 3. “Consultative Forum on Cultural Diversity”4. “Lista de Participantes”5. “Palabras del Secretario General de la OEA, Doctor César Gaviria”6. “Palabras del Presidente de Colombia Andrés Patrana”7. “Palabras de la ministra de Cultura de Colombia Araceli Morales

López”8. “Means Of Being, Ways Of Dreaming. Germán Rey”9. “Horizontal Cooperation”10. “Cultural Diversity”11. “Strategy for Inter-Agency Cultural Cooperation”12. “Civil Society’s Reflections on the first Inter-American Meeting of

Ministers of Culture and highest appropriate authorities in the framework of CIDI”

13. “Declaration of the professional organizations from the cultural milieu of the Americas”

14. “Theme I. Cultural Diversity and Public Policies”15. “Theme II. Culture and Equity”16. “Declaration and Plan of Action of Cartagena de Indias”17. “18. “Appreciation to the Government and People of Colombia”19. "Exemplary Programs"20. "Experts' Seminar Report on Theme 1"21. "Experts' Seminar Report on Theme 2"22. "Report by the Chair of the Experts' Seminar"

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23. "Bibliography of Sources on Cultural Diversity"24. "Cultural Diversity, Development and Globalization"25. "Agenda"26. "Work Schedule"27. "Report by the Chair of the Working Group"

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BACKGROUND

The First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities held within the framework of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (CIDI) took place on July 12 and 13, 2002 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in compliance with the mandate issued by the Third Summit of the Americas. The heads of state and government of the Americas meeting at the Third Summit of the Americas pledged to “encourage the convocation of a meeting at the ministerial or highest appropriate level, with the support of CIDI, to discuss cultural diversity with a view to deepening hemispheric cooperation on this issue, and to creating an environment to foster awareness and understanding of the cultural and linguistic diversity of countries in the Americas.”

In Resolution CIDI/RES.109 (VI-O/01), issued at the sixth regular meeting of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development held in December 2001, the Council decided to organize the First Meeting of Ministers of Culture in the framework of CIDI and instructed its Permanent Executive Committee (CEPCIDI) to convene that meeting. In compliance with that resolution, CEPCIDI issued Resolution 71 at its Seventy-Sixth Regular Meeting, to convene the First Meeting of Ministers of Culture, and to accept with pleasure the offer by the Colombian government to host the meeting, to be held in Cartagena de Indias on July 12 and 13, 2002.

CEPCIDI assigned its Subcommittee on Partnership for Development Policies the task of carrying out the preparatory work for the First Meeting of Ministers of Culture. That Subcommittee in turn set up a working group to expedite the preparatory work, with the support of the Unit for Social Development, Education and Culture as the technical secretariat for the ministerial meeting. The working group was chaired by Canada.

The following activities were carried out in preparation for the ministerial meeting: (i) Seminar of Experts on Cultural Diversity, which took place in Vancouver, Canada on March 18 and 19, 2002, following that country’s offer to host the event. Attached to this report are papers entitled “Culture and Globalization,” prepared by Canada, and “Cultural Diversity and Development,” drafted by Colombia, which served as the working documents of the Seminar (Attachments 1 and 2); (ii) Inter-Agency Cultural Meeting, convened by the Unit for Social Development, Education and Culture, to draw up an inter-agency work plan to provide for a partnership to work on cultural diversity initiatives in the region, in response to the commitments made at the Third Summit of the Americas, and to strengthen action taken under the Plan of Action to be adopted at the ministerial meeting; (iii) Preparatory Meeting for the First Meeting of Ministers of Culture, convened to propose the meeting’s agenda and consider the draft Declaration and Plan of Action prepared by the Technical Secretariat; (iv) At the same time, the Technical Secretariat asked recognized experts in the region to prepare five technical documents on the topics to be discussed at the Meeting. The technical documents were used as a basis for discussion of the items appearing on the agenda for the

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ministerial meeting; and (v) The Virtual Forum with Civil Society. The Unit for Social Development, Education and Culture opened an electronic portal on June 3, to enable civil society to participate in preparation of the papers to be discussed by the ministers. This portal is a sign of the General Secretariat’s interest in developing an open dialogue with civil society, by promoting the participation of 1,000 persons belonging to civil society organizations. The corresponding reports are found in the attachments to this report (Attachment 3).

II. PARTICIPANTS

The List of Participants is published as document REMIC-1/doc.5/02Rev.2, which appears in Attachment 4.

III. DEVELOPMENT OF THE FIRST MEETING OF MINISTERS OF CULTURE AND HIGHEST APPROPRIATE AUTHORITIES

Pursuant to Article 24 of CIDI’s Rules of Procedure, a preparatory session, an inaugural session, three plenaries, and a closing session were held.

A. Preparatory Meeting

In compliance with Article 24 of CIDI’s Rules of Procedure, the preparatory meeting was held the morning of July 12, prior to the official opening of the First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities. The session was chaired on a provisional basis by the Representative of Mexico, pursuant to the order of precedence established by CEPCIDI for the meeting.

As stipulated in Article 25 of CIDI’s Rules of Procedures, the heads of delegation adopted the following decisions:

1. Election of the Chair and Vice-Chair

At the proposal of Antigua and Barbuda, seconded by Canada, Mrs. Araceli Morales López, Minister of Culture of Colombia, was elected by acclamation to chair the meeting. At the proposal of Honduras, which was seconded by Mexico, Mr. Don Boudria, State Minister and Leader of the Chamber of Commons of Canada, was elected by acclamation as the First Vice-Chairman. Finally, at the proposal of Venezuela, seconded by El Salvador, Mrs. Otilia Lux de Coti, Minister of Culture of Guatemala, was elected by acclamation to the office of Second Vice-Chairman.

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2. Style Committee

The Style Committee was made up of the delegations of Colombia for Spanish, United States for English, Brazil for Portuguese, and Canada for French.

3. Agenda

The draft agenda for the meeting, published as document REMIC-I/doc 1/02 Rev.1, was approved without changes.

4. Deadline for presentation of proposals

It was decided that the deadline for presentation of proposed resolutions would be 12:00 noon on July 12, 2002.

5. Length of the meeting

It was decided that the meeting would last two days, and would end at 6:30 p.m. on July 13th, in accordance with the approved schedule, which appears as an attachment to this report.

B. Opening Session

The inaugural session was held on July 12, 2002, at the Convention Center in Cartagena de Indias, the site of the ministerial meeting. Statements were made by the Constitutional President of Colombia, Andrés Pastrana Arango, and by the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), César Gaviria. The text of the statements are contained in Attachment 5.

C. First Plenary Session

As the first item on the agenda of the First Plenary Session, and in accordance with the provisions of Article 26 of the Rules of Procedure, the agreements reached at the preparatory session regarding the officers of the meeting, the composition of the Style Committee, the length of the meeting, and the deadline for presentation of new proposals were all formally adopted. The President Elect, Honorable Araceli Morales López, gave the inaugural speech (Attachment 6).

Following that, the Main Speaker, Mr. Germán Rey Beltrán, spoke on “General guidelines for a hemispheric public policies agenda focusing on culture.” This speech served

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as the basis for determining the items to be discussed in the course of the meeting. The text of this paper is included as an attachment to this report (Attachment 7).

Next, the Director of the Unit for Social Development, Education and Culture made a presentation entitled “Horizontal Cooperation: a Strategy to Meet the Challenges of Cultural Diversity.” Although this presentation covered various cooperation mechanisms advocated by the OAS, it focused on the strategy of exchange of experiences that the Unit is promoting, based on the identification of consolidated programs and their inclusion in a Permanent Portfolio of Consolidated Programs (See attachment 8). In the presentation, the Director referred to 20 programs sent in by countries for inclusion in the Permanent Portfolio, and explained the internship arrangement that will be used to share them, stressing the importance of achieving a critical application of the members. This cooperation initiative was greeted with a great deal of interest by the Plenary.

THEME I: CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND PUBLIC POLICIES

The participants then proceeded to begin consideration of Theme I of the meeting, “Cultural Diversity and Public Policies.”

The theme was presented by four ministers of culture and high authorities from Chile, Canada, Mexico, and Jamaica. Honduras moderated the discussion.

The discussion started from the premise of recognition of the importance of cultural diversity in the context of public policies in general, and not exclusively cultural policies. In this regard, emphasis was placed on the need for cultural diversity to be taken into account in formulating educational, environmental, labor, and communications policies, among others.

At the same time, importance was attached to promoting participation by civil society in the design and formulation of culture and development policies, so that they are representative of the different peoples and cultures inhabiting our hemisphere. Thus there is a need for individuals and communities not only to enjoy the benefits of recognition of and respect for cultural diversity, but also to share responsibility for shaping cultural policies and to become active, permanent creators of culture.

In considering this topic, delegates noted the special relevance given this issue at the Third Summit of the Americas held in Quebec, Canada in April 2001. This is where the mandates being pursued at this inter-American meeting of ministers and high officials of culture originated. Text of Chapter 17 of the Plan of Action appears in Attachment 9.

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To place this debate in its proper context, reference was made to the enormous variety of phenomena involved in globalization, including the transformation and growing complexity of societies. The rapid pace of technological advances and the appearance of new political and social players in our hemisphere and in today’s world in general were also underscored.

In this regard, and in view of the need to preserve and respect cultural diversity, speakers repeatedly referred to the dominant role states should play, through their public policies, in promoting cultural exchange and dialogue. This governmental commitment is linked to the need to ensure that the counterproductive effects of globalization, such as unequal access to technologies and exchanges of cultural goods and services, are dealt with in an effective and legitimate manner. They also warned that there is a homogenizing trend that is threatening the linguistic and ethnic diversity of the Americas.

State backing of culture and its inclusion in public policies are related to investment by the public and private sectors. Culture promotes the economic development of countries, and generates jobs, trade, and exchange of technology.

Reference was also made in the discussion to the principles of transversality, intersectorality, and the shared responsibility of society and all entities of government. Stress was placed on the need to join forces to make cultural diversity an aspect of all spheres of the political, economic, and social dialogue within states.

A key part of the debate on cultural diversity and public policies centered on recognition of indigenous peoples, attention to their individual needs in the area of bilingual education, and their inclusion in the national creative community. In this regard, interculturality was stressed, as was the need to encourage a dialogue among cultures and respect for plurality and cultural rights.

The discussion was enriched with reports of individual national experiences referring to the state’s commitment to present and future generations, through concrete instruments, such as all-inclusive educational policies, promotion of citizen participation, protection of the cultural heritage, and support for museums and cultural centers.

Cultural diversity in the hemisphere, and the opportune recognition of it, were shown to be elements that bring people together and are conducive to national and regional social cohesion. They can even transform long-standing conflicts and disagreements into opportunities for creative exchange and shared values.

D. Second Plenary Session

The Second Plenary Session began in the afternoon

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The discussion on Theme I continued and was concluded at this session.

THEME II: CULTURE AND EQUITY

The delegates then began consideration of Theme II.

The subject was presented by the ministers of culture and high authorities of Antigua and Barbuda, United States, and Guatemala. Venezuela was moderator of the discussion.

The debate focused on the commitment cultural policies should make to seeking social equity and combating poverty. In this regard, it was suggested that policies be designed to ensure that a greater number of inhabitants in the hemisphere have the opportunity to develop their creativity in conditions of equity, freedom, and dignity.

During discussion of the subject, equity was considered from three basic standpoints. The first has to do with a search for more equitable conditions in cultural production. In other words, it aims at diversification of the supply of culture to make it possible to express effectively the immense cultural diversity of the countries of the hemisphere. In this regard, reference is made to variables such as strengthening cultural industries on a national scale and small cultural enterprises locally, so that they can open up channels of expression to the different cultures prevalent in the Americas.

The second approach focuses on guaranteeing democratic access to cultural goods and services, and ensuring conditions of equality in the creation and free expression of ideas and channels for the free development of manifestations of the diversity of American cultures. In this connection, the need to implement systems for equal access to resources for art and culture was mentioned.

In this area, reference was made to the idea of an international instrument that would provide countries with a solid basis for negotiating cultural issues in the framework of international free trade agreements. The importance of consolidating regional integration processes to strengthen the position of our countries in the international arena was also highlighted.

The third approach has to do with the theme of interculturality. Here it is a matter of recognition, as well as of relations of power. Progress needs to be made in recognition of and respect for the different cultures present in the Americas, and especially the ones that have been sidelined and have traditionally suffered from the negative impact of power systems that tend to dominate them or ignore their individual characteristics. It was clear that the aspect of culture needs to be taken into account in redefining the current concept of development, by making culture its goal and its means.

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The great majority of the countries of the Americas are afflicted with problems of poverty and inequality. The benefits derived from globalization and the development system that has been imposed on our countries have not been balanced and have created complicated economic and social situations in many of our countries. Reference was made to the fact that development is not sustainable if it only takes into account certain economic and political interests and ignores the fundamental interrelationship between culture and development. Participants at the meeting were urged to commit themselves to making the objective of linking culture and development a reality, to ensure truly integral development. This linkage is a key part of the process of hemispheric integration.

At the same time, it was proposed that interculturality become a model of public policy, which would make it possible to improve conditions for strengthening our democratic systems. In the case of countries with a majority indigenous population, they could build a truly inclusive nation that respects cultural differences.

Participants emphasized the fact that the issue of equity is complex and does not depend solely on providing the necessary conditions for cultural consumption. Equity should focus more on cultural citizenship, which entails respect for diversity, effective dialogue, and a true participation in the design and implementation of policies affecting the ways of life of each of the communities in our countries. Cultural citizenship is the way of ensuring processes of social cohesion and thus national unity.

To meet all these challenges, the state must intervene, but civil society must also

participate actively, since through its creativity, opportune and objective communication, and its organizations and associations, it is an active part of the process leading to an improvement in the conditions of cultural equity prevailing in our hemisphere today.

Participants referred to two specific lines of action that have to do with establishing a permanent forum for culture in the states of the Americas and an Inter-American Cultural Policy Observatory. Both processes will make it possible in the short term to take the action needed to attain the objectives referred to throughout the session.

The discussion of Theme II was then concluded.

E. Third Plenary Session

In the course of the Third Plenary Session, the following issues were discussed:

1. The Summit of the Americas and Cultural Diversity

The Executive Secretary of the Summit of the Americas Process of the OAS General Secretariat made a statement which referred to the important, tight link between the Summits process and the development of the various issues of interest to the countries, through

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ministerial meetings and other forums. In that statement, the present inter-American meeting to advance the cultural agenda was highlighted.

2. Presentation of the agreements reached at the Inter-Agency Cultural Meeting: a General View

The Director of the Unit for Social Development, Education and Culture gave a presentation on the agreements reached at the Inter-Agency Cultural Meeting which took place in Cartagena de Indias on July 11, 2002. She referred specifically to the document adopted by the representatives of the organizations and agencies participating in that meeting, entitled “Strategy for Inter-Agency Cultural Cooperation.”

After that, representatives of the Convenio Andrés Bello (CAB), the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science, and Culture (OEI), UNESCO, the Andean Development Corporation (CAF), the International Federation of Art Councils and Cultural Agencies, the International Network of Cultural Policies, and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) took the floor to confirm their entities’ commitments to the efforts of the ministers of culture and highest appropriate authorities to move the subject of cultural diversity forward in the context of a cooperative partnership, and their support for the commitments set forth in the Declaration and Plan of Action. The representatives of Spain and South Africa also spoke to describe the work related to the meeting’s theme being done by their governments.

In concluding the discussion of this topic, reference was made to the participation and valuable contributions of the agency representatives at this event, but also to the work they are pursuing in general to advance the cultural agenda, especially in forums such as the Inter-Agency Meeting. The participants also agreed to urge them to continue this process and to work together to make the cultural aspirations of the peoples of this hemisphere a reality. The text of this agreement appears in Attachment 10 to this report.

3. Information on the meeting with representatives of civil society organizations

The Plenary took note of the information presented by the Chair on a meeting held the morning of July 13 between representatives of member states and the civil society organizations invited to attend the first meeting.

On that occasion, the representative of the Network of Cultural Promoters of Latin America and the Caribbean made a presentation on behalf of the organizations participating in the meeting. The statement referred to the importance of having created space for a dialogue between representatives of governments and civil society, and included presentation of a paper entitled “Reflections of Civil Society at the First Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities.” This document contains recommendations for the draft Declaration and Plan of Action.

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Upon concluding this statement, the speaker requested that both the Reflections and the Declaration of professional organizations of the Americas in the area of culture be included in the final documents of the Meeting. This Declaration was contributed by the Coalition for Cultural Diversity, a group made up of eighty-five professional associations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. Attachments 11 and 12.

On the subject of the participation of civil society in culture, it was noted that the Unit

for Social Development, Education and Culture of the OAS General Secretariat, which is committed to promoting an open dialogue with civil society, had, prior to this meeting, embarked on a strategy of consultation and dialogue using the Internet, as a shared space for the analysis and participation of civil society in the preparation of the Declaration and Plan of Action of Cartagena de Indias. The “Virtual Forum on Cultural Diversity in the Hemisphere" was put into operation on June 3, 2002.

To boost participation in the theme of cultural diversity, an invitation was extended to over 1,000 persons belonging to civil society and professional organizations working on subjects related to promotion of cultural diversity in the hemisphere. In one month of consultations, 80 persons were registered, and comments on the subject under discussion were received from 13 of them.

The discussion was generated on the basis of the working documents for consideration and negotiation of the draft Declaration and Plan of Action of Cartagena de Indias. These documents included the following: a summary of present concerns regarding cultural diversity in the hemisphere; the draft Declaration and Plan of Action of Cartagena de Indias approved at the preparatory meeting on June 14 at OAS headquarters; and, various papers from the First Seminar of Experts on Cultural Diversity, in addition to other technical reference documents developed by the experts.

The Plenary recognized the efforts made and the results obtained through the consultations and initiatives mentioned earlier to strengthen the process of citizen participation in formulation of cultural policies and promote a dialogue.

4. Report of the Moderator for Theme I

The Plenary received the report of the Moderator for Theme I. After hearing the report, the members of this Panel also spoke to elaborate on certain important aspects of the subject under consideration. Various delegations took the floor to refer to this matter.

The Plenary subsequently thanked the members of the Panel for the excellent work done on Theme I and took note of the report presented. (Attachment 13).

5. Report of the Moderator for Theme II

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The Plenary received the report of the Moderator for Theme II. After hearing the report, the members of this Panel also spoke to highlight the most important aspects of the subject under consideration. Various delegations took the floor to refer to this matter.

The Plenary subsequently thanked the members of the Panel for the excellent work done on Topic I and took note of the report presented. (Attachment 14)

6. Initial consideration of the draft Declaration and Plan of Action of Cartagena de Indias

The Plenary began consideration of the draft Declaration and Plan of Action of Cartagena de Indias, which CEPCIDI submitted to this Meeting.

Various delegations took the floor in reference to this subject. Decisions on the text were adopted in the course of the discussion.

F. Fourth Plenary Session

1. Continuation of the discussion on the draft Declaration and Plan of Action of Cartagena de Indias and approval of these documents

The Plenary continued to discuss the draft Declaration and Plan of Action of Cartagena de Indias.

Various delegations spoke in reference to different parts of the text. The comments and observations made throughout the debate were based on the key premise that cultural diversity, in its social and economic dynamics, is the source of great wealth for the peoples of the Americas. They also highlighted, among other things, the challenges of making culture an end goal of development and of increasing the ties between culture and different sectors of society.

Finally, satisfaction was expressed at the provision in the Plan of Action to establish the Inter-American Committee on Culture, within the framework of CIDI, to provide a space for and facilitate an exchange of views on cultural diversity and policy issues. Specific reference was made to the mandate of that Commission to conduct a feasibility study on the creation of an inter-American observatory of cultural policies. In this regard, the Mexican delegation offered to host the first preparatory meeting of the Inter-American Committee on Culture, a proposal accepted by acclamation. The Canadian delegation gave its support to both initiatives.

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Subsequently, the Plenary approved the draft text with the amendments agreed unanimously, by acclamation. (See the complete text in attachment 15)

2. Statement by the South African Representative

The representative of the South African Ministry of Culture took the floor to refer to the preliminary draft study on the position of developing countries with regard to the new International Instrument on Cultural Diversity. The study focuses on cultural diversity in developing countries and the challenges posed by globalization, and is based on the previous work developed by the International Network on Cultural Policy. The study is developed from the standpoint of a developing country (South Africa), and it gives special consideration to both development priorities and the situation of cultural sectors, and analyzes the interaction between the two. The complete text of this statement is contained in Attachment 16.

3. Statement of the Representative of Colombia on the proposed “Cultural Policy Observatory” of the Colombian Ministry of Culture

The Colombian representative made a presentation to highlight the key features of the proposed Cultural Policy Observatory proposed by the Culture Ministry of his country. The statement referred to the important role the Observatory would play in facilitating an exchange of information, promoting research, and strengthening institutional links on cultural matters among organizations and institutions in the hemisphere.

The representative of the Convenio Andrés Bello expressed his decisive support for the proposed Observatory, as a way of furthering the dissemination of cultural information in member states.

4. Adoption of a draft resolution of gratitude to the government and people of Colombia

The Plenary adopted a draft resolution presented by the United States delegation to express thanks to the government and people of Colombia and special appreciation for the generous hospitality extended to the representatives of member states during the First Meeting of Ministers in Cartagena de Indias. (See attachment 17)

G. Closing Session

The closing session was held the afternoon of July 13, thereby concluding the deliberations of the First Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities within the framework of CIDI.

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