As part of the cultural initiatives promoted by the Organization of American States (OAS), aimed at promoting political dialogue and consensus on a continental scale on priority issues on the agenda of public policy in the field of culture, the VI Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities, convened by the OAS, opened Monday at Karibe Convention Center.

During the two-day meeting, ministers and senior officials responsible for culture from 22 OAS member countries, as well as representatives from regional and international agencies, the private sector, academia and civil society will debate the topic "Cultural Interdependence in the Context of Globalization," the central theme of the meeting.

The Deputy Secretary General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin, Monique Rocourt, the Minister of Culture and President Michel Martelly spoke at the opening of this important Inter-American meeting on culture.

In his speechduring the opening ceremony, President Martelly spoke of the cultural traditions of his country, noting that "this wealth of heritage constitutes a shared asset of the Haitian nation and it enables us to embrace, with strength and intelligence, the diversity of our artistic expressions and movements. This heritage also represents a common foundation for exchanges and a fertile ground for promoting interculturality, since we are here at a regional cultural event [...] We must take advantage of this meeting to harmonize our different cultural expressions so that they are really a tool of development for the region."

The Assistant Secretary General of the OAS, Albert Ramdin, emphasized the cross-cutting nature of culture within the Organization, highlighting its role in the promotion of creative industries, as well as its links with improving competitiveness in SMEs, innovation, trade, and tourism. He also noted that although the production of cultural goods and services represent a significant and growing share in the economies of the OAS member states, more work is needed to fully capture the economic contribution of this important sector.

For her part, the Minister of Culture of Haiti, Monique Rocourt, stressed that "The Sixth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities, taking place here in Haiti, is certain to further motivate us to pool our resources and talents for the development of cultural industries and thus to create wealth for the region. You are in a country where everyone is convinced that development and well-being will come from culture."

The VI Meeting of Ministers of Culture is an opportunity for the highest authorities on the issue from the Americas to meet, which happens every three years; this meeting builds on the outcome of the previous meeting held in Washington, DC in November 2011. It provides an opportunity for member states to exchange experiences, discuss public policies that encourage cultural entrepreneurship, exchange experiences on the development of systems related to improving the capture of data and measurement of the contribution of culture to the economy, and to discuss the design of cultural programs.

The event serves as an important platform for the exchange of experiences and best practices, the consideration of technical cooperation proposals, and the strengthening of communication between government agencies, the private sector, and civil society.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11790-haiti-culture-6th-inter-american-meeting-of-ministers-and-high-authorities-of-culture.html

HL/ HaitiLibre