The Third Meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), to be held on 18 and 19 September at the International Convention Centre in Havana, will count with the participation of delegations from 29 Member States of Latin America and the Caribbean, 18 of which will be headed by their respective culture ministers, according to the confirmations received so far.

Fernando Rojas, Cuban Deputy Minister of Culture, made this announcement at a press conference given yesterday at the Ministry in Havana, where he indicated that “CELAC promotes the inclusion of culture as a fundamental aspect of the post-2015 Development Agenda”.

Prior to the event, on the morning of 18 September, a UNESCO workshop will be conducted with the presence of Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, where a five-year regional Work Plan for Culture of the Organization will be discussed and validated. Also presiding over the workshop will be Alfredo Pérez de Armiñán, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Fernando Brugman, Officer in charge of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The themes to be dealt with include the defence, conservation and safeguarding of tangible and intangible heritage, the prevention and fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property, the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, and the strengthening of cultural and creative industries, among others.

This plan, which will be made available to CELAC Ministers, will have as its core objective to facilitate the implementation of the UNESCO culture programme for the countries in the region, thereby contributing to achieve the new Sustainable Development Goals to be adopted during the UN Sustainable Development Summit, to be held at UN Headquarters in New York from 25 to 27 September 2015.

In addition, Rojas informed that the Meeting seeks to support the adoption of new projects that would contribute to strengthen regional integration in the sphere of culture, such as the creation of a Regional School for the Arts in Jamaica, as well as to consolidate other already existing projects, such as the Caribbean Festival of Arts (CARIFESTA) and the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase. Prior to this Third Meeting, the Sixth Meeting of Ministers of Culture of ALBA-TCP will take place in Cuba for the first time.

In the framework of the regional event, bilateral meetings and the signing of agreements between participating countries will also take place.

Since 1989, the heads of culture in the region would meet at the Forum of Ministers of Culture and Officials in Charge of Cultural Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. With the creation of CELAC in 2011, and after the meeting held in Suriname in 2013, the Forum entrusted its legacy, work and initiatives to this body.

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