Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Burkina Faso elected Chairperson of the seventh session of the Conference of Parties to the 2005 Convention

The seventh session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) has opened on 5 June 2019 at UNESCO HQ in Paris.

On its first day of the three-day conference, His Excellency Abdoul Karim Sango, Minister of Culture, Arts and Tourism  of Burkina Faso, was elected Chairperson to lead the global meeting. In addition to the election, the 145 countries and European Union have adopted the agenda as well as approved the list of observers.

“Burkina Faso ratified the 2005 Convention as early as 2006. It provides a unique strategic framework and roadmap for action  to support the emergence of dynamic and strong cultural and creative industries. This Conference of Parties is a tremendous opportunity to take stock of  progress made and inform innovative cultural policy making”,  declared Minister Sango upon his election.

The general debate on the implementation of the 2005 Convention heard from countries around the world, during which each country reported on challenges in reshaping cultural policies and advancing creativity for sustainable development.

Abdoul Karim Sango is a former Public Law Professor at the National School of Administration and Justice (Ecole nationale d’administration et de la magistrature, ENAM), and was a member of the Constitutional Commission in charge of drafting the constitution of the Fifth Republic of Burkina Faso in 2016.