Latin America and the Caribbean Launch of the UNESCO Framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue

On Tuesday 12 September, the Latin America and the Caribbean launch of the UNESCO Framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue was held in Panama City, Panama. Gathering over 150 indigenous and afro-descendant youth leaders, diplomats, members of academia and civil society and more, the event analysed the challenges and opportunities for intercultural dialogue within the region.

A melting pot of cultures, the Latin American and Caribbean region is home to 665 million people including 671 indigenous pueblos with 55 million indigenous people and 133 million afro-descendants. Building capacities for dialogue is critical for overcoming the challenges in the region. 

With this in mind, this event was organized in partnership with PAHO not only to serve as a launch for the Framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue, but also to serve as a space to build capacities for intercultural dialogue and identify challenges and opportunities for the region. 

Since their respective founding, PAHO and UNESCO have been promoting solutions for inclusion and access to health and education. Understanding the importance of intercultural dialogues as tools for peace and inclusion, both PAHO and UNESCO have developed a series of specialized instruments such as the PAHO Methodology of Knowledge Dialogues and the UNESCO Framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue, designed in partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace. Recognizing the knowledge gap around intercultural dialogue and what makes it effective, UNESCO created the Framework to close the knowledge gap on what makes intercultural dialogue work and providing guidelines to use this tool for peace, conflict prevention, and human rights. Covering 160 countries, the Framework provides national, regional and global data on the structures, values and process that enable intercultural dialogue to be effective as a tool for social cohesion, collective action, and conflict resolution, but also a complex device to activate, measure and finance. 

“In this dialogue and with the UNESCO Framework, we can work together to enhance social justice and ensure we do not leave anyone behind.” - Maruja Gorday de Villalobos, Minister of Education, Panama 

As part of the regional launch, two panel discussions were organized to promote exchanges of experts, decision-makers, and other strategic partners, as well as to create spaces to improve the inter-agency coordination of the United Nations and other regional and multilateral agencies, in this way, address the challenges of the implementation of human rights with attention to horizontal inequality, inclusion and representation. Through exploring new alliances to promote leadership and strengthening or creating committed organizations that manage cooperation between various social actors, cultural exchange can be induced to respond to upcoming challenges and uncertainties. For this, it is crucial to promote new skills and intercultural values, which allow understanding and addressing systemic, persistent, and emerging violence that affects social cohesion and people's lives.

The event opened with remarks from Mr. Adoniram Sanches Peraci, United Nations Resident Coordinator ad interim in Panama; Mr. Alexander Leicht, Director of UNESCO Office in Costa Rica; Ms. Giselle González Villarrué, Minister of Culture; Ms. Maruja Gorday de Villalobos, Minister of Education; Dr. Melva Cruz, General Director of Public Health, Ministry of Health ; Ms. Kim Ursu, the Ambassador of Canada to Panama; and Dr. Leah-Mari Richards, PAHO Representative ad interim in Panama. They expressed the importance of how intercultural dialogue can be leveraged to combat polarization and social exclusion. During a panel discussion, experts further reflected on how intercultural dialogue can be used to help promote peace, prevent conflict and strengthen cooperation. Mr. Jorge Enrique González, the UNESCO Chair for Intercultural Dialogue Coordinator; Ms. Gilma Vieira, the Representative of REDJUAFRO; Mr. Gabriel Cuatin, the Representative of Indigenous Youth Network for the region; and Mr. Enrique Noel, the Director of Cultural Policies and Citizenship in the Ministry of Culture of Panama looked at practical applications, success stories, and areas for improvement for putting intercultural dialogue into action that includes perspectives from vulnerable populations as well as pathways for dialogue.

“Intercultural dialogue will allow us to come closer to other cultures, get to know other cultures, and from there build better public policy.” - Gabriel Cuatin, Representative, Indigenous Youth Netwrok for Latin America and the Caribbean 

Additionally, a second panel discussed the role of international cooperation, particularly from the regional perspective, in creating enabling environments where intercultural dialogue is used to promote peace and inclusion. Building on the Framework, Mr. Yon Fernández Larrinoa, the Chief of Indigenous Peoples Section of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization; Mr. Roberto Rojas Dávila, the Chief of Groups in Situation of Vulnerability of the Organization of American States; Ms. Gloria Lagos, the Manager of ORAS CONHU; and Mr. Abel Aronátegui, Coordinator of SECC-SICA analysed current policies and practices, gaps and challenges, sharing opportunities for the way forward, and put a particular emphasis on the need of integrating the voices of youth in all platforms which are creating policies at the local, national and regional level

The launch event served as a space to exchange on collaboration opportunities and the opening of a two day technical workshop on dialogue with PAHO with indigenous and afro-descendant youth. Moving forward, UNESCO will foster partnerships to implement concrete action in building effective intercultural dialogue for peace and inclusion in Panama, and across Latin America and the Caribbean.