La Francophonie and cultural diversity
Canada's participation in the international Francophonie confirms Canada's
commitment to promoting cultural diversity both nationally and abroad. The international
Francophonie is a privileged forum for cooperation and dialogue, where Canada
can and must promote the democratic, cultural and economic values that Canadians
want to share.
Through the various influential forums and tools the Francophonie has set up
since its inception, Canada has access to the world's rich cultural environment,
which it uses for the benefit of all citizens. Canada's involvement in TV5,
for example, provides our audiovisual industry and creators with a showcase
in more than 150 countries, and in return, Canadians can keep in touch with
Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas on a daily basis via their television
screens.
Through its participation in the various official bodies of the Francophonie,
Canada also advocates globalization that respects
culture. The Ministerial
Conference on Culture in Cotonou in June 2001 was a key step in making our
partners in the Francophone community aware of the importance of protecting
and supporting their unique cultures in these times of global trade and economic
integration.
In Cotonou, the Francophonie took an important step by officially supporting
the principle of a legal instrument to protect and promote cultural diversity
(Cotonou Declaration (only available in French)), an innovative contribution to the ongoing
international debate on our collective capacity to counter the detrimental effects
of globalization. The Francophonie, with Canada's support, further endorsed
this approach during the Francophone
Summit in Beirut (October 18 to 20, 2002) which incidently focused on the
dialogue between cultures. Indeed, the Beirut Declaration announces the Francophonie's
will to contribute working toward the adoption of an International Convention
on Cultural Diversity housed at UNESCO.
The International Francophonie Directorate
works closely with the International Relations
and Policy Development Directorate.
|
