Governments of Canada and Quebec and Industry Leaders Support Development of International Instrument at UNESCO
MONTREAL, September 16, 2003 -- Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps and Minister of Culture and Communications for Quebec Line Beauchamp today co-chaired the Ministers' Roundtable:Towards an International Instrument on Cultural Diversity. The roundtable with cultural sector leaders was held as part of continuous efforts to build awareness of and support for a new international instrument on cultural diversity in the lead up to UNESCO's General Conference, to be held in October 2003, in Paris.The Executive Council of UNESCO has put the issue of developing an international instrument on cultural diversity on the conference agenda. The governments of Canada and Quebec have been committed to this project since 1999.
"This roundtable has provided us with a valuable opportunity to work together with our cultural sector partners. Now more than ever, it is crucial that governments support the work of cultural industries at home and abroad," said Minister Copps. "In this era of globalization and rapid technological change, there are tremendous opportunities for strengthening cultural diversity, and this new international instrument will help ensure that all cultures evolve and thrive."
"The integration of the international instrument is key to the survival of cultural and linguistic diversity," said Minister Beauchamp. "Quebec, Canada, and other governments of La Francophonie have strongly advocated that this international convention be adopted at UNESCO. We believe it is the most appropriate place to house such a convention, given its role, mandate, and legitimacy."
An international instrument would set out clear ground rules to enable countries to support, promote and safeguard cultural diversity, while at the same time ensuring an appropriate linkage between the UNESCO agreement and the international trading system. Since 1999, it has attracted the support of an increasing number of countries.
Member governments of the International Network on Cultural Policy (INCP) and of La Francophonie have worked to ensure that UNESCO pursues an International Convention on Cultural Diversity before 2005.
Canada has played a leadership role in promoting dialogue on cultural diversity, and the governments of Canada and Quebec have consistently worked closely together to advance this issue. In June 2001, during its Cotonou Ministerial Conference on Culture, La Francophonie was the first international organization to officially support the principle of a binding legal instrument in support of cultural diversity. In October 2002, the INCP met in Cape Town, South Africa, and member participants agreed to actively engage UNESCO and develop a framework for cooperation for the advancement of the instrument. At the 9th meeting of La Francophonie in Beirut in October 2002, heads of state and government advocated rapid adoption of the convention at UNESCO.
Cultural industries and professional associations have played a critical role in working to ensure that cultural diversity is an issue not to be overlooked on the agenda of governments throughout the world. In Canada, they have been dedicated to this effort through the Coalition for Cultural Diversity (CCD), the International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD), and the cultural industries Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade (SAGIT). The CCD, which receives funding from the governments of Canada and Quebec, was created in 1998 by leading Quebec professional associations in the cultural sector and expanded its membership in 1999 by inviting all leading Canadian cultural professional associations to join its ranks. The Government of Canada also provides funding to the INCD, a world-wide network of artists and cultural groups dedicated to the preservation of cultural diversity in an age of globalization, and provides support for the work of the cultural industries SAGIT.
Information:
Sonya-Kim St-Julien
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
(819) 997-7788
Isabelle Melançon
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Culture and Communications
(418) 380-2310
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