Latin American and Caribbean Ministers ratified the importance of culture and cultural diversity as a major means for regional cooperation and sustainable development. They did so on the occasion of the 19th Forum and First Meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). This was clearly expressed in the Suriname Declaration, where they also reaffirmed their unanimous support for resolution 65/166 of the United Nations General Assembly on Culture and Development, as well as UNESCO's efforts to include culture in the Sustainable Development Goals to be adopted in 2015. Likewise, the Ministers expressed the need to continue the fight against illicit trafficking of cultural property in the region and welcomed the recommendations put forward in this regard by the participants in the UNESCO Regional Seminar on the Fight against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property for the Caribbean held in Saint Lucia in December 2012. The participants also expressed their appreciation to UNESCO for the historical support given since 1989 to the Forum of Ministers of Culture, and in particular for the assistance given by the Forum's Technical Secretariat. Following a request by the Region's Member States, UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean provides, since 1999, the Technical Secretariat of the Forum. The 19th Forum was held in Paramaribo, Suriname, 14-15 March 2013. Among the impacts of the event, it should be noted that Cuba, which holds CELAC’s Pro Tempore Chair, presented the common position of this regional integration bloc at the “Thematic Debate on Culture and Development”, held in the framework of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly, 12 June 2013. ... BACK

Coordinated and financed by the Office, the Portal of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean, online since 2002, is one of the most important initiatives and the oldest project under implementation by the Forum of Ministers of Culture and Officials in Charge of Cultural Policies of Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently it is also the Culture section of UNESCO Havana website (www.unesco.org/havana). For its implementation, the Regional Office has a small team that works in close cooperation with the Network of National Coordinators designated by the highest authorities in charge of Culture in Latin American and Caribbean Member States, and with Culture specialists at UNESCO field offices in the region. In 2013, the Portal offered a special coverage to the activities related to the theme Culture and Development, supporting the actions implemented by the Organisation's efforts to include culture in the Sustainable Development Goals to be adopted in 2015. This year, more than 8,000 updates were introduced in the Portal, increasing considerably its database including over 149,000 entries. The Portal also offers a permanent coverage of UNESCO Culture activities in the region, especially those related to the implementation of the Conventions. Likewise, it continues disseminating the Latin American and Caribbean cultural agenda in order to facilitate the promotion of best practices and to contribute to dialogue, the exchange and the better communication among Member States of Latin America and the Caribbean. Until this year, the Portal has published 10 issues of its Newsletter, a digital thematic publication which is distributed to more than 2,000 addressees, including governmental and non-governmental cultural institutions, personalities of Latin American and Caribbean Culture, National Commissions, UNESCO Offices all over the world, specialists at UNESCO Headquarters, as well as subscribers that have requested to receive the Newsletter. ... BACK

In June 2013 issue No 9 of Culture and Development was published, a periodic magazine edited by the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2000. This edition presents UNESCO's strategy for the inclusion of Culture in the post-development 2015 agenda. It opens with a message from the Director-General of the Organisation and includes an editorial by the Director of UNESCO Havana, as well as the articles by Francesco Bandarin, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture; Marta Suplicy, Minister of Culture of Brazil; Abelardo Moreno, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba and National Coordinator of CELAC; and Myrna Cunningham, former President and current member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, among other interesting materials. ... BACK

In 2013, the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean has developed numerous actions in the region to promote the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005). One of them was the very original audiovisual CULTRIP, a result of the collaboration between the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños (EiCTV) and UNESCO Havana, which was premiered in June in Havana. CULTRIP is a 5-minute short film of fiction where the four leading characters of a videogame provide key elements to understand and delve into the concepts and definitions of the 2005 Convention. It also shows the importance of promoting creative industries and culture for human development. The video constitutes a new and effective promotional product that forms part of the international campaign headed by UNESCO to include culture in the revision of the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. ... BACK

As part of its functions, the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean has continued developing a cooperative relationship with the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America (CRESPIAL) and the Regional Centre for the Promotion of the Book in Latin America and the Caribbean (CERLALC). The Office also represents UNESCO within the Management Board of each organisation, both of which are UNESCO Category 2 Centres. UNESCO Havana specialists participated in the 49th and 50th Ordinary Meetings of the Management Board and the 27th Meeting of the of CERLALC Council (Bogotá, Colombia, 6-7 November 2013), as well as in the 8th Meeting of the CRESPIAL Management Board (CAD) (Cusco, Peru, 7-8 November) ... BACK

Latin American and Caribbean countries have expressed their concern to UNESCO regarding the illicit trafficking of cultural property in the region. At the initiative of Irina Bokova, Director-General of the Organisation, measures were adopted to build capacities, prevent and fight against this type of crime. This edition, just published, includes contributions by experts from UNESCO, UNIDROIT, INTERPOL, ICOM and the Andean Community, and presents experiences and mechanisms used to stop and fight against illicit trafficking in Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica and St. Maarten, among other countries. This issue also presents the conclusions of the UNESCO regional workshops held in Saint Lucia, Lima, Buenos Aires and Asunción to promote an effective application of the 1970 Convention and other relevant instruments against illicit trafficking as well as the restitution of stolen cultural heritage property. This publication will be distributed soon.
Culture and Development No. 10 ... BACK

The Project "Heritage Recovery and Cultural Development in Havana: Segundo Cabo Palace", a multilateral cooperation initiative of the European Union and UNESCO, implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean and carried out directly by the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHCH), began in 2013 its fourth year of implementation. During this year several activities were developed, such as the Monitoring Exercise held in the framework of the policy of the regular monitoring of projects financed by the European Union (EU). In March, as part of the project's systematic monitoring, the Director of UNESCO Office in Havana began a new cycle of monthly visits to the works being carried out in this future cultural centre. The third Meeting of the Managing Committee of the project took place in April. In October 2012 the extension of the project was authorized until June 2014. ... BACK

In November 2013, the Director of UNESCO Havana offered technical assistance to the Dominican Republic in the preparation of the ICOMOS monitoring mission in that country in 2014. As part of the activities developed in the framework of the Caribbean Capacity Building Programme for World Cultural and Natural Heritage in the Caribbean (CCBP), a project implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2007, important events were held in 2013, among them: the Caribbean Training Course in the Preparation of Nomination Dossiers, held in March in St. Mary's, Antigua & Barbuda, which concluded with an action plan aimed at strengthening professional capacities in the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) for the preparation of nomination dossiers; the Training Course "Management of Caribbean cultural resources in a natural environment: Sites of Memory and participation of local communities", also held in March in Bridgetown, Barbados, which enabled 5 cases studies, currently on the tentative list and in progress as nomination dossiers, to be discussed by the participants; the Training Workshops "Cooperation on Climate Change among Reserves of Biosphere and Natural Heritage Sites", based on the CCBP module 6, which took place in November in the Cuban cities of Soroa and Guantánamo; and the 2nd Caribbean Workshop on Disaster Risks Management on World Heritage held in Havana in May and based on CCBP module 3 "Risk Preparedness" ... BACK

The UNESCO Regional Office in Havana was invited to make a special presentation on the section International Experiences: Policies and strategies for the recovery of goods of public use and the protection of cultural heritage at the 1st International Seminar on Policies and Strategies for the Recovery of Goods of Public Use and Cultural Heritage, held in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, in October. Likewise, UNESCO Havana sponsored the 12th International Art Deco Congress, held in Havana in March, and participated in the ceremony of presentation of the Cuban National Conservation and Restoration Awards, on the occasion of the International Day for Monuments and Sites. ... BACK

In 2013, the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean continued to organise and support activities to promote the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001) and to encourage its ratification by the Member States in the region which have not done so until now. The Director of UNESCO Havana and the specialist in charge of the theme in the Culture team of the Regional Office participated in the Ministerial Meeting for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage in the Region, held in Lima, Peru, last October. The Regional Office for Culture also participated in the international meeting UNESCO Conventions: A vision articulated from Ibero-America organised in Mexico in October, where the specialist made a special presentation: "Progress, capacity-building and archaeological research for the implementation of the 2001 Convention". In Cuba, the activities began in April, with the exhibition "The Navigator frigate and its British shipment: history and archaeology" and the lecture "The evolution of underwater archaeology in Latin America and the Caribbean in the framework of the 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage", organised in the framework of the above mentioned exhibition. In June, the 7th International Course on Scientific Diving - CMAS - of the World Underwater Federation Zone America was held in Havana under the auspices of UNESCO Regional Office. In July, the exhibition "Dive into History", which has been inaugurated in October 2012 in Havana in presence of Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, was opened in Santiago de Cuba. The artefacts rescued from the Navigator frigate were exhibited on a second occasion in September, this time at the site where its remains are treasured. In December, the Regional Office participated in a Course on Underwater Archaeology, organised by the Office of Archaeology at the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana. ... BACK

The activities of the project Strengthening national capacities for effective safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Haiti were successfully developed during 2013. The project was launched in October 2012, thanks to the generous contribution of the Kingdom of Norway. In January, a preparatory mission to obtain the prior and informed consent of the community was held at the Cuban municipality of Majagua. An expert mission travelled to Haiti in February to conduct an initial needs assessment and plan the capacity-building programme. At the end of February, a Field Exercise on Community-Based Inventorying took place in Cuba. In March, the city of Santo Domingo hosted a Workshop on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention in the Dominican Republic. In Haiti two Workshops on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention were organised, one in Les Cayes, South department, and the second in Cape Haitian, North department, both in May. This year's activities concluded in Havana with the Workshop on preparing nominations and requesting international assistance for intangible cultural heritage, with the participation of representatives from the three beneficiary countries of the project. UNESCO Havana participated in a Review meeting on UNESCO's capacity-building strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean, organised by the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America (CRESPIAL) and held in Cusco, Peru, in September. Likewise, the Regional Office took part in the Workshop on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, held in Aruba in April. ... BACK

In this context, the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean participated in the International Colloquium "Voices and Roots of Identity: Ten Years of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: advances and perspectives", organised by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in Mexico City, 11-13 November. In addition, one of UNESCO Havana's specialists made a special presentation on the 2003 Convention in the framework of the 4th Convention of the Federation of Culinary Associations of Cuba, held on 17-18 October. ... BACK

As every year, UNESCO Regional Office participates in several activities in the framework of the 35th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, an event with which the Office has historically collaborated. UNESCO Havana was also present in the 5th ordinary session of the General Assembly of the Federation of Latin American Image and Sound Schools (FEISAL), as well as in workshops and talks on the 2005 Convention, creative industries and the role of culture in sustainable development policies. It has also collaborated with several Cuban projects such as Proelectronica 2013 Festival, which presents the best electronic music being made in Cuba; the Sara Gómez Mediatheque of Cuban Women Filmmakers (MMRC), an organisation targeting the preservation, dissemination and creation of the audiovisual legacy of women filmmakers in Cuba and its diaspora; the Capacity-building workshop on artistic management and production of stage projects in Cuba; and the project Circuito Líquido (Liquid Circuit), which conducts a wide-ranging capacity-building programme for young people in cultural management and creative industries. World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (21 May) and the International Jazz Day (30 April) were celebrated in Cuba under the auspices of UNESCO Havana. ... BACK

UNESCO Havana organised a group of activities in 2013 in the framework of The Cameras of Diversity project, one of the most important and strategic instruments for the promotion and the implementation of the 2005 Convention. One of the most significant activities, dedicated to the International Day of Peace, was the Conference Cameras of Diversity for a Culture of Peace: Thematic Debates on Developing the Caribbean Film Industry, held in September in Trinidad & Tobago as part of the 8th edition of the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival (TTFF). The Trinidad and Tobago Declaration, adopted by the Conference, ratifies the value of culture as a driving force for sustainable development and delves through seven sections into the areas of necessary intervention in order to develop a culture of peace in the region by strengthening film industries in general. The project "Cameras of Diversity in the Caribbean", presented December 13 in Havana, is the materialization of the requests gathered in this Declaration. ... BACK

The 3rd Meeting of Filmmakers from Africa, Brazil, the Caribbean and Diasporas (ABCD) was an event of special significance, held in the framework of the 23rd Panafrican Film and Television Festival (FESPACO), held in Ouagadougou, capital of Burkina Faso, 23 February-2 March, 2013. The Meeting, organised in the context of the Cameras of Diversity ABCD project, aimed at strengthening the film industry's contribution to sustainable local development in Africa, Brazil and the Caribbean, taking into consideration the experience previously gained by the Travelling Caribbean Film Showcase. ... BACK

UNESCO Office in Havana supports the initiative of the Muestra Joven (Youth Showcase) of the Cuban Institute on Cinematographic Arts and Industry (ICAIC), held each year in Cuba, since it is an excellent example of a practical way to implement the 2005 Convention. One of the Cameras of Diversity awards is conferred in the framework of this Showcase. ... BACK

In June 2013 this Programme concluded successfully, in which UNESCO and FAO joined efforts, under the leadership of the UNDP, together with many national counterparts, since October 2009. The project benefited artisans from the Cuban municipalities of La Palma (Pinar del Río province), Martí (Matanzas province), Yaguajay (Sancti Spíritus province), Río Cauto (Granma province) and El Salvador (Guantanamo province). One of the main activities of the project was the capacity-building programme "For a Better Product", implemented in Cuba since April 2011 through 8 workshops. In the Closing Workshop on MDG-F Joint Programmes in Cuba, the director of UINESCO Regional Office for Culture presented the Handbook Plants Used for Arts and Crafts in Cuba, one of the Programmes' products and a useful tool that will facilitate the continuity of the capacity-building actions of the artisans, contributing, at the same time, to the sustainability of the Programme. ... BACK

The UNESCO Office in Havana supported a research on the potential of culture for economic development in the town of Gibara, a community located north of Holguín, a Cuban eastern province. Likewise, the Office, in collaboration with the International Film and Television School of San Antonio de los Baños (EiCTV), contributed to the production of a promotional audiovisual that shows the potential of Gibara for local economic development. ... BACK

The UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean sponsored the theoretical event "Arts & Crafts today: challenges, opportunities and perspective", held in Havana, 10-13 December in the framework of the 17th International Arts & Crafts Fair FIART 2013. UNESCO Havana also participated in the III Colloquium "Pensar la Artesanía en Cuba" (Thinking the Arts & Crafts in Cuba), held in November in Havana. In this context, UNESCO Havana’s permanent support to the artisan's work in Cuba was recognized. Also highlighted was UNESCO Havana's collaboration in renewing the debates on the preparation of a classifier for present-day Cuban arts & crafts, as well as the publication by the Office of the Handbook Plants Used for Arts and Crafts in Cuba in 2013. ... BACK

The II Community Workshop on Management of the Santo Ángel Neighborhood was attended by specialists from the UNESCO Office in Havana. The event was held in that Old Havana neighborhood in October, with the participation of numerous direct beneficiaries and local actors. Its main objective was to encourage dialogue and a closer linkage among residents, local entrepreneurs, state enterprises and political and mass organisations in order to achieve inclusive local development. ... BACK

The UNESCO Office in Havana, as part of the Inter-Agencies Gender Group of the UN system in Cuba, participated in the celebration in that country of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, with a comprehensive and varied programme of activities in line with the UN Secretary-General's campaign: 'UNiTE to put an end to violence against women' and with 'I Say No', its expression in Cuba. The UNESCO Regional Office also participated in the panel "Gender-based violence against women and girls in the media", organised by the Office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations system in Cuba, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and UNESCO as part of the Radio and Television Festival Cuba 2013. UNESCO Havana also organised a group of activities to celebrate International Women's Day, in the framework of UNiTE Campaign aimed at generating a greater reflection on the topic of Gender. The programme began with an internal workshop to raise awareness amongst all the staff in relation to ideas and concepts related to gender equality. The programme continued with a Workshop on the topic of gender for students from the 6th and 9th grades at the Escuela Internacional de La Habana (Havana International School). The activities concluded with a screening and debate in the National Museum of Fine Arts in Havana. ... BACK

PARA MESTIZAR is an original initiative, materialised by young and talented artists Eme Alfonso and Joseph Ros, who proposed to show Cuba's cultural diversity through a music video that promotes equality, diversity, intercultural dialogue and social cohesion against discrimination and exclusion. The audiovisual also shows how this diversity can contribute to the country's economic development. The project was implemented with the support of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean and the cooperation of some Cuban cultural institutions and the Spanish, Norwegian, British and French embassies in Cuba. ... BACK

The celebration in Cuba of the Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was organised by the Cuban Committee of the UNESCO project The Slave Route "Resistance, Liberty and Heritage". The Portal of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean disseminated information on the activities, as well as on the comprehensive programme prepared by the Cuban Committee to commemorate in 2014 the 20 years that this UNESCO project has been in existence, and its own creation. UNESCO Havana also publicised through the Portal the activities organised in 2013 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 'Fernando Ortiz' African Cultural Centre in Santiago de Cuba. The Office has also disseminated and participated in activities organised by the Caribbean Association of Cuba, such as the international scientific event "Latin America and the Caribbean united by our roots", held in October. ... BACK

The workshop "UNESCO and Heritage: what, how, when, where, and why communicate it?" took place as part of the 3rd International Diploma Course "Media to communicate heritage", a capacity-building activity organised in May by the Office of the Historian of Havana, the Jose Marti International Institute of Journalism and UNESCO Havana. In the workshop, the Director and Culture team specialists from the Office made presentations on the conventions of the Organisation relative to the conservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in its various expressions, as well as on the protection and promotion of cultural diversity. ... BACK