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IX Forum of Ministers of Culture and Officials in Charge of Cultural Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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| Report of the Pro-Tempore Secretariat to the Forum |
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REPORT OF THE PRO-TEMPORE SECRETARIAT TO THE IX FORUM OF MINISTERS OF CULTURE AND OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE FOR CULTURAL POLICIES OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
When Colombia was handed over the Presidency of the Pro-Tempore Secretariat in Managua, Nicaragua, at the VIII Forum held in May, 1996, we recognized the performance of the previous Presidency in relation with the materialization of basic regulations. Based on the experiences of the seven previous Forums, such regulations could summarize the organizational and empiric norms under which the annual meetings and activities of the Pro Tempore Secretariat were being carried out.
However, while such progress was being recognized, there was concern about the specific results of eight Ministers meetings. Such concern was related to a series of proposals which were vanishing with time, due to the lack of operating capacity of a Pro-Tempore Secretariat that should have developed truly executive functions.
Being fully aware of the fact that these limitations represent a true pitfall for the acting plans of the Forum, Colombia undertook with interest the proposal made at the Ministerial Meeting of the Pro-Tempore Secretariat in Havana in November 1996, in the sense of looking for the operative support of an International Body with headquarters in the region so as to facilitate the activities of the Secretariat. This initiative, backed in that meeting by the Ministers, is the one that we are submitting to the plenary, with the conviction that the complexities of the tasks that are annually entrusted to the Secretariat require an administrative and logistic support which the countries that are members of the Forum have not been able to provide up to this moment.
Evidently, the mechanisms that are adopted should have an adequate structure that does not interfere with the sovereignty of the group of associated countries, but which is an effective tool to fulfill the mandates, and tasks that are part of the successive Plans of Action.
The need for the Forum to have a greater presence in the international community was also expressed in the mentioned meeting and it was therefore, agreed to elaborate a publication that allows to diffuse the conceptual proposals, achievements and projections that the Forum has had throughout its years of existence. Mexico will be in charge of this project. This publication will be presented at the X Meeting of the Forum of Ministers in Barbados.
Up till now the Forum has wanted to approach the study of a wide range of projects that seem urgent within the group of needs of the Culture of our countries: these are requirements, that are always based on the need to look for sources of financing and that should be supported and brought to life.
On the other hand, in this opportunity Colombia has wanted to introduce something new in the development of the activities of the Forum by preparing a preliminary discussion on Heritage, for which it convoked all the countries of the area since this is a subject of common interest. In this respect, the plenary of the Forum will have the conclusions of these previous meetings, as another topic in the Agenda.
In this way, we hope to enrich the debate of the meeting of Cartagena and set out the bases for a fruitful dialogue on a vital subject.
It should be stressed that Colombia has approached the International Bodies that have traditionally supported the Forum. This meeting was possible due to the support of UNESCO and OEA and through the presence of their delegates; we hope to create the conditions to keep them both in our common project.
Within this perspective, Colombia presents to the IX Forum the offer made by the Regional Center of the Book of Latin America and the Caribbean, CERLALC, with headquarters in Bogotá, to make its data bases and information on books, available to SICLAC, in order to take them to the countries that are part of the System. The SINIC of Colombia has committed to serve as a link between the countries interested in the services offered by CERLALC and this International Body.
This Pro-Tempore Secretariat also informs the plenary of the Forum that, in the fulfillment of the mandates of the VIII Forum, two meetings of the Pro-Tempore Secretariat were held: one in Bogotá, in accordance to the provisions of the regulations of 1996, and the other one of an extraordinary nature, at a ministerial level in Havana.
Parallel to the deliberations in Bogotá, the General Coordination of the Cultural Information System of Latin America and the Caribbean (SICLAC) had a meeting. Its conclusions are annexed and shall be presented in this plenary. Likewise, in April 1997 a Technical Workshop was held in Mexico. This workshop was set in Bogotá and it had the financial support of UNESCO.
Likewise, throughout this year different activities were carried out, which have enabled substantial progress in the Project of Cultural Integration through the language, mainly in the Cultural sector. The respective report on this will also be presented to the Forum and it is included as an annex to the present document.
In this sense, the Pro-Tempore Secretariat strongly recommends the strengthening of these guidelines.
Finally, the Pro-Tempore Secretariat recommends that, in order to fully comply with the objectives of this Forum, the formulation of an Action Plan is taken up again, as a result of the debates of this plenary and in accordance to the main purpose of advancing in the cultural integration of our region. |
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