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Press Advisory

Ministers of Culture from the Americas to Meet at OAS

The Ministers and Highest Appropriate Authorities of Culture of the Americas will meet on November 9 and 10, 2011, at the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, DC, with the objective of establishing strategies to promote culture as a common denominator for integral development in the countries of the region. The meeting is being held in the framework of the celebrations of 2011 as the Inter-American Year of Culture and with the goal of issuing recommendations for the Sixth Summit of the Americas, to be held in April 2012 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

The Fifth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and Highest Appropriate Authorities of Culture will feature the participation of the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, as well as the following authorities who have confirmed their presence: Eleston Adams, Minister of Culture of Antigua and Barbuda; Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Americas) of Canada; Manuel Enrique Obregón López, Minister of Culture and Youth of Costa Rica; José Rafael Lantigua, Minister of Culture of the Dominican Republic; Winston Peters, Minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism of Trinidad and Tobago; Marcella Liburd, Minister of Health and Culture of St. Kitts and Nevis; Arley Gill, Senator and Minister of State of Grenada; Justina Charles, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Dominica; and María Claudia López Sorzano, Deputy Minister of Culture of Colombia.

The event will constitute a forum to address the progress and outcomes of 2011 as the Inter-American Year of Culture and the role culture plays in promoting prosperous communities and peaceful coexistence, as well as economic empowerment and social inclusion, and citizen participation for the strengthening of democracies. Furthermore, other topics of debate will be the achievements and challenges of the Inter-American Committee on Culture 2008-2011 and the outlines for 2013, as well as perspectives on the ministerial process and the Sixth Summit of the Americas.

The inaugural session is scheduled for Wednesday, November 9, at 9:00 EST (14:00 GMT), with the participation of Secretary General Insulza.

For more information on the Ministerial Meeting, click here.

The meeting’s draft agenda is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

WHAT: Fifth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and Highest Appropriate Authorities of Culture

WHEN: Wednesday and Thursday, November 9 and 10, 2011

WHERE: Rubén Darío Hall (Wednesday the 9th)
OAS General Services Building
1889 F St., NW
Washington, DC 20006

Rubén Darío Hall (Thursday the 10th)
OAS General Services Building
1889 F St., NW
Washington, DC 20006

Reference: AVI-246/11