Honorable Steven Blackett, Minister of Community Development and Culture of Barbados and Chair of this meeting,
Minister and Highest Authorities on Culture,
Chairman of the Inter-American Committee on Culture,
Distinguished Delegates,
Distinguished representatives from international and regional organizations,
Colleagues from the OAS,
Specially Invited Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,


On behalf of the Organization of American States, it gives me great pleasure to close the Fourth Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities and to congratulate you on your, from what I have been told, have been successful deliberations. This is for me personally a very important topic, as it goes to the very heart of creating and sustaining peaceful societies. At the outset I want to reaffirm the commitment of the OAS to this process and we look forward to the proposals to be put forward by member states in the established Councils and committees so as to support the OAS General Secretariat in allocating resources for implementation.

I am pleased to hear that these discussions on “The Economy of Culture in the Americas: A Path to Sustainable Growth and Social Inclusion,“ have been productive in advancing strategies for utilizing culture as a mechanism for greater prosperity, enhanced equity and a better quality of life for our citizens.

I want to take this opportunity to thank the government of Barbados for organizing this event so successfully and for welcoming us so warmly. Barbados, of course, is well known for its outstanding hospitality as well as its leadership in the region on a range of political, social and cultural issues. It is therefore particularly gratifying that this meeting was held here in Barbados, a country whose history embodies the rich diversity of the heritage of the Americas, through its African, Amerindian, British, Portuguese, and Spanish cultural roots. This meeting also has special significance for the sub-region and for us at the OAS since this is the first time that an OAS Ministerial meeting on culture has taken place in the English-speaking Caribbean.

Two years have elapsed since we last met in Montreal in November 2006, when Ministers of Culture defined priorities for inter-American cooperation in culture that still hold. Since then, the Inter-American Committee on Culture (CIC), and especially its Authorities have worked assiduously to ensure effective follow-up to those priorities. The leadership provided by Canada through Andre Frenette as Chair, and by Brazil, Guatemala (2005-2007), Colombia (elected in 2007 for a 2-year period), Jamaica, and the United States as co-chairs, has been instrumental for turning Ministerial mandates into concrete actions.

I believe that the importance of culture and related activities lie in two areas:

• the political function of facilitating peace in society among diverse groups, a strong focus on fostering important social values, good citizenship, social cohesion and inclusion; and

• the economic function of how diversity can be constructively utilized to enhance economies by creating culture industries, especially in regions with a high dependency on tourism.

Important events in the region and the world are changing the way we live and how we see ourselves and our futures. A severe financial crisis is currently impacting the world’s economies; a growing incidence of crime and violence has affected our region; many of our youth feel isolated partly because of deep social and economic disparities in our societies; technology is making our world smaller, broadening access and opportunity even as there remains a technological divide that significantly affects the ability to compete in a global market.

Currently, the region’s political and economic stability is being affected by uncertainty in financial markets, fears of recession, and unemployment, amidst many other existing challenges. We know from experience that the brunt of these impacts is likely to be suffered by the vulnerable economies that do not have the means, expertise and mechanisms to effectively respond to the new realities and within these communities especially the poor, those marginally employed, and the socially excluded will be affected.

I believe that as representatives of governmental and inter-governmental bodies we must do more to provide effective, break-the-mold solutions that can be translated into policies responsive to the realities of ever changing regional, hemispheric and global environments.

On numerous occasions, the Heads of State and Government and the Ministers of Culture and Highest Authorities have underscored the importance of arts and culture as catalysts for integral growth and inclusion. In this context, the topic of this meeting could not be more pertinent in addressing the role of culture and its contribution to the restoration of balance and sustainable growth in the region.

The creative industries offer an innovative, attractive and economically promising avenue for generating consumer demand, fostering employment opportunities, promoting exports of goods and services, and creating synergies with other sectors of the economy and development. Earlier speakers would have probably mentioned the UNCTAD report which notes that, “the creative industries account for 3.4 per cent of total world trade and an average annual growth rate of 8.7 per cent during 2000 – 2005.” If this growth rate continues in spite of the current crisis, given that it is higher than the average for other industries, an ever-bigger share of world income and employment will be generated by industries based on human creativity.

Indeed, the pivotal role of culture in community building, youth inclusion and social cohesion, as well as in job creation, recognizes government efforts in advancing and implementing more effective policies in this field, and deserves more recognition.

The creative economy offers concrete opportunities for acquiring skills, creating decent jobs and engaging youth that should be nurtured and promoted within the countries of the Americas. There are approximately 150 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 in the Americas, representing roughly 20% of the total population of the region. This group has an unemployment rate of 16%, three times the unemployment rate of adults . I believe that cultural entrepreneurship represents an important and growing area of opportunity for our youth. Culture can indeed be an engine for growth, development and economic opportunity.

With this in mind, this past June the Organization of American States celebrated its 38th General Assembly, where Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 34 OAS Member states adopted the Declaration of Medellin on the topic of Youth and Democratic Values. As part of the follow-up actions undertaken by the OAS on this topic, a Focal Point on Youth for the OAS has been designated and a strategy based on capacity building, dialogue with youth, technical assistance and partnerships is currently being developed.

While we as policy makers rightly focus on economic and social development, we should not forget the power of the arts and culture to enlighten, and to bring people and communities together. The concept of culture as defined in modern times is that it represents a set of shared values, traditions, expressions, and forms of communication and experiences which aim to unite and identify a people and a community. In this sense, culture is what makes us unique while bringing us together as a community, a region, and a hemisphere, contributing effectively to the so badly needed climate of peace, respect, understanding, tolerance and acceptance among people, among countries and between sub-regions in the Western Hemisphere. Culture and diversity should be considered an enrichment of our social environment and used in a constructive way to unite people, not to divide them !

As you yourselves have recognized in the Communique of this meeting, culture affects virtually every other area of national development. Appropriate cultural policies can provide a framework that favors economic growth through the creation of jobs and opportunities. And as you have emphasized, in the fight against poverty, cultural and creative industries offer a path to sustainable economic growth, especially for the smaller and more vulnerable economies of our region.

Likewise, cultural tourism, properly managed, can enhance not only incomes but also mutual understanding, environmental protection, and a sense of our shared heritage. For culture’s contribution is not only economic; engagement in culture can also encourage learning by fostering curiosity and creativity; nurturing a sense of identity and self-worth, promoting social inclusion and social cohesion; and fostering democratic values and civic engagement.

For these reasons, we need to redouble our efforts to foster and expand dialogue and collaboration, to make sure that culture is represented when development policies are being crafted, and to include culture and the arts in a systematic manner in educational curricula and capacity building programs. As you have noted, “stimulating creativity in our citizens from a young age is a strategy that not only fosters personal growth and social development, but may also contribute to finding new and innovative approaches to scientific, industrial, technological and social problems.”

This Ministerial meeting is predicated on a conviction that sharing policies and programs and designing joint activities can strengthen the ability of each member state to face its challenges. New-technology tools can help to deepen collaboration through ongoing communication among a network of policy makers and others who work in the field of culture.

Yet, to support the concrete mandates for inter-American cooperation on culture resulting from this Ministerial meeting, it is important to consider the mobilization and allocation of resources, as governments and others consider how to marshal the resources to finance and promote culture and the arts. I am well aware that, among you, there are some governments that have made culture a priority and found strategies and partnerships to make your commitments concrete. I commend you on your efforts and successful accomplishments.

I consider it of critical importance, as I mentioned in the earlier part of this presentation, that member states take the initiative and make the effort to insert the action program in the budget discussions in the Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Affairs, as the final budget is decided upon by the member states.

But at the same time other sources of funding should be identified for the implementation of the culture agenda. In this regard I believe that the Inter-American Development Bank and the sub-regional banks should be approached to create special financing portfolios. Another important partner in the financing of the culture agenda has to become the private sector, also in the context of the corporate social responsibility strategies.

The central theme of the Fifth Summit of the Americas, which will take place in Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009, invites us to focus our resources and efforts on critical issues that have an impact on human prosperity, energy security, and environmental sustainability. Because of the cross-cutting nature of culture, I am pleased that you are suggesting specific text to strengthen the presence of culture in the Draft Declaration of the V Summit. It is important that Summits not only set priorities for the hemisphere, but also are informed by the priorities and technical expertise of the sectoral authorities, as expressed in Ministerial meetings such as this one.

I also take this opportunity to recognize the work done by the Inter-American Committee on Culture (CIC), and especially by its Authorities. I would like to acknowledge the work and support provided by the OAS Department of Education and Culture, which serves as Technical Secretariat to the Culture Ministerial and the CIC, for the important role they play in coordinating these initiatives.

I want to thank the government and the people of Barbados once again for all that they have done to make us feel at home here, and I thank each of you for participating in this important event. When you leave Barbados tomorrow, I am sure that you will return to your countries eager to share the rich discussions held in Bridgetown with your colleagues and to enlist them in your efforts.

I believe that the General Secretariat in collaboration with CIC will need to make additional efforts to facilitate a broader attendance at the next meeting of Ministers. Many countries with an enormous diversity and cultural richness are not present at this meeting, which regrettable. Making visible the tangible impact of culture on development will result in greater attention at all levels of government and society and greater willingness to invest in this sector.

I thank you for your attention and wish you safe travel back home.