It is a distinct pleasure for me to welcome all of you to the VI Inter-American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities, here in Port-au-Prince.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Government of the Republic of Haiti for this extraordinary effort in hosting this important meeting.

Mr. President, we recognize the important achievements made by your Government in terms of democracy, economic growth and security. I note also the significant role and work of the legislative authorities in furthering the culture of democracy. These are important strides.

Ladies and Gentlemen, as many of you know, I consider Haiti a second home. I have visited Haiti more than any other country in this hemisphere and lately even more than the land of my own birth, Suriname.

One of the the principle reasons I come here, is for the exquisite food or more specifically, the picclies. Mr President, I have successfully added picclies to everything that I consume. Ladies and gentlemen, if you don't know what I'm talking about, ask for picclies when you get to the restaurant.

Ministers, colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, I believe that culture is the soul and conscience of our nations.

It is a reflection of our life and our history. It is the fabric of our identity, weaving together our peoples, regardless of economic or social divisions.

Today, as we meet in Haiti, wars and battles are being fought in other parts of the world. They are fueled by hatred and intolerance for different beliefs. Thousands of lives have been lost over the past few weeks alone, because of fundamental differences in ideology and religion.

At some point, I believe, in some parts of the world, our brothers and sisters became more focused on the issues that divided them, rather than the ties that bind and united them.

Humanity and our civilizations can and must do better. We must continue to promote a culture of tolerance.

Ladies and gentlemen, It for this reason that I don't see meetings like todays, as simply a good opportunity to travel to beautiful Haiti. Rather, I see it as a crucial opportunity to grow in our knowledge, understanding and appreciation for each other.

In my view, knowledge and awareness, lead to understanding and appreciation, and with that, comes respect for, and acceptance of each other.

Understanding does not always lead to agreement, but even in disagreement, there can and should be respect. This is how we promote and advance a more united and peaceful climate in the Americas.

And culture, ladies and gentlemen, isn't just about brotherhood. In practical terms, it also has implications for good business. If developed properly, it has the potential to drive economic growth, and fight poverty among vulnerable groups. It has the capacity to promote social inclusion and equality, and fight social injustice. Cultural entrepreneurship has the potential to transform communities, villages, and whole countries. Without a doubt, there is a tangible link between culture and tourism, and culture and education.

It is my hope that this meeting ensures that we remain aware of the unique gift of our culture and use it as our inspiration to achieve more for our people in an inclusive manner. This will require from Governments to design and implement balanced polices to on the one hand promote cultural and creative industries, and on the other hand to protect cultural assets and identity.

I applaud the theme for this years Meeting: “Cultural Interdependence in the Context of Globalization." The OAS attaches great importance to the issue of culture. It features in several areas of our work through the promotion of creative industries, links with improving competitiveness in SMEs, innovation, and trade, and tourism.

We have recognized that the production of cultural goods and services represents a significant and growing share in the economies of the member states of the OAS.

A study jointly undertaken by the OAS, the IDB and the British Council prepared by Oxford Economics on the Economic Impact of the Creative Industries in the Americas reiterates that the creative sector is an important provider of employment in some of our countries: providing between 5 and 11% of jobs in Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago. The sector also has a higher percentage of youth employment than the rest of the economy. These are very encouraging figures.

Now, we recognize that data gathering and systems to measure the contribution of the culture sector in the economy is uneven across our countries. In this context the OAS has helped member states in strengthening their cultural information systems and training to improve their capacity to develop cultural satellite accounts, through technical horizontal cooperation missions. More of this is needed so that we can fully capture the economic impact of this important sector.

I trust that delegations will have an opportunity to discuss this issue during the next two days as it is vastly important that we be able to improve how we measure and quantify the contribution of the culture and creative sector to better inform policy.

I also want to thank H.E. Michel Martelly and Minister Monique Rocourt for their commitment to this issue. The culture of Haiti, it's music, it's art, it's dance, it's food, has inspired many, including me. Next year when Haiti will be the center of the Americas hosting the important 45th Regular General Assembly of the Organization of American States for the second time, the whole Hemisphere will have an opportunity to have an encounter with Haiti, its people and it's diverse and exciting culture.

Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, Haiti has made great progress over the past years. And I hope that this process of positive development will continue in unity and that all involved in this undertaking will see the benefit of contributing to this process of democratic consolidation. In this regard, I want to reiterate the support of the Organization of American States for the electoral process and the holding of the overdue elections under Haitian authority and leadership. I hope that all involved stakeholders, especially those who are not in agreement at the moment, will put aside differences to ensure continued stability and progress.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you for your attention and I wish you good luck in your discussions and deliberations over the next few days.