Organization of American States Summits of the Americas
     
Follow-up and Implementation: Mandates
 

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CULTURAL DIVERSITY
MANDATES

  1. Recognize, respect, and protect the rights of all, in accordance with those international treaties to which each state is party and in accordance with its domestic legislation, with a particular emphasis on:

    • a. Indigenous and tribal peoples and their inherent rights, cultures, and traditions, as affirmed in treaties and other agreements or arrangements with States and, consistent with domestic legislation and international law, through their own representative institutions, and in accordance with their own procedures;

    • e. Persons of African descent, taking into account their inherent human rights, history, cultures, and traditions, and taking into account, where applicable, and according to domestic law, public policy arrangements for their empowerment, inclusion, participation, and representation. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

  1. Support free and fair elections with full respect for state sovereignty, through the following measures, in accordance with domestic law:

    • e. Promote and encourage throughout the Hemisphere conditions such that candidates and elected officials better reflect the diverse composition of society without discrimination. (Inter-American Action Plan on Democratic Governance, IX Summit of the Americas, Los Angeles, 2022).

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  1. Recognizing the positive contributions of indigenous peoples and their traditional values and principles, and the contributions of Afrodescendent communities to improving the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of public administration and raising awareness in favor of the fight against corruption. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).

  1. Including different vulnerable groups in defining measures to strengthen governance and combat corruption, recognizing the serious impact it has on these populations. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).

  1. Taking note of the recommendations of the Civil Society and Social Actors Forum, the Youth Forum of the Americas, the Forum of Indigenous Peoples, the ParlAmericas Open Parliament Network, and the Americas Business Dialogue. (Lima Commitment. Peru, 2018).

  1. To strengthen cultural ties in the Americas and promote cooperation for the conservation and protection of the region's tangible and intangible cultural heritage, while acknowledging the importance of culture and creative and cultural industries in socio-economic development, social inclusion, the diversification of economies, and job creation. (Citizen Participation, Initiatives VII Summit of the Americas, Panama City, 2015).

  1. Culture has a central role in the overall development of our countries, in the fight against poverty and in our efforts to improve the quality of life of all our peoples. We acknowledge the positive contribution of culture in building social cohesion and in creating stronger, more inclusive communities, and we will continue to promote inter-cultural dialogue and respect for cultural diversity in order to encourage mutual understanding, which helps reduce conflict, discrimination and the barriers to economic opportunity and social participation. We also commit to increase our efforts to promote and support cultural and creative industries and activities as part of our national policies for the promotion of sustainable economic growth, job creation and income generation, especially for young adults. We further commit to facilitating the sharing of knowledge and practices on protecting and promoting cultural heritage and to educating communities on how best to protect their heritage sites and manage them in a sustainable manner (Declaration of Port of Spain, 2009).

  1. We recognize the important link between development and culture and we agree that support for culture in its many dimensions contributes to, among other things, the preservation and protection of national heritage, the enhancement of the dignity and identity of our people, the creation of decent jobs, and the overcoming of poverty (Declaration of Mar del Plata, 2005).

  1. We reaffirm that the diversity of cultures that characterizes our Hemisphere greatly enriches our societies, and that the cultural development and social cohesion of our countries is enhanced through respect and appreciation for our cultural diversity (Declaration of Nuevo León, 2004).

  1. We consider the cultural diversity that characterizes our region to be a source of great richness for our societies. Respect for and value of our diversity must be a cohesive factor that strengthens the social fabric and the development of our nations (Declaration of Québec, 2001).

  1. Encourage media self-regulation efforts, including norms of ethical conduct, to address the concerns of civil society with regard to, inter alia, reducing the dissemination of extreme violence and negative stereotypes of women and ethnic, social and other groups, contributing in this way to the promotion of changes in attitudes and cultural patterns through the projection of pluralistic, balanced and non-discriminatory images; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Recognizing that respect for and value of cultural diversity contribute to social and economic dynamism, and are positive factors in the promotion of good governance, social cohesion, human development, human rights and peaceful co existence in the Hemisphere, and that the effects of globalization offer great possibilities for the promotion of cultural diversity, but also raise concerns about the ability of some communities to express certain aspects of their cultural identity; further recognizing the unique role of cultural property in the strengthening of geographic, social, historic and anthropological bonds within societies; acknowledging the need to strengthen strategies to prevent the illicit trafficking in cultural property which is detrimental to the preservation of the collective memory and cultural heritage of societies and threatens the cultural diversity of the Hemisphere; and bearing in mind that the General Assembly of the UN declared the year 2001 as the Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Enhance partnerships and exchanges of information, including through the use of information and communications technologies, by holding a series of seminars among experts, government officials and representatives of civil society on the importance of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Hemisphere to promote a better acceptance, understanding, appreciation and respect among the peoples of the region;(Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Encourage the convocation of a meeting at the ministerial or highest appropriate level, with the support of the CIDI, to discuss cultural diversity with a view to deepening hemispheric cooperation on this issue;(Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Create an environment to foster awareness and understanding of cultural and linguistic diversity of countries in the Americas, through a variety of means, including the use of new communications technologies as well as the Internet; support, by means of broad collaboration, new media projects which promote inter cultural dialogue through the production and distribution of cultural products created for television, film, the recording industry, the publishing industry and the electronic media; enrich the diversity of cultural content of these industries, inter alia through the preservation and restoration of cultural property and through the return of illegally acquired cultural property in accordance with our international obligations;(Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Commit to active cooperation among diverse institutions, at both the national and international levels, to eradicate the illicit traffic in cultural property further to the 1970 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property; also, promote joint action with civil society organizations to implement and support policies, plans and programs that will strengthen and promote research, recovery, study, conservation, maintenance, restoration, access to and appreciation of cultural heritage and cultural property through proper care, preservation and use; (Plan of Action Québec, 2001).

  1. Hemispheric integration is a necessary complement to national policies aimed at overcoming lingering problems and obtaining a higher level of development. In its broadest sense, a process of integration based on respect for cultural identities will make it possible to shape a common, interwoven set of values and interests that helps us in these objectives. (Declaration Santiago, 1998).

  • 4.1 Cultural development is a fundamental and integral component of development in the Americas and has an inherent capability to enrich our societies and to generate greater understanding among our countries (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).

  • 4.2 Encourage more dynamic relations among public and private institutions and organizations, including universities, museums, and centers of art and literature, as well as among individual cultural actors. Such exchanges emphasize our cultural diversity, recognize the value of our local cultures and contribute to improving hemispheric understanding (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).

  • 4.3 Request that the OAS and IDB reinforce their plans and programs to facilitate these cultural exchanges and the flow of cultural and historical information within and among our nations (Plan of Action Miami, 1994).

 

 

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