Culture ministers and high-ranking officials from the member countries of the Group of 77 + China assembled in Havana, Cuba for a series of multilateral meetings aimed at promoting south-south cooperation for sustainable development and the promotion of culture as a public good.
The meetings began on 4th May and ended today 5th May 2023, under the theme Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development.
Culture Ministers, who attended the plenary session on the 5th May at the Havana International Conference Centre, supported the proposal to place culture on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to promote culture as a public good.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ Minister of Culture, Hon. Carlos James described the event as “an important opportunity for a global reset of the cultural agenda, highlighting the causes of Member States, such as the cultural preservation of indigenous peoples, while amplifying the positive strides made by countries representing the South.”
According to Minister James, the meeting provided a platform for leaders to develop stronger policy frameworks for the promotion of culture and the creative industries and its link with multilateralism.
The Havana event coincided with the Group of 77+China Meeting of the Ministers of Tourism, for which Cuba holds the pro tempore presidency, and Cuba’s International Tourism Fair (FITCuba) 2023, which saw participation from leading hotel chains, airline executives, business executives and suppliers.
Minister James will depart Havana, Cuba for San Jose, Costa Rica on Friday, May 5th for a Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Change between the Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and the European Union (EU) as part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ pro-tempore Presidency of CELAC.
The meeting will highlight the key points of convergence around regional priorities and interregional cooperation, which will be used as input for the European Union – Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Summit (EU-CELAC) on July 17 and 18 in Brussels.