OTTAWA, February 12, 2007 - The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, and the Honourable Line Beauchamp, Quebec's Minister of Culture and Communications, today hosted in the fourth Canada-Quebec-Civil Society Roundtable on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, along with representatives of the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Diversity. Held in Ottawa, the meeting gave an opportunity for reviewing upcoming steps to ensure implementation of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
Ministers Oda and Beauchamp were pleased that last December the minimum threshold of ratifications was reached allowing the Convention to enter into force on March 18. They committed to working together with Coalition representatives in order to achieve a still larger number of ratifications and thus give greater legitimacy to the Convention around the world.
Ministers Oda and Beauchamp and Coalition members also agreed to work together to ensure the success of the first steps of implementing the Convention. They stressed the importance of the First Conference of Parties, to be held in spring 2007. In addition, they expressed their wish to see this meeting promptly confer on the Intergovernmental Committee its mandate so that without any delay it can begin the tasks related to implementing the Convention.
"Canada's New Government is delighted that the Convention will soon come into force," said Minister Oda. "We continue to work closely with the Government of Quebec and with Canada's arts and cultural community to vigorously promote this Convention. We are committed to playing an active role in implementing the Convention, and I am pleased to say that we will stand as a candidate for election to the Intergovernmental Committee and will propose to host this Committee's first meeting in Ottawa."
"With the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions coming into force, the Government of Quebec intends to carry on its efforts to encourage as many countries as possible to ratify the agreement; this will ensure that the Convention is recognized around the world," said Minister Beauchamp. "We must also expand discussions with all our partners on matters related to the implementation of the Convention - particularly on the topic of establishing the International Fund for Cultural Diversity, and the mechanisms that will be put in place to help in upholding and promoting the objectives and principles of this treaty on the international scene. Representatives of the different Quebec government departments concerned with the issue have received guidelines for this purpose."
"Meeting the ratification target required for the Convention to enter into force in a little over one year represents a striking achievement, and is the result of a textbook case of complementary work by government and civil society," said Robert Pilon, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Diversity. "But the job is by no means complete. We need to continue the ratification campaign into a Phase II push to secure ratification by 125 to 150 countries, to place the Convention on an equal footing with other major international agreements. And we need to make sure the momentum we've built thus far is channelled into the First Conference of Parties, which will begin the practical process of implementing the Convention."
The UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions received its 30th ratification on December 18, 2006. The clearing of this hurdle meant that the agreement would come into force on March 18, 2007. To date, 45 countries have ratified the Convention.
The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was adopted by UNESCO on October 20, 2005. In all, 148 countries voted in favour of adopting the Convention. This treaty recognizes the sovereign right of states and governments to adopt, maintain and implement cultural policies and take supporting measures that contribute to those policies. It also recognizes the dual nature of cultural goods and services as having both an economic and cultural value.
Information:
Véronique Bruneau
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
819 997-7788
Véronik Aubry
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Culture and Communications
418 380-2310
Donald Boulanger
Chief, Media Relations
Canadian Heritage
819 994-9101
