Portal de la Cultura - América Latina y el Caribe

On 20 October 2005, the 33rd. UNESCO General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, to complement the normative action of conventions in favor of cultural diversity.

The result of a comprehensive and complex process and of two years of intense negotiations and countless meetings between government and independent experts, the text became an international legal instrument and, together with the 1972 Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, is one of the three pillars for the conservation and promotion of the diversity of creativity. All together, these instruments reinforce the core of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (2001), namely that cultural diversity should be considered "common heritage of humanity" and that its "defense is an ethic imperative that cannot be separated from the respect and the dignity of persons."

The main objectives of the 2005 Convention are to acknowledge the right of the States to draft cultural policies and to adopt measures in favor of the diversity of cultural expressions; to acknowledge the specific nature of cultural services and goods as they are the bearers of identity; and acknowledge the relationship between culture and development and the importance of international cooperation.

Several UNESCO normative instruments (conventions, declarations, or recommendations) favor cultural diversity either directly or indirectly. Among them, in particular:

Conventions and agreements

2005	Convention on the Protection and the Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

2003	Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

2001	Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage

1972	Convention on the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage

1971	Universal Copyright Convention Adopted in Geneve, on September 6th, 1952; revised at Paris on 24 July 1971, with Appendix Declaration relating to Article XVII and Resolution concerning Article XI, 1971

1970	Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property

1954	Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict

1950	Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials, with Annexes A to E and Protocol annexed 1950 (Agreement of Florence ) (OFFICIAL TEXTS IN ENGLISH AND FRENCH. NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION INTO SPANISH)

Recomendations

2003	RecomMendation on the Promotion and Use of Plurilinguism and Universal Access to Cyberspace

1989	Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore

1980	Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist

Declarations

2001	Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity

1978	Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice

1966	Declaration of Principles of International Cultural Co-operation

In multicultural societies such as those of Latin America and the Caribbean, it is indispensable to ensure a harmonious interaction and the will to live together and coexist between peoples and groups of cultural, plural, diverse and dynamic entities in the respect of human rights.

Therefore, the multiple actions implemented to achieve these purposes and to materialize the objectives of the Declaration, the Convention and all the normative instruments on this issue: