Cuba invites to discuss culture and sustainable development

Havana, Apr 3 (RHC) Cuban Deputy Minister of Culture Kenelma Carvajal invited in Paris today the Group of 77 plus China to a forum in Havana to address the contribution of culture to sustainable development and social inclusion.

During a meeting of the UNESCO Chapter of the bloc of 134 member states, she presented details of the organization, objectives and expectations of the Meeting of Ministers of Culture of the G-77 plus China, which will be held on May 4 at the Cuban Palace of Conventions in the context of the First Congress of Cultural Heritage.

According to the senior official, the event framed in the pro tempore presidency of the Group, which Cuba is holding this year, seeks the promotion of South-South cooperation to strengthen culture as a public good, discuss its social and economic dimension, and enhance its contribution to sustainable development and inclusion.

Carvajal announced that the meeting of ministers on May 4 in Havana will have two plenary thematic sessions, with a combination of face-to-face and online formats.

The heads of delegation will be able to choose the topic on which they wish to intervene, in the broad agenda of a forum which serves as a space for collective construction and dialogue.

The Cuban vice minister highlighted the weight of the G-77 plus China in the field of multilateralism, bringing together 134 of the 193 UN member states and representing 80 percent of the world population.

Regarding the expectations of the bloc's Meeting of Ministers of Culture, she mentioned the agreement in a final declaration, focused on the value of culture as a global public good and its social and economic dimension with a view to sustainable development and inclusion.

For her part, the Cuban ambassador to UNESCO, Yahima Esquivel, stated that the invitation to the Havana forum has already been sent to the delegations and that a draft final declaration will soon be circulated, for the sake of the contribution of the members of the G-77 plus China to text.

Carvajal and Esquivel insisted on the opportunity that the meeting represents to consolidate common positions from a space committed to the defense of multilateralism, solidarity and peace in response to the prevailing challenges. (Source: Prensa Latina)