General Conference

Twentieth Session, Paris 1978 20 C

20 C/87
28 July 1978
Original: French

Item 12 of the provisional agenda

REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ON THE PROCEEDINGS

OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE ON CULTURAL
POLICIES IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

(Bogotá, Colombia, 10-20 January 1978)

SUMMARY

Convened by the Director-General in conformity with resolution

4. 131 adopted by the General Conference at its nineteenth session,
the Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies in Latin
America and the Caribbean was held at Bogotá from 10 to 20
January 1978. It considered the various items of its agenda
under the main headings of cultural identity, cultural development,
and cultural co-operation.

The final report of the Conference is available in English,

French and Spanish; copies may be obtained, on request, from
the Secretariai.

The following document summarizes the main features and

the results of the work of the Conference, and indicates to what
extent and by what means its recommendations might be put into
effect under the provisions of the Draft Programme and Budget
for 1979-1980 (20 C/5), the Medium-Term Plan (1977-1982)
(19 C/4) and the Draft Adjustments to the Medium-Term Plan
(20 C/4).
 20 C /8 7

1. The Intergovernmental Conference on Cultural Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean
was held at Bogoth (Colombia) from 10 to 20 January 1978. It was attended by 115 del-
egates, including 13 Ministers and Secretaries of State, from 24 Mernber States of the region
and one territory, as well as by 94 representatives and observers from nine Mernber States
outside the region, the Iloly See, three organizations of the United Nations system, eight inter­
governmental organizations, 31 non-governmental international organiza lions and two foun-
dations.

2. The Conference was the fourth in a series of regional ministerial meetings on cultural
policies convened by Unesco following the Intergovernmental Conference on the Insti-
tutional, Administrative and Fimmcial Aspects of Cultural Policies held at Venice in 1970 at
the international levei. The previous regional conferences were held at Helsinki in 1972 for
Europe, at Yogyakarta in 1973 for Asia and at Accra in 1975 for África. A similar conference
for the Arab States is scheduled for 1979. A new world conference will subsequently be con­
vened in 1981 or 1982, to mark the completion of the cycle of regional conferences.

3. The Conference was widely held to have been a great success, both from the point of view
of its functioning ánd the quality of its work and from that of the prospects offered by the
recommendations it adopted. For it revealed, over and above a wide diversity of approaches,
a remarkable convergence in attitudes to the basic problems under consideration. The Con­
ference not only afforded participants an opportunity for emphasizing its importance to the
States of the region, but marked a turning point for Unesco in cultural co-operation.

4. The Conference succeeded in giving practical expression to an ideal that is deeply embed-
ded in the consciousness of the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean, namely that
of cultural identity, regarded as a permanent source of inspiration for independence, sover-
eignty and nation-building, as an instrument of harmonious economic and social development
and as a prerequisite for the strengthening of regional and international co-operation based on
the right, of peoples to self-determination and on the recognition of the equal dignity of all cul-
tures.

5. Thus cultural pluralism was placed at the very heart of cultural identity, in a region where
one finds side by side, according to the area concerned, the old traditional Indian cultures.
Negro-African cultures of the slave-trade period and the cultures of the form er colonial powers,
interspersed with the specific cultures of migrant populations from Europe, Asia and the Middle
East. The permanent development of this "mosaic of cultures" is one of the most, character-
istic features of the region. The strengthening of Unesco's intercultural studies programme
represents a response to this reality.

6. As a next step, the Conference recognized that the cultural diversity of peoples should be
regarded as a stabilizing rather than a divisive factor, and that the establishment of a
dialogue among cultures, involving the active participation of communities in cultural life,
would promote national integration and unity while strengthening, at the international levei,
mutual understanding and co-operation.

7. In this spirit, the Conference affirmedthe determination of the States of the region to
ensure the preservation of the cultural heritage and the further development of cultural
values, which are the most manifest expressions of their identity, regarded not as a definitive
acquisition but as a dynamic reality underlying the Creative efforts of individuais and guaran-
teeing the authenticity of their experience. It is this determination which impeis peoples to
regain control over their own destiny, while strengthening their interest in the outside world.
For, since culture is linked to the history and spirit of the times, it finds its true fulfilment
only in the eminently human act of creation, undertaken in the widest possible freedom.

8. In essence, this is the idea expressed ih the preamble to the Declaration of Bogotá which
the Conference was to adopt unanimously at the end of its workj "culture, as the sum total
of the values and creations of a society and the expression of life itself, is essential to life and
not a simple means or subsidiary instrument of social activity".

9. This conception of culture as an essential element in the overall development of societies

conflrms the validity of the idea of cultural development as a determinlng factor in social
transformation and as the ultimate goal of progress. It also illustrates the need to strengthen
the cultural dimension of development, which has too long been confined to economic growth.
20 C /8 7 - pago 2

It is only through cbnsidoration of liuman factors and socio-cultural situations that collectivo
actíon on behalf of development can bc taken and the imbalances produced by change correctod;
such consideration can also stimulate awareness of tho fact that no lasting change can be
achicved without thc appropriatc cultural adjustments.

10. The Conference thus confirmed that thc Latin American countries are designated - on
account of their historical and cultural tradition - for the playing of an outstanding part in
thc search for endogenous processes of development, in which the legitimate concern for econ-
omic growth is in no vvay prejudicial to the values underlying any social project and implying a
recognition of the cultural rights of individuais and communities. This tendency to combine
the cultural, economic and social aspects was examined in depth by the Deputy Administrator,
Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, of the United Nations Development
Programme.

11. In this context, it seems obvious that cultural poilcy and development policy are indis-
tinguishable in the effects they exert upon one another, and that any cultural policy must
therefore be defined in its interplay with the policies pursued in other social sectors, such as
education, communication, Science and technology. This approach makes it possible to draw
up a coherent system of goals, objectives and means. In addition, it justifies the introduction
of cultural planning in the overall integrated development plan, which entails a rationalization
of budgetary choices and guarantees appropriate financial support for cultural development, in
that it takes its place among the major functions of the modern State. The importance accorded
by the Conference to the problems of cultural development financlng was illustrated by the
Chairman of the Administrative Council of the International Fund for the Promotion of Culture,
who explained the relevance to the plan of the prospects opened up for International co-operation,
on the one hand, and of the national commitment to endogenous development, on the other.

12. VVhile culture per se has its own needs, culture as a system of values permeates all social
spheres and must consequently inform the action of the public authorities in all fields. The
fact remains, however, that the notions of cultural development and cultural policy are of rela-
tively recent date and that it has been felt necessary to undertake or intensify methodical
research and to develop suitable tools for analysis and evaluation. The task is particularly
complex inasmuch as cultural phenomena cannot be reduced to their merely quantifiable aspects,
while the primary object of preparing rational tools is to identify the actual cultural needs and
aspirations of the popuiations concerned.

13. The Conference reaffirmed the close connection between culture and education; being linked
to the practice of social life, cultural action is an educational undertaking; contributing to
the civic and social training of men, education has an outstandingly cultural function. In con­
nection with the Declaration of Caraballeda, adopted by the Conference of Ministers of Education
and those Responsible for the Promotion of Science and Technology in Relation to Development
in Latin America and the Caribbean (Caraballeda, Venezuela 1971), the Conference expressed
awareness of "the importance of national cultures as reflecting the history and values of each
individual people" and also of the troubles which may result from educational Systems being ill-
adapted to socio-cultural realities and hence to the demands of general development.

14. The Conference therefore emphasized that any educational reform must integrate into the
education process the cultural values peculiar to each of the communities concexmed,
protect minorities against any risk of cultural alienation, make teachers the willing agents of
socio-cultural change and guarantee the right to culture.

15. Following the Caraballeda Conference, the Conference noted that the "idea is gaining ground
of education as a liberating force that helps to form an individual's criticai awareness and
to encourage his responsible participation in the cultural, social, political and economic
processes". The widest participation in the life of the nation is henceforth regarded as both a
prerequisite and an ultimate aim of genuine development, participation in cultural life being the
expression of this at the levei of the highest values. It follows that any cultural policy should
tend to promote active participation by the largest possible number, primarily young people, in
the cultural life of their communities, and to liberate the Creative faculties of individuais and
groups by encouraging endogenous cultural activities. In this connection, the Conference
recalled the vitality displayed by the folk cultures of the region.

16. In the light of the foregoing, the definition and implementation of cultural action call for the
various social groups concerned to meet, to co-ordinate and to work together through the
kind of relationships that will enable them to express themselves and communicate, thus con­
tributing to the advent of a living culture to which they could feel they belonged, Moreover, the
 20 C /8 7 - page 2

cultural pluralism characteristic of tlie countries of the region calls foi' a distribution of cultural
responsibillties and tlie decentralization of decision-making, initiative, activities and resources.
Furthermorc, tlie process of participation, which cannot be imposed, grows spontaneously out
of social interaction and the actions of community organizers who are nativo to tlie environmcnt.
Non-institutional and amateur activities thercforc merit special attention.

17. This brings out the truly fundamental importance of the role of communication and hence of
the mass media, the real mediators in modern societies, viewed realistically as the rnain
purveyors of culture; so much so that it has been claimed that the future of cultural develop-
ment will be dccided here. For they can both express and influcncc the cultural idcntily of
peoples and, while offering unprecedented opportunities for development, education, training,
cultural action and artistic creation, they can equally project models that seriously threaten the
life-style of peoples and the cultural values from which they stem. Moreover, the problem of
the freedom of information, creation, expression and communication arises in such an acute
form that the Conference was able to confirm that there can be no cultural policy without an
appropriate communication policy. In so doing, through its endorsement of the recommcn-
dations of the Intergovernmental Conference on Communication Policies in Latin America and
the Caribbean (San José, Costa Rica, 1976), tlie Conference showed that it fully understood the
meaning of Unesco's activities on behalf of communication as a source of freedom, authenticity
and universality.

18. A consensus emerged concerning the need to stimulate cultural and artistic creativity and
the appearanee of works embodying it - by the most varied means, both public and private -
since the continuous renewal of values is the source of all genuine cultural life. The Conference
emphasized the need to guarantee artists and intellectuals their Creative freedom, regarded as
a human right, and to associate them with the framing and implenientation of cultural policies.
Aware of the outstanding role of creaters in the history of the peoples of the region, it recog-
nized that, if the role of the authorities was to support Creative art without exerting any influ-
ence, they had a responsibility to promote all possible form s of aid for Creative arts, e. g. legal,
social, financial or fiscal aid, to see that Creative artists were integrated into society and to
give official sanction to the place due to them in the national community, thereby helping to
diminish the migration of artistic talent.

19. In addition, the Conference stressed the fact that Creative works derive their authenticity
from being rooted in the cultural values of peoples and that the participation of the popu-
lation at large in the Creative p rocess should be promoted, thus strengthening that populatiords
cultural identity. The basis of any larg e-scale action m ust reside in the promotion of arts and
aesthetic education - in particular for children and young people who are the future protagonists
in the cultural debate - as part of general and ou t-of-sch ool education, with the aim of setting
in motion a single process of creativity, expression and training in the context of lifelong edu­
cation. In this connection, special emphasis was laid on the contribution that the media can
make, as independent instruments for the creation and dissemination of works, to arts education
and to the promotion of cultural life.

20. Special attention was given to book promotion, including the production and distribution of
books and wider access to them, to the need to diversify activities undertaken for this
purpose so that the needs and aspirations of the region are fully satisfied, and to the free circu-
lation and the exchange of cultural goods and Services.

21. The Conference underlined the importance of providtng training for cultural development
personnel, the need for which corresponds to the number and variety of functions covered
by such different sectors as the preservation and presentation of the cultural heritage, Creative
art and the production or dissemination of culture, It also stressed the importance of pro-
fessional training for the cultural researchers, planners, economists and administrators needed
for the formulation and implementation of national cultural policies, as well as training for cul­
tural organizers, who act as intermediaries between Creative artists, their works and the gen­
eral public and who can encourage popular participation in cultural life. The scope of the
problem was illustrated by a study of the need for effective decentralization of structures and
resources, which makes these people the necessary link in any spread of cultural action at local
community levei,

22. So wide a consensus on such decisive problems as those which the Conference had to discuss
could only emerge from a sense of solidarity and unity clearly based on what was deeply
felt as a common history and heritage. Consequently, transcending the cultural specificity of
each people of the region and the diversity of situations and cominitments, the Conference was
able to demonstrate a deliberate will to seek ways of resolutely strengthening cultural co-
operation at the subregional, regional and world leveis.
20 C /8 7 - page 4

23. The intenso flebate on this centra] issue reflect.ed an awareness of the fact that cultural co-
operation is both a reulity and a recjuirement of the countries of Latin America and the
Caribbcan, whother from the standpoint of the common destiny of their peoples and their geo-
political and socio-econom ic interdependence or from that of their concern to vvork with one
another to make the best possible use of the human and material resources at their disposal.
The Conferonce also considered that, going beyond the regional corapass, the cultures of Latin
America and the Caribbean should remain open to externai contributions and responsive to the
major trends of the modern world, while at the same time developing their relations with
African, Arab, Asian and Furopean cultures. Moreover, the Creative fcrtility and vitaiity
made majiifest in the rich mosaie of their national cmd subrcgional variants demonstrate their
universal vocation and strengthen the presence of the region on the international scene.

24. Foi- Unesco, this approach represents a responsibility which it is ready to assume, in
close collaboration with national and regional institutions and non-governmental organiz-
ations, tlie quality of whose contribution to the attainment of the Organization1s objectives
became apparent during the Conference. In their desire to strengthen still further their soli-
darity and to render their relations even more fruitful, the Member States of Latin America
and the Caribbean have turned towards Unesco, which unites them all in an international con-
text, to request its assistance in setting up, at the regional levei, a system of co-operation
that would be as flexible as possible and would rely largely on existing co-operative bodies and
mnchinery.

25. It. is fitting at this stage to draw attention to the importance of the contribution made by
delegations from the Caribbean, who are attending a regional conference of the Organization
in such force for the first time. Their statements have clearly demonstrated an awareness of
the role that the affirmation of cultural identity plays in the building of new nations, eager to
shape their future freely and to take part in the strengthening of co-operation and peace through-
out the world,

26. In concluding this report, tlie Director-General would like to take the opportunity of stating
that Colombia, a country of age-long cultural traditions, has, through its intellectual and
material contribution to the organization and functioning of the Conference, gained an enduring
right to the gratitude of Unesco.

II

27. One of the major gains of the Conference consists in the continuity which emerged between
the ideas expressed and the provisions eventually decided upon, between the generosity of
ideas and the rigour of their implementation. The desire for immediate action and effective-
ness which inspired the work of the Conference finds practical expression in the 58 recommen-
dations that were adopted, whether addressed to Member States of the region themselves, to
Unesco or to other international organizations.

28. Analysis of these recommendations reveals their extremely rich content, calculated to
foster the reflection and guide the activity of Unesco and its Member States in Latin America
and the Caribbean as well as in other regions of the world, -in that it covers the vast field of
ideas, objectives and means related to cultural development and policies, particularly in the
following areas: cultural identity - cultural pluralism, cultural heritage and values, the cul­
tural dimension of development; cultural development - culture and education, participation in
cultural life and role of communication, artistic creativity and arts education, research, plan-
ning, financing and training of personnel for cultural development; cultural co-operation - sub-
regional, regional and international.

29. These recommendations fit in, to a varying extent, with the Medium-Term Plan (1977-1982)
(19 C /4) and the Draft Adjustments to the Medium-Term Plan (20 C/4). Generally speak-
ing, they correspond to the following objectives;

1. 1 Respect for human rights

1. 2 Appreciation and respect for cultural identity

3. 2 Study of socio-cultural conditions likely to foster endogenous, diversified development

processes

3. 5 Participution in cultural life

3. 6 Artistic and intellectual creativity

 20 C /8 7 - page 5

7. 6 Preservation and presentation of the cultural and natural heritage

9. 1 Free flow of information and of International exchanges

9, 3 The process and role of com muni cation

30. In the light of the emphasis placed by the Conference on the interplay between cultural poli­
cies and the policies followed in such fields as development, education and communication,
some of these recommendations correspond to other objectives, including the following:

3. 1 Formulation of a global interpretation of development

4. 1 Interactions between Science and society

4. 2 Science and technology policies

5. 1 Educational policies

5. 4 Educational content, methods and techniques

6. 3 Participation by women in development

6. 4 The role of young people in educational, social and cultural activity

9.4 Policies, infrastructures and training in the field of communication

10. 1 Information Systems and Services

10. 2 Analysis of statistical data and international comparability

31. This equivalence between the recommendations and the Organization's programme illus-
trates the principie, reaffirmed by the Conference, according to which, since man is
regarded as both the agent and the true purpose of development, cultural development is an
essential element in the overall development of society, Thus confirmation is given to the
validity of the idea of the cultural dimension of development - an idea to the clarification of
which Unesco takes pride in contributing, within the international community.

III

32. In addition to the activities already provided for in the Approved Programme and Budget for
1977-1978 (19 C /5) and implemented in 1978, the recommendations made by the Conference
are related, by and large, either to projects which involve activities proposed by the Director-
General to the General Conference in the Draft Programme and Budget for 1979-1980 (20 C/5)
or to projects which might be carried out within this framework, although to differing degrees,
subject to internai adjustments:

(a) Cultural identity; preservation of cultural values; recognition of cultural pluralism,

cultural minorities; modern languages; historical and contemporary situation of cul-
ture in its regional, national and local aspects; intercultural relations; processes of
cultural transculturation and penetration; cultural dimension of development and
endogenous development processes.

Recommendations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 14, 41, 42, 56, 58.

20 C/5, paragraphs: 3184, 3192, 3205-3209, 3222, 3237, 4011, 4027-4030, 4053,
4064, 4076, 4086-4096, 4111, 4119, 4123.

(b) Preservation and presentation of the cultural heritage; development of museums,

inventory of cultural property; documentation and information centres on the cultural
heritage; international instruments; protection of the town of Potosí; preservation
and reconstitution of national archives; return of works of art and archaeological and
archival objects to their countries of orígin.

Recommendations: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 35.

20 C/5, paragraphs: 4352, 4353, 4355-4359, 4371-4373, 4376, 4384, 4418, 4424,
4425, 4428, 5058, 5059, 5063, 5101.
20 C /8 7 - page 6

(c) Place and role of cultural development in overall development; forraulation of inte-
grated cultural development plans; definition of cultural policies; cultural develop­
ment financing; national funds; International Fund for the Promotion of Culture and
financing bodies; national research and documentation centres; cultural legislation;
research and analytic inst^uments; publications; participation of artists in the formu-
lation of cultural policies.

Recommendations; 1, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 29, 41, 43, 44, 5 1.

20 C/5, paragraphs: 3184, 3192, 4153, 4159, 4168-4171, 4178, 4179, 4182, 4183,
4261, 4264-4268, 4282, 4425, 4426, 4428, 4599, 5164, 5174,
5176, 5181.

(d) Integration of cultural and artistic values in the processes of education; book promotion;
public and school libraries; production of literary material for children and young
people; dissemination of cultural and artistic works.

Recommendations; 6, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 32.

20 C/5, paragraphs: 1375, 1377, 4101, 4215, 4234-4236, 4262, 4282, 4318,
4353, 5094.

(e) Participation in cultural life of the general public, workers, young people, women;
social and economic conditions for democratic access to culture; role of communi-
cation; mass media; harmonization of cultural and communication policies; poly-
valent v/orkshops; national information Systems.

Recommendations: 1, 15, 24, 25, 28.

20 C/5, paragraphs: 3089, 3384, 3394, 4153-4157, 4181, 4204, 4205, 4214,
4216-4221, 4262, 4494, 4562, 4574, 5058, 5094.

(f) Artistic creation and arts education: music and dance; visual arts; graphic arts;
folk arts; museums; polyvalent workshops; status and social position of the artist;
aid to creation; creativity and artistic activities of children.

Recommendations: 25, 29, 31, 32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 42.

20 C/5, paragraphs: 4282, 4295-4298, 4306-4309, 4315, 4318, 4319, 4353, 4356,
4358, 4566.

(g) Training for cultural development and communication personnel: researchers, plan-
ners, economists, administrators, organizers, curators, museum specialists,
restorers, communication specialists, documentalists, archivists, librarians.

Recommendations: 6, 14, 24, 25, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 42, 54.

20 C/5, paragraphs: 3318, 3324, 4190-4192, 4194, 4352, 4391-4393, 4573-4575,

5103, 5106, 5126-5132.

(h) Cultural co-operation; subregional and regional action programmes; co-ordination

and information machinery; regionalization of music and museum studies centres;
production of printed and audio-visual material; common market for books; art and
music festivais; art and restoration training centres; training centres for cultural
development personnel; communication specialists and researchers; ref[ional docu­
mentation centres; joint studies and research co-ordination; cultural agreements;
circulation of cultural proparty; exchanges of persons and research; information
agencies; tele-education centres; intercultural studies; collaboration wíth the Organ-
ization of American States (OAS), the Regional Centre for Book Development in Latin
America and the Caribbean (CERLAL), the Caribbean Development and Co-operation
Committee (CDCC), the Caribbean Corpmunity (CARICOM), the Andrês Bello Conven-
tion and International non-governmental organizations.

Recommendations; 14, 30, 31, 34, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50,
51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58.
 20 C /8 7 - page 7

20 C/5, paragraphs: 1390, 1405,1454, 3278, 3279, 4027-4030,4093-4096, 4111,

4123, 4158,4159, 4179, 4182, 4191, 4192, 4194, 4234-4236,
4250, 4264,4265, 4296, 4298, 4300, 4318, 4319, 4425,
4426, 4428,4447, 4455, 4467, 4468, 4469, 4472, 4573,
5059.