The Interparliamentary Conference on the Diversity of Cultural Expression.

• Author: Vallieres, Yvon
• Position: Conference notes

Forums and parliamentary associations exercise a growing influence on the international scene, as demonstrated by the "Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions" under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Francophonie were among the first to demand, as early as the year 2000, an international legal instrument dedicated to promoting dialogue among cultures, an initiative that led to the adoption of the Convention on October 20, 2005. With this in mind the APF and the National Assembly of Quebec jointly organized the Interparliamentary Conference on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CIDEC), which was held on February 2-3, 2011 in Quebec City, with the support of the International Organization of La Francophonie and the collaboration of UNESCO. This Conference brought together some two hundred and fifty participants, parliamentarians from the French-speaking world, experts from the cultural sectors and observers hailing from interparliamentary organizations and civil society.

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In 2010, after a ten-year period marked by constant support I for the diversity of cultural expressions, the parliamentarians of the French-speaking world wished to take the necessary measures to meet the new challenges arising from the implementation of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and to make their contribution to this new stage in the deployment and consolidation of cultural sectors within their respective societies.

The Conference in Quebec City was opened by the Secretary General of La Francophonie, Abdou Diouf, the Premier of Quebec, Jean Charest, the Mayor of Quebec City, Regis Labeaume, the delegate of the Director General of UNESCO, Galia Saouma-Forero, and myself. It aimed to outline the new perimeters of the parliamentary community's commitment to the diversity of cultural expressions as well as to deeply seat this commitment amidst the existing issues relating to the implementation of the Convention.

The Convention

The foremost aim of this international legal instrument is to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions as materialized and put forth by cultural activities, goods and services. Furthermore, its intent is to establish a legal framework that is conducive to the creation, production, distribution, dissemination as well as access and enjoyment of a great variety of cultural expressions from diverse origins. The UNESCO...