The Minister of Culture, Juca Ferreira, will give the opening remarks of the XXXI Mercosur Ministers of Culture Meeting on Saturday, 20 November, at 9 am in Rio de Janeiro. This semester Brazil will chair Mercosur’s Pro Témpore Secretariat. Its duties will be to determine, in joint collaboration with the other delegations, the content of meetings and to organize the various meetings of Mercosur’s various bodies. 

Cultural Mercosur’s meetings make up part of the member countries’ efforts to find meeting points that will lead to the consolidation of cultural integration of the countries of the region. The ministers will deal with Mercosur Cultural Seal, artworks’ circulation and commercialization, among others. The meeting will also have as objective to discuss the improvement and integration of the different bloc areas and the creation of Cultural Mercosur Technical Secretariat and Cultural Mercosur Fund.

The meeting will also highlight culture’s role in strengthening and consolidating the regional integration process; the need to protect, promote and disseminate the region’s cultural diversity. It will also be an opportunity to present culture as a driving force of social and economic development, by acknowledging its symbolic, civil and economic dimensions.

Juca Ferreira considers cultural policy integration efforts within Mercosur and other blocs or with other countries as fundamental for Brazil. “We are living a process in which Brazil’s symmetry, size and economic importance cannot result in a hierarchical relationship”, were his words. “I believe this is only possible if we take up the challenge of building egalitarian relationships, of cultural deepening, exchange, dialogue and affect towards these countries”, he added.

At the meeting will take part the ministers of culture Juan Ossio, Peru, Ricardo Ehrlich, Uruguay, Ticio Escobar, Paraguay and Mónica Guariglio, Argentina’s Cultural Policy and International Cooperation National Director.

To read the rest of the news, in Portuguese, please visit http://www.cultura.gov.br/site/2010/11/19/xxxi-reuniao-de-ministros-da-cultura-do-mercosul/

http://www.cultura.gov.br/site/2010/11/19/xxxi-reuniao-de-ministros-da-cultura-do-mercosul/