The Paraguayan Coalition for Cultural Diversity, created on 22 May 2006 and initially bringing together 10 professional cultural organizations from civil society, is composed of representatives of the performing arts, cultural industries, cinema and audiovisual, music, books and cultural expressions sectors in Paraguay. It currently has 13 active organizations. It is also supported by institutions and personalities of the country’s culture.
The coalition’s work focuses on three areas:
- Protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions under the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, approved by UNESCO and ratified by the Republic of Paraguay in accordance with Law 3.229/7 at the national, regional and global levels;
- Contribute to the creation of conditions in which cultures, in all their manifestations, can flourish and maintain fruitful exchanges in favour of a culture of peace and freedom;
- Support the process of implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (the Convention) which, inter alia, provides an international legal basis for the fundamental right of States and governments to determine their own cultural policies.
Its priorities are as follows:
- Support the development and implementation of national, regional and international cultural policies and facilitate the adoption of appropriate cultural policies for the protection and promotion of diversity, as well as the exceptional nature of cultural goods and services;
- Promote and facilitate cooperation between creators, producers, artists, technicians, educators, researchers and other professionals dedicated to cultural activities, through the production, support and co-production of cultural activities, productions and events whose themes are in line with the objectives of the Association, and to strengthen the existing link between culture and development in the various regions of the country, particularly in the cultural, environmental, artistic, scientific, social and educational fields;
- Encourage dialogue among cultures and civilizations in order to ensure the most intense and balanced cultural changes among the countries of the world. Create an enabling environment, particularly in developing countries, in which cultures can evolve and interact freely.
