Since it was first opened in Havana on February 24 of 1950, as UNESCO Regional Center for the Western Hemisphere –the first one of its type created outside the headquarters of the Organization–, this Office has carried out a constant and growing work. We are pleased to share with Excelencias readers, on its 100th issue, a selection of the actions showing the diversity and scope of the projects currently undertaken by the institution in this part of the world.

1 – Forum of Ministers of Culture and Officials in Charge of Cultural Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean The space of reflection par excellence for the highest governmental authorities of the sector in the region, and meeting-place for Member States of the area, established in the framework of the Meeting of Ministers of Culture of Latina America and the Caribbean held in Brazil in 1989. It has been supported by the Office since the first edition, and it is one of the main counterparts of the Organization for regional cooperation and the promotion of its conventions, priorities and lines of action. The Office has also facilitated, coordinated and financed the Forum’s Technical Secretariat since 1999, and the internet Portal of Culture of Latin America and the Caribbean in Spanish and English which includes a long date base of cultural policies of UNESCO member States in the region.

2 – Caribbean Capacity Building Program for Cultural and Natural Heritage (CCBP) Jointly organized by UNESCO World Heritage Center and UNESCO offices in Kingston and Port-au-Prince, the CCBP was set up to strengthen the management and protection f the valuable heritage exiting in the Caribbean, and to contribute to the development of national policies tot that aim in the region which treasures 20 World Heritage Site. The program’s theme manuals tackle issues of the utmost importance for the sustainable management of the cultural and natural heritage in the Caribbean, such as the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, management of cultural landscapes, natural sites and historical centers; sustainable management of tourism in world heritage sites, preparing faced with heritage risks and the management of natural heritage. Since 2005, several courses and workshops have been implemented in conjunction with national heritage institutions, universities and a wide range of experts from the region. The CCBP is conducted thanks to the generous contribution of the Netherlands. 3 – Supporting the development of national networks of Biosphere Reserves in Cuba and Dominican Republic In the framework of UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB), this project aims at strengthening national sustainable development plans based on the rational use of natural resources, the protection of biodiversity and associated ecosystems. In Cuba, where there are six Biosphere Reserves–Guanahacabibes Peninsula, Sierra del Rosario, Buena Vista, Zapata Swamp, Baconao and Cuchillas del Toa– this activity is carried out jointly with the Cuban MAB Committee and the National Center for Protected Areas (CNAP, Spanish acronyms). It has brought about significant positive results including reassessing traditional farming methods, raising the awareness and fostering the training of decision-makers, identifying and outlining prevention measures to face extreme phenomena and preserve threatened plant varieties. As part of this effort, the Office currently provides support in the strengthening of Dominican Republic’s National MAB Committee in charge of the Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo Biosphere Reserve, the only in the country, which is remarkably important because it shelters endemic species of plants and animals which are exceptional to the region and the world. 4 - SIDACULT regional net It is UNESCO office’s main strategy to explore new cultural, artistic and social responses generated in Latin America and the Caribbean regarding HIV and Aids. Being a laboratory of ideas, exchange of experiences and good practices, it constitutes a broad space for the concentration, visibility and promotion of relevant projects through the Office’s website. SIDACULT explores new proposals of original and unconventional approaches to promote dialogue and social cohesion, fight stigma and discrimination. The impact of the more one hundred projects and members of the Net in the region, adding to the success of workshops and actions promoted by the Net, are examples of the importance of the use of cultural tools in the search for better understanding and dialogue between the civil society and public institutions. 5 – Supporting the work by UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network in Cuba and Dominican Republic Since its creation in 1953, the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network was set up to promote peace, tolerance and international understanding taking the learning processes of children in the schools belonging to the project from all over the world as starting point. Coordinated by the Cuban National Commission of UNESCO (CNCU, Spanish acronym) and the Dominican National Commission for UNESCO (CNDU, Spanish acronym), it is made up of 76 schools in Cuba and 56 in Dominican Republic, from different types of education and levels, and every province of both countries. The Office supports the work of the network by promoting in particular the implementation of national and international projects in schools belonging to the Network; among them: «World heritage in the youth’ hands », «The Route of the Slave», «Watching the sands», «HIV and AIDS Prevention», «Feeding the mind to fight hunger», «School Newsletter» and «Risk Prevention and Education for emergency situations caused by natural phenomena in Caribbean islands» 6 – Chambers of Diversity This action seeks to promote the access, enjoyment, creation, production and distribution of local and indigenous audiovisual materials in Latin America and the Caribbean, financed with fiduciary funds of Flanders’ government. It also pursues the promotion of language diversity in the region, fostering related research and facilitating public debate in different communities. The huge impact of the activities developed in 2010 made it possible to broaden the project within the framework of international cooperation. The new Chambers of Diversity project, in addition to widening its contribution to the implementation of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Expression Diversity and the Convention on Immaterial Heritage, it is set up to support the development of actions for the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean with the African continent in the framework of the promotion of audiovisual production. 7 – Training of journalists The major role of communications in raising citizen awareness, in tune with the challenges and problems faced by the world today, can be effectively fulfilled the more professionals in the sector receive the training they need. In this regards, the Office has been organizing since 2008 training workshops for journalists on the following themes: media coverage of hurricanes, environment and development, scientific journalism, response to HIV and Aids, genre awareness and cultural heritage. 8 – Promoting high-quality crafts in the Latin Caribbean In recognizing the remarkable role of handicrafts in the development of local economies, the Office has carried out promotional actions such as the Needles Project (Trinidad, Cuba) and the UNESCO Excellence Hallmark for Crafts program in the Latin Caribbean developed with the collaboration of the World Crafts Council (WCC) and the Spanish Foundation for Crafts Innovation. Both actions have been directly linked to the most important event of the sector in Cuba, the International Crafts Fair FIART. At present, within the Joint Program «Support of the New Initiatives for Decentralization and Production Stimulation in Cuba » (F-ODM), and specifically in the cultural sector, the Office contributes by means of training efforts carried out in five municipality of the country, to improve craft production in terms of quality and quantity, as well as to stimulate the possible creation of hallmarks. The Office is supported in this effort by the Cuban Ministry of Culture, the National Crafts Center of the Cultural Assets Fund, the Ministry of Light Industry and the National Office for Industrial Design of the Ministry of Economy and Planning. 9 – Route of the Slave and International Year for People of African Descent At the request of Haiti and a group of African countries, the Route of the Slave project was approved by UNESCO General Conference in 1993 with the objective of breaking the silence about slave trade and slavery, bringing to light its consequences up to the present and fighting new forms of slavery by promoting tailored prevention campaigns based on local cultures. «Memory Sites of the Route of the Slave in the Latin Caribbean» which identified 25 historical places related with slavery in Aruba, Cuba, Haiti and Dominican Republic has been a remarkable action in this sensible issue seeking to encourage the protection of the valuable African legacy and immaterial manifestations associated to bearer communities, as well as their boost as source of development. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2011, International Year for People of African Descent; within such context, the Office has helped in the implementation of a broad plan of activities including the creation of a film about the date in conjunction with the Havana-based International Film and Television School, and a concert by the National Folkloric Group and the Yoruba Andabo Company at the Plaza Vieja square of the Historical Center of Havana. 10 – Items from Cuba and Dominican Republic included in UNESCO Memory of the World Register Memory of the World favors the preservation and access to valuable documents and collections kept in archives and libraries, and that are under risks of disappearing. The Office provided technical assistance in presenting the documentation of the works from Cuba and the Dominican Republic included in this Register. These are: • Jose Marti Documental Fund made up of 2,435 literary, journalistic, political and personal documents related with the life and work of Cuba’s National Hero, the most universal thinker of the island. • Collection of negatives of the ICAIC Latin American News Program, a news documentary produced weekly from 1960 to 1990 showing images of historical events that occurred during that period of time in more than 90 countries. • Book for the Baptism of Slaves (1636-1670); it is a precious source of information about the slavery system in the American continent, particularly in the Dominican Republic. • Documents about the resistance and fight for human rights in Dominican Republic (1930-1961), a testimony of the Dominican people’s struggle for democracy, freedom and respect of human rights during the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship, one of the most repressive regimes of Latin America in the 20th century. ---------------------- The actions listed in this Dossier illustrate the basic function of this entity in Havana as Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, Multi country Office for the Latin Caribbean (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Aruba) and UNESCO representation before the governments of Cuba, Dominican Republic and Aruba.