Civil society organizations of Panama discuss creative economy and cultural governance

Representatives of some 30 foundations and cultural organizations converged in the virtual meeting “Civil Society, Governance of Culture and Creative Economy in Panama”, convened by the Ministry of Culture of Panama and UNESCO. This meeting took place on Tuesday, December 15, and is part of the activities promoted by the National Strategy for Creative Economy “CREA en Panama 2030”.

The event was an opportunity to discuss the present and future of civil society participation in the governance of culture and the creative economy in Panama and to raise awareness among the participants about the instruments of UNESCO to promote the involvement of social actors in cultural policies in Panama, especially the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Through presentations by officials of the Ministry of Culture of Panama and one of the experts in charge of the implementation of the cooperation program of UNESCO and the European Union for cultural governance, the participants were able to better understand the scope of the “CREA en Panamá 2030” Strategy and the new General Law on Culture of Panama in relation to the participation of civil society in cultural policies.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Culture of Panama, Mr. Carlos Aguilar, the Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office in San José, Mrs. Esther Kusich Laroche, and the First Counsellor of the Delegation of the European Union to Panama, Mrs. Ana Gordon Vergara.