On July 22, Peruvian President Alan García signed a law establishing the new institution in the presence of political and artistic personalities gathered at the museum of Pachacamac Temple, one of Peru’s most important archaeological sites that at one time was home of one of the most consulted oracles in the Andean world.

This white paper version 1.0 is a project of the German Coalition for Cultural Diversity, and was compiled by more than sixty experts from the fields of culture or development. It contains recommendations for action addressed to the decision-makers and stakeholders bearing political responsibility for the protection and promotion of diversity of cultural expressions.

Held May 19-21 in Montreal, the U40 Americas meeting brought together 30 young professionals (cultural policy experts, cultural practitioners, communication experts, legal experts, emerging scholars from 11 North, Central and South American countries), each active members of civil society, government or the private sector, for two-and-a-half days of discussions focusing on three themes associated with effective implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005):

1) Integrating culture into sustainable development;