The 24 members of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) gathered in Paris from March 23 to 25 for their second extraordinary session. This meeting, their last before the 2nd Conference of Parties in June, focused mainly on the issues of preferential treatment for developing countries, financing mechanisms for the International Fund for Cultural Diversity and the visibility of the UNESCO Convention.

Representatives of cultural organizations from 10 Asia-Pacific Countries gathered in Vancouver, Canada, for a two-day meeting focusing on implications and opportunities presented by the UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions for the development of cultural industries in the region.

Leaders of more than 25 Turkish cultural organizations gathered in Istanbul for a two-day seminar on the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

The seminar featured presentations by representatives of the International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity, and was hosted by the Turkish Ministry of Culture.