In recent months, three countries—Costa Rica, Oman and Peru—finally completed all of the steps required for their respective free trade agreements with the United States to enter into force.

Almost four years after it was signed and approved by the Costa Rican population in a narrow referendum win in October 2007, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the United States and Central America (and the Dominican Republic) finally came into force for Costa Rica on January 1, 2009.

Seven representatives of cultural and civil society organizations from six English-speaking Caribbean countries gathered in Bridgetown, Barbados, on February 9 2009 for a meeting of a task force of Caribbean cultural organizations established at the conclusion of the First Meeting of Professional Cultural Organizations from Commonwealth Caribbean Countries held in Port of Spain, Trinidad, last July.

On February 21, the Djiboutian Coalition for Cultural Diversity (DCCD) completed the process to become the newest member coalition of the IFCCD. Abdi Issa Boulaleh is President of the Coalition, which represents some 10 professional cultural organizations from Djibouti. The DCCD is the 17th coalition to be established in Africa and the 20th from a Francophonie-member country.

Djibouti was the seventh state to ratify the Convention when it tabled its ratification instruments at UNESCO headquarters on June 9, 2006.