UNESCO, the EU and Cuba Launch the Transcultura Project

UNESCO, the European Union (EU), and Cuba have launched the “Transcultura Project,” a cultural initiative to benefit both Cuba and the Caribbean region.

Culturally, the Caribbean and Cuba represent a diverse blend of cultures and languages, historical links and both tangible and intangible cultural richness with the potential to create inclusive growth in the region.

The Transcultura Project will promote deeper integration in the region and fortify people-to-people knowledge exchanges and cooperation within the region, between the players and the EU.

The following is from a press release from the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels.

On his last day in office, Stefano Manservisi, Director General of Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) at the European Commission, stressed the importance of the Transcultura programme to illustrate the partnership between the EU, Cuba and UNESCO, during a signing ceremony in Brussels.

Ernesto Ottone Ramírez, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, welcomed this new initiative as an exemplar of the practical contribution of culture to sustainable development. The cultural and creative industries represent 3% of the world’s GDP, account for about 30 million jobs and are the main drivers for economies and inclusive and sustainable societies.

Under the framework of Transcultura, the cultural heritage and creative industries sectors in the region will be further professionalized and new opportunities for socio-economic development and cultural cooperation within the Caribbean and between the region and the EU will be generated.

In order to achieve this, the capacities of the regional cultural and creative industries will be strengthened through the establishment of a Cultural Training Hub at the Convento de Santa Clara. The cultural hub will foster mobility, skills, and capacities among youth and professionals in the cultural and creative sectors.

Moreover, opportunities for employment and income in cultural heritage and creative industries sectors, as well as opportunities for cooperation among artists, cultural operators, civil society and local authorities from the different linguistic areas of the Caribbean region and the EU, will be increased. This new flagship program was endorsed by Guillermo Solenzal Morales, Vice Minister of Culture of Cuba, Ernesto Ottone Ramírez., UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, and DG DEVCO Stefano Manservisi, on the sidelines of yesterday’s meeting of the EU-Cuba Cooperation Subcommittee.