Coalition Currents

Canada First to Ratify UNESCO Convention; MERCOSUR, Francophonie, INCP Add to Voices Calling on Countries to Ratify on Priority Basis As Official Text Released

On November 22, Canada became the first country to ratify the UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity. Meanwhile, a series of major international meetings held within weeks of each other produced strong statements in which political leaders committed their countries to ratify the new Convention as quickly as possible.

These statements came out of 29th summit of presidents of MERCOSUR states, the 23rd Conference of heads of state and government of Africa and France, the 21st session of the Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie (IOF), and the eighth ministerial meeting of the INCP culture ministers’ network.

On December 12 the stage was set for the ratification campaign to shift into high gear when UNESCO Director General Koïchiro Matsuura announced that official versions of the Convention text were now available in six languages. The release of official versions now paves the way for those countries whose require legislative review of the text as part of their ratification process to now move ahead with this process.

Coalitions for Cultural Diversity in several countries have already embarked on campaigns encouraging their governments to get their ratification processes underway, and in many other countries where coalitions are not yet established this work is being taken on by leading organizations representing creators, artists and other cultural professionals.

This work—directed at ministers responsible for culture, for foreign affairs and ultimately at heads of state and government—will be essential to ensuring that ratification of the Convention is accorded real priority in the months ahead.

The goal now is to attain and even surpass the minimum threshold of ratifications by 30 countries in time for the Convention to enter into effect and for the first conference of parties of the Convention to be held at the time of UNESCO’s 34th General Conference in October of 2007.

Given that the Convention enters into effect three monthsafter the 30th instrument of ratification is deposited with UNESCO headquarters in Paris , this means that this target must be achieved no later than June of 2007—18 months from now.

And it must be emphasized that with the WTO’s Doha Round of negotiations heading into its end-game stages in 2006, and the U.S. continuing to pursue an ambitious program of bilateral free trade negotiations, there remains real urgency to ensuring that the Convention enters effect as soon as possible.

What follows is a quick overview of the recent declarations and statements emerging from MERCOSUR and other international fora in support of the campaign to ratify the Convention.

Future issues of Coalition Currents will include detailed reports on ratification campaigns now underway at the individual country level. But one point is important to make now: securing broad-based ratification of the Convention, from countries in all regions of the world, will be almost as important as meeting the overall target of 30 ratifications. The Convention will have limited political or legal impact if it is only ratified by Canada , the 25 member states of the European Union, and a handful of other countries.

In this context, the work being done in support of ratification by coalitions and cultural professional organizations in Africa, in Asia and Oceania, in Central America and the Caribbean, South America and in the Arab world, will be of enormous importance.

Canada : Rapid Ratification on the Eve of an Election

Within 24 hours of his government’s November 22 approval of the Convention, Prime Minister Paul Martin was joined in Montreal by Minister of Canadian Heritage Liza Frulla for a signing ceremony to put the finishing touches on ratification documents that were to be delivered to UNESCO headquarters by November 25.

Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications Line Beauchamp was on hand for the ceremony, along with the Co-Chairs of Canada’s Coalition for Cultural Diversity, Pierre Curzi and Scott McIntyre.

"The Government of Canada was committed to accepting the Convention before the end of the year and today we met that commitment," said Prime Minister Martin. "Accepting the Convention is the right thing to do for Canada . It will ensure that the cultures and identities that shape and enrich all of humanity are preserved and transmitted to future generations. I am calling on all UNESCO Member States to follow Canada 's lead and accept the Convention."

Minister Frulla recalled her commitment, made immediately after the adoption of the Convention just over one month ago in Paris during UNESCO’s 33rd General Conference, to have Canada be the first to ratify the Convention—ideally before Christmas.

“As soon as I got back, we triggered the process so that Canada could be in a position to ratify this Convention,” she continued. “And today we can say mission accomplished. Clearly, this is a great day for our artists, our culture, our cultural industries, and for our country.”

Minister Beauchamp congratulated the federal government for fulfilling its commitment to ratify on a priority basis, and signalled Quebec ’s own commitment to continue working to promote the importance of a broad number of countries ratifying the Convention as quickly as possible.

On behalf of the Canadian CCD, Pierre Curzi also congratulated the government on meeting its commitment to make ratification a priority, adding that its quick action “gives us optimism that we can meet this target within the next two years.”

Scott McIntyre pointed to the challenge still ahead for all those who seek to invest the UNESCO Convention with genuine legal and political weight: “We know that we need a minimum of 30 ratifications for it to enter into effect, but we know that if we don’t get 50 or 60 ratifications, we won’t have done our job.”

Canada’s ratification process was completed with extraordinary speed, even taking into account the reality that its procedures require approval by cabinet (a council of ministers) rather than by its Parliament. Its prompt ratification was all the more impressive given the country’s political context: just days later, on November 29, the Liberal Party minority government was defeated, triggering an election to take place on January 23.

TOP

In Montevideo : Presidents of MERCOSUR
and Associated States Commit to Ratify Convention

With Lula da Silva of Brazil, Néstor Kirchner of Argentina, Ricardo Lagos of Chile and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela all present in Montevidoe, Uruguay, the 29th Summit of Presidents of MERCOSUR and associated states concluded on December 9th with a declaration featuring a strong statement in support of the UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions:

“They were most heartened by the approval by UNESCO’s 33rd General Conference of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, promising to encourage its legislative ratification and to work together to achieve its objectives, based on the fact that culture, because of its special nature, is not simply a product.”

MERCOSUR is composed of Argentina , Brazil , Paraguay , Uruguay and Venezuela, which began the process of becoming a full member at the Montevideo Summit. Associated states are Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador.

TOP

In Bamako : Heads of State and Government of Africa
and France Urge Ratification

Leaders gathered in Bamako, Mali, on December 3rd and 4th for the 23rd Conference of Heads of State and Government of Africa and France added their voice to those urging a fast-track ratification campaign to ensure the UNESCO Convention enters into effect as soon as possible.

Heads of state of 25 African countries joined French President Jacques Chirac for the conference, which was hosted by Amadou Toumani Touré, President of the Republic of Mali. In all, 51 African states were represented at the meeting.

Their final communiqué applauded ‘the adoption on October 20 2005 by UNESCO’s 33rd General Conference of the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, which seeks notably to promote national cultures. They called on States to ratify it.”

TOP

In Madagascar : Francophonie Ministers
Add Their Voices to Ratification Call

Ministers from the member states of the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF) met on November 22 and 23 in Antananarivo, Madagascar, for the 21st session of the Ministerial Conference and used the occasion to emphasize the continuing priority La Francophonie attaches to seeing the Convention put in place urgently.

The principal purpose of the Antananarivo meeting was to complete work initiated at the IOF’s summit in December of 2004 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to draft and put in place a new charter setting out the organizational framework for its operations. However, the ministers made a point of approving a resolution stressing the importance of member states ratifying the UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity:

“Considering the success of the mobilization of the member states and governments of La Francophonie, which contributed significantly to the adoption at UNESCO of the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions;

Conscious of the importance of making this text, as quickly as possible, the foundation for an extensive legal space favouring the developing of identities and cultural expressions;

[The Ministerial Conference] Recommends that the states and governments that are members of la Francophonie and UNESCO put in motion as quickly as possible the procedures for ratifying the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions and to deposit the instruments of ratification with the UNESCO Secretariat without delay, at the very latest before the Bucharest Summit [in September 2006].”

La Francophonie comprises 49 member states and governments, four associated states, and 10 states with observer status.

TOP

In Dakar : INCP Culture Minister’s Network
Stresses Ratification Priority

Culture ministers from 19 countries gathered in Dakar, Senegal, from November 20-23 for the eighth ministerial meeting of the International Network on Cultural Policy, concluding their session with a statement that contained a strong call for countries to ratify the UNESCO Convention quickly:

“Ministers, Heads of Delegations and the UNESCO representative [underlined] the important contribution of the INCP to the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. In particular, they noted the necessity of its rapid entry into force and subsequent implementation. They also highlighted the importance of international cooperation, discussed the challenges linked to cultural diversity in relation to social cohesion and sustainable development, as well as the relationship between culture and economy.

During the course of the meeting, Ministers invited civil society to discuss their shared objectives in the ratification of the Convention by the greatest number of countries possible.”

Ministers from 18 INCP member states attended the Dakar ministerial. Mauritania’s minister of culture attended as a special guest. There was official-level participation from a further 13 INCP members. Five inter-governmental organizations were also represented.

On November 21, a delegation of representatives of member coalitions of the International Liaison Committee of Coalition s for Cultural Diversity (ILC) met with the INCP ministers to deliver a presentation that focused on the work coalitions intended to undertake in support of the ratification campaign, and expressed the strong interest of the coalitions in pursuing initiatives in this context that were coordinated and complimentary with the work being carried out through political channels by the culture ministers.

The ILC delegation included Nicolas Sawalo Cissé, President of the Senegalese Coalition, Rasmané Ouedraogo, President of Burkina Faso’s Coalition, Ludovic Njoh Mboule, President of the Cameroon Coalition, Debora Abramowicz , Coordinator of the French Coalition, and Jim McKee , Director, External Relations, of the Canadian Coalition.

Rasmané Ouedraogo, in his capacity as Secretary General of the African Network of Coalition s for Cultural Diversity, was also part of a civil society delegation that met with the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, later that same day.

TOP

WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Sets Stage for 2006 Endgame;
Meanwhile, U.S. reaches FTA with Peru, and Pacts Loom With Ecuador, Colombia

The Hong Kong WTO ministerial meeting came to a conclusion on December 18 with the bulk of media attention focused on the commitment by developed nations, notably the United States and the European Union, to phase out agricultural subsidies by 2013.

But the Hong Kong ministerial also served to re-launch the Doha Round’s services negotiations, with a new ‘plurilateral’ approach that may set the stage for pro-liberalization alliances such as ‘friends of audiovisual’ to push for across-the-board liberalization commitments on audiovisual services on a Most Favoured Nation basis.

The Hong Kong ministerial declaration was released as this issue of Coalition Currents was in the final stages of production. A more detailed look at the WTO negotiations will appear in the next issue, but declaration highlights touching on services include:

An attempt to bolster the bilateral request-offer negotiations among member states with a ‘plurilateral’ approach in which groups of member states join together to make liberalization requests of other member states. The bilateral model has so far yielded very little movement by member states—in fact, the original deadlines for offers and revised offers in the services negotiations were largely ignored. The plurilateral approach represents an attempt to secure much broader commitments from member states. “The results of such negotiations shall be extended on an MFN basis,” the declaration states.

A new timetable for the services negotiations that integrates the plurilateral approach. Acknowledging the reality that so far only a very small minority of member states have even filed initial offers (despite the fact that the original deadline for revised offers passed over six months ago, on March 31), Annex C calls on member states to submit any outstanding initial offers “as soon as possible.” The schedule then sets out the following key dates:

Groups of Members presenting plurilateral requests to other Members should submit such requests by 28 February 2006 or as soon as possible thereafter.
A second round of revised offers shall be submitted by 31 July 2006 .
Final draft schedules of commitments shall be submitted by 31 October 2006 .

Difficult as the negotiations have been so far, some insiders have always viewed December 2006 as the true deadline for these negotiations—the reason being that this is widely considered the outside date by which the U.S. could agree to a deal and then shepherd it through approval in Washington before President Bush’s fast-track negotiating authority lapsed in July of 2007.

The new approach and timetable clearly represents an attempt to change the dynamic of these negotiations. Whether this will prove successful remains to be seen, but it provides an opening for ad hoc groupings of countries—notably ‘friends of audiovisual’, in which the U.S. has figured prominently, to attempt to put audiovisual services into play to a much greater degree than they have been so far. Cultural organizations will want to track these negotiations—and the position their own national governments are taking—closely in the coming months.

Meanwhile, on December 7 the United States concluded its latest bilateral FTA with Peru, the first of the Andian Pact countries to agree to such a deal. At the time of this writing, the U.S. and Ecuador were believed to be close to finalizing a deal at any moment, with the U.S. and Colombia set to enter what were expected to be their final set of negotiations in January.

In all three countries, Coalitions for Cultural Diversity have been fighting hard to persuade their governments to maintain the maximum possible latitude to apply cultural policies, urging them to refrain from wholesale liberalization commitments affecting culture.

In its news release announcing the FTA with Peru , the United States Trade Representative situated the deal in the context of an extremely ambitious free trade agenda:

“The United States is aggressively working to open markets globally, regionally, and bilaterally and to expand American opportunities in overseas markets. The Bush administration has completed FTAs with thirteen countries -- Chile, Singapore, Australia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman, and now Peru . Negotiations are under way with ten more countries: Colombia, Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, Panama, Thailand, and the five nations of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). New and pending FTA partners, taken together, would constitute America 's third largest export market and the sixth-largest economy in the world.”

The next issue of Coalition Currents will provide an initial assessment of the outcome of the Peru-U.S. FTA talks from the perspective of culture, and provide the latest news on the Ecuador and Colombia negotiations with the U.S.

TOP

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				Highlights:
	Vol. 3, No. 8, December 2005 Canada First to Ratify UNESCO Convention; MERCOSUR, Francophonie, INCP Add to Voices Calling on Countries to Ratify on Priority Basis As Official Text Released On November 22, Canada became the first country to ratify the UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity. Meanwhile, a series of major international meetings held within weeks of each other produced strong statements in which political leaders committed their countries to ratify the new Convention as quickly as possible. These statements came out of 29th summit of presidents of MERCOSUR states, the 23rd Conference of heads of state and government of Africa and France, the 21st session of the Ministerial Conference of the Francophonie (IOF), and the eighth ministerial meeting of the INCP culture ministers’ network. On December 12 the stage was set for the ratification campaign to shift into high gear when UNESCO Director General Koïchiro Matsuura announced that official versions of the Convention text were now available in six languages. The release of official versions now paves the way for those countries whose require legislative review of the text as part of their ratification process to now move ahead with this process. Coalitions for Cultural Diversity in several countries have already embarked on campaigns encouraging their governments to get their ratification processes underway, and in many other countries where coalitions are not yet established this work is being taken on by leading organizations representing creators, artists and other cultural professionals. This work—directed at ministers responsible for culture, for foreign affairs and ultimately at heads of state and government—will be essential to ensuring that ratification of the Convention is accorded real priority in the months ahead. The goal now is to attain and even surpass the minimum threshold of ratifications by 30 countries in time for the Convention to enter into effect and for the first conference of parties of the Convention to be held at the time of UNESCO’s 34th General Conference in October of 2007. Given that the Convention enters into effect three monthsafter the 30th instrument of ratification is deposited with UNESCO headquarters in Paris , this means that this target must be achieved no later than June of 2007—18 months from now. And it must be emphasized that with the WTO’s Doha Round of negotiations heading into its end-game stages in 2006, and the U.S. continuing to pursue an ambitious program of bilateral free trade negotiations, there remains real urgency to ensuring that the Convention enters effect as soon as possible. What follows is a quick overview of the recent declarations and statements emerging from MERCOSUR and other international fora in support of the campaign to ratify the Convention. Future issues of Coalition Currents will include detailed reports on ratification campaigns now underway at the individual country level. But one point is important to make now: securing broad-based ratification of the Convention, from countries in all regions of the world, will be almost as important as meeting the overall target of 30 ratifications. The Convention will have limited political or legal impact if it is only ratified by Canada , the 25 member states of the European Union, and a handful of other countries. In this context, the work being done in support of ratification by coalitions and cultural professional organizations in Africa, in Asia and Oceania, in Central America and the Caribbean, South America and in the Arab world, will be of enormous importance. TOP Canada : Rapid Ratification on the Eve of an Election Within 24 hours of his government’s November 22 approval of the Convention, Prime Minister Paul Martin was joined in Montreal by Minister of Canadian Heritage Liza Frulla for a signing ceremony to put the finishing touches on ratification documents that were to be delivered to UNESCO headquarters by November 25. Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications Line Beauchamp was on hand for the ceremony, along with the Co-Chairs of Canada’s Coalition for Cultural Diversity, Pierre Curzi and Scott McIntyre. "The Government of Canada was committed to accepting the Convention before the end of the year and today we met that commitment," said Prime Minister Martin. "Accepting the Convention is the right thing to do for Canada . It will ensure that the cultures and identities that shape and enrich all of humanity are preserved and transmitted to future generations. I am calling on all UNESCO Member States to follow Canada 's lead and accept the Convention." Minister Frulla recalled her commitment, made immediately after the adoption of the Convention just over one month ago in Paris during UNESCO’s 33rd General Conference, to have Canada be the first to ratify the Convention—ideally before Christmas. “As soon as I got back, we triggered the process so that Canada could be in a position to ratify this Convention,” she continued. “And today we can say mission accomplished. Clearly, this is a great day for our artists, our culture, our cultural industries, and for our country.” Minister Beauchamp congratulated the federal government for fulfilling its commitment to ratify on a priority basis, and signalled Quebec ’s own commitment to continue working to promote the importance of a broad number of countries ratifying the Convention as quickly as possible. On behalf of the Canadian CCD, Pierre Curzi also congratulated the government on meeting its commitment to make ratification a priority, adding that its quick action “gives us optimism that we can meet this target within the next two years.” Scott McIntyre pointed to the challenge still ahead for all those who seek to invest the UNESCO Convention with genuine legal and political weight: “We know that we need a minimum of 30 ratifications for it to enter into effect, but we know that if we don’t get 50 or 60 ratifications, we won’t have done our job.” Canada’s ratification process was completed with extraordinary speed, even taking into account the reality that its procedures require approval by cabinet (a council of ministers) rather than by its Parliament. Its prompt ratification was all the more impressive given the country’s political context: just days later, on November 29, the Liberal Party minority government was defeated, triggering an election to take place on January 23. TOP In Montevideo : Presidents of MERCOSUR and Associated States Commit to Ratify Convention With Lula da Silva of Brazil, Néstor Kirchner of Argentina, Ricardo Lagos of Chile and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela all present in Montevidoe, Uruguay, the 29th Summit of Presidents of MERCOSUR and associated states concluded on December 9th with a declaration featuring a strong statement in support of the UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions: “They were most heartened by the approval by UNESCO’s 33rd General Conference of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, promising to encourage its legislative ratification and to work together to achieve its objectives, based on the fact that culture, because of its special nature, is not simply a product.” MERCOSUR is composed of Argentina , Brazil , Paraguay , Uruguay and Venezuela, which began the process of becoming a full member at the Montevideo Summit. Associated states are Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. TOP In Bamako : Heads of State and Government of Africa and France Urge Ratification Leaders gathered in Bamako, Mali, on December 3rd and 4th for the 23rd Conference of Heads of State and Government of Africa and France added their voice to those urging a fast-track ratification campaign to ensure the UNESCO Convention enters into effect as soon as possible. Heads of state of 25 African countries joined French President Jacques Chirac for the conference, which was hosted by Amadou Toumani Touré, President of the Republic of Mali. In all, 51 African states were represented at the meeting. Their final communiqué applauded ‘the adoption on October 20 2005 by UNESCO’s 33rd General Conference of the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, which seeks notably to promote national cultures. They called on States to ratify it.” TOP In Madagascar : Francophonie Ministers Add Their Voices to Ratification Call Ministers from the member states of the International Organization of La Francophonie (IOF) met on November 22 and 23 in Antananarivo, Madagascar, for the 21st session of the Ministerial Conference and used the occasion to emphasize the continuing priority La Francophonie attaches to seeing the Convention put in place urgently. The principal purpose of the Antananarivo meeting was to complete work initiated at the IOF’s summit in December of 2004 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to draft and put in place a new charter setting out the organizational framework for its operations. However, the ministers made a point of approving a resolution stressing the importance of member states ratifying the UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity: “Considering the success of the mobilization of the member states and governments of La Francophonie, which contributed significantly to the adoption at UNESCO of the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions; Conscious of the importance of making this text, as quickly as possible, the foundation for an extensive legal space favouring the developing of identities and cultural expressions; [The Ministerial Conference] Recommends that the states and governments that are members of la Francophonie and UNESCO put in motion as quickly as possible the procedures for ratifying the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions and to deposit the instruments of ratification with the UNESCO Secretariat without delay, at the very latest before the Bucharest Summit [in September 2006].” La Francophonie comprises 49 member states and governments, four associated states, and 10 states with observer status. TOP In Dakar : INCP Culture Minister’s Network Stresses Ratification Priority Culture ministers from 19 countries gathered in Dakar, Senegal, from November 20-23 for the eighth ministerial meeting of the International Network on Cultural Policy, concluding their session with a statement that contained a strong call for countries to ratify the UNESCO Convention quickly: “Ministers, Heads of Delegations and the UNESCO representative [underlined] the important contribution of the INCP to the adoption of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. In particular, they noted the necessity of its rapid entry into force and subsequent implementation. They also highlighted the importance of international cooperation, discussed the challenges linked to cultural diversity in relation to social cohesion and sustainable development, as well as the relationship between culture and economy. During the course of the meeting, Ministers invited civil society to discuss their shared objectives in the ratification of the Convention by the greatest number of countries possible.” Ministers from 18 INCP member states attended the Dakar ministerial. Mauritania’s minister of culture attended as a special guest. There was official-level participation from a further 13 INCP members. Five inter-governmental organizations were also represented. On November 21, a delegation of representatives of member coalitions of the International Liaison Committee of Coalition s for Cultural Diversity (ILC) met with the INCP ministers to deliver a presentation that focused on the work coalitions intended to undertake in support of the ratification campaign, and expressed the strong interest of the coalitions in pursuing initiatives in this context that were coordinated and complimentary with the work being carried out through political channels by the culture ministers. The ILC delegation included Nicolas Sawalo Cissé, President of the Senegalese Coalition, Rasmané Ouedraogo, President of Burkina Faso’s Coalition, Ludovic Njoh Mboule, President of the Cameroon Coalition, Debora Abramowicz , Coordinator of the French Coalition, and Jim McKee , Director, External Relations, of the Canadian Coalition. Rasmané Ouedraogo, in his capacity as Secretary General of the African Network of Coalition s for Cultural Diversity, was also part of a civil society delegation that met with the President of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade, later that same day. TOP WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Sets Stage for 2006 Endgame; Meanwhile, U.S. reaches FTA with Peru, and Pacts Loom With Ecuador, Colombia The Hong Kong WTO ministerial meeting came to a conclusion on December 18 with the bulk of media attention focused on the commitment by developed nations, notably the United States and the European Union, to phase out agricultural subsidies by 2013. But the Hong Kong ministerial also served to re-launch the Doha Round’s services negotiations, with a new ‘plurilateral’ approach that may set the stage for pro-liberalization alliances such as ‘friends of audiovisual’ to push for across-the-board liberalization commitments on audiovisual services on a Most Favoured Nation basis. The Hong Kong ministerial declaration was released as this issue of Coalition Currents was in the final stages of production. A more detailed look at the WTO negotiations will appear in the next issue, but declaration highlights touching on services include: An attempt to bolster the bilateral request-offer negotiations among member states with a ‘plurilateral’ approach in which groups of member states join together to make liberalization requests of other member states. The bilateral model has so far yielded very little movement by member states—in fact, the original deadlines for offers and revised offers in the services negotiations were largely ignored. The plurilateral approach represents an attempt to secure much broader commitments from member states. “The results of such negotiations shall be extended on an MFN basis,” the declaration states. A new timetable for the services negotiations that integrates the plurilateral approach. Acknowledging the reality that so far only a very small minority of member states have even filed initial offers (despite the fact that the original deadline for revised offers passed over six months ago, on March 31), Annex C calls on member states to submit any outstanding initial offers “as soon as possible.” The schedule then sets out the following key dates: Groups of Members presenting plurilateral requests to other Members should submit such requests by 28 February 2006 or as soon as possible thereafter. A second round of revised offers shall be submitted by 31 July 2006 . Final draft schedules of commitments shall be submitted by 31 October 2006 . Difficult as the negotiations have been so far, some insiders have always viewed December 2006 as the true deadline for these negotiations—the reason being that this is widely considered the outside date by which the U.S. could agree to a deal and then shepherd it through approval in Washington before President Bush’s fast-track negotiating authority lapsed in July of 2007. The new approach and timetable clearly represents an attempt to change the dynamic of these negotiations. Whether this will prove successful remains to be seen, but it provides an opening for ad hoc groupings of countries—notably ‘friends of audiovisual’, in which the U.S. has figured prominently, to attempt to put audiovisual services into play to a much greater degree than they have been so far. Cultural organizations will want to track these negotiations—and the position their own national governments are taking—closely in the coming months. Meanwhile, on December 7 the United States concluded its latest bilateral FTA with Peru, the first of the Andian Pact countries to agree to such a deal. At the time of this writing, the U.S. and Ecuador were believed to be close to finalizing a deal at any moment, with the U.S. and Colombia set to enter what were expected to be their final set of negotiations in January. In all three countries, Coalitions for Cultural Diversity have been fighting hard to persuade their governments to maintain the maximum possible latitude to apply cultural policies, urging them to refrain from wholesale liberalization commitments affecting culture. In its news release announcing the FTA with Peru , the United States Trade Representative situated the deal in the context of an extremely ambitious free trade agenda: “The United States is aggressively working to open markets globally, regionally, and bilaterally and to expand American opportunities in overseas markets. The Bush administration has completed FTAs with thirteen countries -- Chile, Singapore, Australia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Morocco, Bahrain, Oman, and now Peru . Negotiations are under way with ten more countries: Colombia, Ecuador, United Arab Emirates, Panama, Thailand, and the five nations of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU). New and pending FTA partners, taken together, would constitute America 's third largest export market and the sixth-largest economy in the world.” The next issue of Coalition Currents will provide an initial assessment of the outcome of the Peru-U.S. FTA talks from the perspective of culture, and provide the latest news on the Ecuador and Colombia negotiations with the U.S. TOP			Canada First to Ratify UNESCO Convention; MERCOSUR, Francophonie, INCP Add to Voices Calling on Countries to Ratify on Priority Basis As Official Text Released Canada : Rapid Ratification on the Eve of an Election In Montevideo : Presidents of MERCOSUR and Associated States Commit to Ratify Convention In Bamako : Heads of State and Government of Africa and France Urge Ratification In Madagascar : Francophonie Ministers Add Their Voices to Ratification Call In Dakar : INCP Culture Minister’s Network Stresses Ratification Priority WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Sets Stage for 2006 Endgame; Meanwhile, U.S. reaches FTA with Peru, and Pacts Loom With Ecuador, Colombia Coalition Currents is published by the Secretariat for the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC). Member Coalitions: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guinea, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Korea, Mali, Morocco, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Senegal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, Uruguay, Venezuela. 154 Laurier Ave. West, Suite 240 Montreal, QUE H2T 2N7 T. (514) 277-2666 F. (514) 277-9994 www.coalitionfrancaise.org e-mail: Editor: Jim McKee Contributors in this issue: Robert Pilon, Bruno Bettati, Mélanie Marron, Marisol Paquin We welcome re-use of material from this bulletin with attribution. Coalition Currents is published with the financial assistance of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and the Government of Quebec