Coalition Currents

Spain to Host Founding Congress of International Federation of Coalitions in Seville

Delegates from some 50 countries will gather in Seville , Spain , September 17 to 19 to take part in the Founding Congress that will launch the new International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD).

Participants will include delegates from the 38 coalitions for cultural diversity now in existence. They will be joined by leaders of cultural organizations from an additional 10 countries who have been invited to attend in an observer capacity.

The Congress will take place just before the tenth annual ministerial meeting of the INPC (INCP), which is being hosted by Spain ’s Minister of Culture, César Antonio Molina.

On September 20, a delegation of coalition representatives will appear before the ministers to report on the outcome of the Congress and exchange of views regarding priorities for an effective implementation of the UNESCO convention on the diversity of cultural expressions, including the role of civil society in this process.

The IFCCD Founding Congress is being hosted by Spain ’s Coalition for Cultural Diversity, in collaboration with the Canadian and French Coalitions in their capacity as Co-Secretariat of the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC).

The Seville Congress will effectively transform the ILC into an international federation—a step that delegates attending the Ninth General Assembly of the ILC in Montreal this past March unanimously agreed to proceed with in order to put in place a governance structure, with smaller elected representative bodies mandated to push forward the work of the coalitions in between bi-annual IFCCD Congresses, at which all coalitions will join in articulating the broad direction, priorities, and policy positions of the coalitions movement. Establishing the Federation will also reinforce the coalitions movement’s capacity to build more formal working relationships with key bodies such as UNESCO.

The Seville Congress marks the second time the Spanish Coalition has hosted a major meeting of the coalitions movement. In May of 2005, it hosted the Fourth International Meeting of Cultural Professional Organizations, which brought together representatives of 170 cultural organizations from 60 countries on the eve of the third and decisive UNESCO intergovernmental negotiations session on the convention on the diversity of cultural expressions.

“We are very pleased to once again be hosting our colleagues from around the world for the Seville Congress, which truly represents a watershed moment in the evolution of the coalitions movement,” said Eduardo Bautista, President of the Spanish Coalition and Chairman of SGAE, the authors and composers rights society.

“The timing for Seville is ideal,” noted Pedro Pérez Vice-President of the Spanish Coalition and President of the producers’ federation of associations FAPAE. “In addition to internal structure, we will be discussing key issues relating to implementation of the convention—as well as the ongoing challenge of encouraging the broadest possible ratification of the convention by UNESCO member states. We will immediately be able to engage with the INCP ministers on these important questions, and prepare for the first Intergovernmental Committee Meeting on the Convention set to take place in Ottawa in December.”

Establishing this new Federation is an emphatic expression of our resolve as coalitions to remain active in the campaign for cultural diversity, and to continue expanding the engagement of cultural organizations from around the world in this campaign,” added Jorge Bosso, Vice President of the Spanish Coalition and Secretary General of the Spanish actors’ federation FAEE. “We would like to express our thanks to the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Regional Government of Andalusia for their support in making this meeting possible.” Additional support has been provided by the International Organization of La Francophonie and the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development.

Seventeen experts gathered in Madrid July 10 to 12 to discuss issues of international cooperation with reference to the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions.

Anna Danieli, an independent publisher and longstanding member of Uruguay ’s Coalition for Cultural Diversity, was among the group of experts, which also included other cultural practitioners, academics, NGO leaders, foundation officials, and government officials.

Galia Saouma-Forero, Chief of Section of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions of the UNESCO’s Division of Cultural Expressions and Creative Industries, headed up the UNESCO team present for the experts’ deliberations.

Milagros del Corral, former Director of UNESCO’s Arts and Cultural Enterprise Division, moderated the open sessions of the meeting, which were attended by several observers from government, intergovernmental organizations, foundations active in the cultural sector, and the academic world.

The experts’ recommendations will be passed on for consideration by the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention that will meet for the first time in Ottawa starting December 10.

A detailed summary of the experts’ discussion, including their recommendations for action, is expected to be available shortly on UNESCO’s cultural diversity site.

First Conference of Parties to UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions Held June 18-20 in Paris

The first Conference of the 57 States Parties to the Convention (that is, of the 56 States that had ratified the convention on or before its March 18 entry into force, as well as the European Commission) was held in the presence of numerous observers, notably from the coalitions for cultural diversity.

The officially registered delegation of the International Liaison Committee consisted of Jim McKee and Solange Drouin of the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Diversity, Cécile Despringre of the French Coalition, Sergio Navatta of the Uruguayan Coalition, and Mané Nett of the Chilean Coalition. However, several other coalitions were present as well, whether as part of their national delegations, or representing other NGOs: Beat Sanchi, Diego Gradis and Mathias Knauer of the Swiss Coalition, Giaccomo Mazzone of the Italian Coalition, Christine Merkel of the German Coalition and Kodjo Noussouglo of the Togolese Coalition.

The purpose of this first Conference of Parties was to establish the operational and monitoring organs of the Convention. Under the chairmanship of Kader Asmal, who chaired the intergovernmental negotiations on the convention from September 2004 to June 2005, the Conference of Parties started by adopting its own rules of procedure.

Adoption of the internal by-laws

One key issue addressed by the rules of procedure concerns the treatment of NGOs. The States Parties agreed on language that grants the status of observer at the Conference of Parties specifically to non-governmental organizations “having interests and activities in the field covered by the Convention.” These NGOs “may be invited by the Conference to participate in its work as observers, without the right to vote, and subject to the provisions of Rule 9.3, at all its sessions, at a single session or at a specific meeting of a session upon written request to the Director-General of UNESCO.”

The Rules of Procedure also established the principles of geographic distribution and rotation of the 24 Parties elected to the Intergovernmental Committee: the elections took place based on the composition of UNESCO’s six electoral groups, and the distribution of seats was pro-rated to the number of State Parties within each group, with a minimum of three seats and a maximum of six seats being granted to each group.

Given that only two States from the Asia were eligible to attend the Conference ( India and China ) and that the Arab States also had low representation, an agreement was reached to allocate seats from these zones to other zones that have significantly higher levels of ratification. This arrangement will stand until the next Conference of Parties (scheduled to take place in June of 2009).

Accordingly, group I (Western Europe and North America) obtained seven seats, group II (Eastern Europe) obtained four seats, group III (Central and South America) obtained four seats, group IV (Asia) two seats, group Va (Africa) five seats and group Vb (Arab countries) two seats, with the understanding that at the next session of the Conference of the Parties, group I would yield one seat to group IV and group Va would yield one seat to group Vb.

The Rules of Procedure also organized a random draw to determine which twelve member States of the Intergovernmental Committee (half) would be given a limited mandate of two years—as opposed to four years—to allow for the renewal of half of the seats every two years. To implement the rotation principle, the Rules of Procedure specified that, in principle, members could not be elected for two consecutive mandates (three exceptions are provided for, including one that enables those countries that have drawn only two-year mandates to stand for election for a second term).

Election of the Intergovernmental Committee

The Conference of Parties proceeded to elect State Parties to the Intergovernmental Committee. The following States were elected:

Group I: Germany , Greece , Luxembourg , Finland (two years), Canada (two years), Austria (two years) and France (two years).
Group II: Croatia , Lithuania , Albania (two years) and Slovenia (two years).
Group III: Mexico , St. Lucia , Guatemala (two years) and Brazil (two years).
Group IV: India and China (two years).
Group Va : Senegal , South Africa , Mauritius , Mali (two years) and Burkina Faso (two years).
Group Vb: Oman and Tunisia (two years).

International Fund for Cultural Diversity

With respect to the Fund, the Conference of Parties went no further than adopting a resolution mandating the Intergovernmental Committee to submit to it for approval at its next session a draft policy on the use of fund resources, setting out priorities and terms for the latter.

In their opening statements, a number of Parties announced their intention to make an initial contribution to the fund.

Date and Time of Upcoming Meetings

The Conference of Parties decided to hold its regular sessions every two years around the month of June and not at the time of UNESCO’s General Conference. The second regular session of the Conference of Parties is accordingly scheduled for June 2009.

In the meantime, the Intergovernmental Committee is scheduled to meet four times: in December 2007, in May 2008, in September 2008 and in the spring of 2009. It was decided that the meetings would, as a general rule, take place in Paris . However, due to its inaugural nature, the Conference of Parties accepted Canada ’s invitation to hold the first meeting of the Committee on December 10-14, 2007 , in Ottawa .

NGO Participation

NGOs were granted very limited opportunity to express themselves before the Conference of the Parties. While the coalitions had submitted a written request to speak prior to the Conference, the Chair ultimately only granted shared speaking time on behalf of all NGOs on the second day, forcing them to agree on a common statement at the very last minute. Solange Drouin , Vice-President of the Canadian Coalition, delivered the intervention on behalf of the organizations present: International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD), European Broadcast Union (EBU), The International Theatre Institute, International Music Council, International Council of Museums (ICOM), International Federation of Musicians (FIM), Traditions for Tomorrow and the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC).

The real work to implement the convention is now in the hands of the Intergovernmental Committee. And it is now up to the Coalitions to work with the Parties elected to this Committee to secure better channels for working with the Committee, and thereby help to ensure a quick, consistent and effective implementation of the convention.

TOP

Robert Pilon Steps Down as Executive Vice President of the Canadian Coalition

At the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Diversity’s annual general meeting held in Montreal June 8, Robert Pilon stepped down after seven-and-a-half extremely eventful years as its Executive Vice President.

In the course of more than 120 international missions to some 45 countries, Robert played a key role in helping to mobilize cultural organizations around the world in support of the campaign for what ultimately became the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions.

As part of this campaign, he also staged in September of 2001 the first International Meeting of Professional Associations from the Cultural Milieu, which inspired a series of progressively larger similar meetings in Paris (February 2003), Seoul (June 2004), and Madrid (May 2005).

He was also instrumental in initiating the formation of what became known as the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity, which now brings together coalitions from 38 countries representing several hundred cultural professional organizations, and which will be formally transformed into an international federation at a founding congress in Seville , Spain , this September.

Recently appointed Director General of Strategic Planning for Radio-Canada, the country's public broadcaster, Robert will join his former colleagues in Seville for the opening ceremonies of the Founding Congress.

“Certainly, we will miss Robert, but we all recognize the remarkable contribution he has made to advancing the cause of cultural diversity and he can certainly pass on the torch with a well-deserved feeling of accomplishment,” said Solange Drouin , Executive Director and Vice President, Public Affairs, with the Quebec independent producers association ADISQ, who was elected Co-Chair of the Canadian Coalition at its June 8 AGM.

“My decision to leave now is informed by the recognition that with the implementation process beginning, we will be entering a new phase in the campaign,” Robert explained. “Having worked on the campaign from its earliest days—when the challenge was to make the case for an international instrument on cultural diversity—through the negotiations to ensure an effective Convention was adopted, and then into the first phase of a ratification campaign to ensure it entered into effect on a priority basis, I feel now is the right time to make this transition.”

“I leave confident that the coalitions movement has a strong group of leaders in place around the world to continue the work in the years ahead,” Robert added. “And I want to emphasize that the work is by no means over. The UNESCO convention has entered into force, but a Phase II campaign must continue to ensure that it is ratified on a scale appropriate for major international agreements—surpassing 100 ratifications and ultimately being ratified by 150 or more countries. Moreover, the next two years will be a critical period in terms of ensuring that the Convention is effectively implemented.”

Robert cited the personal relationships developed over the course of his many travels as one of the most rewarding aspects of his work with the Coalition.

“I have had the great honour and good fortune of meeting, of getting to know (of often forging deep bonds of friendship with) and of working alongside hundreds of individuals who have laboured tirelessly, both here in Canada and in many countries in all regions of the world, to make our ambitious undertaking a success,” he said.

Jim McKee , who has worked closely with Robert since joining the Canadian Coalition in March 2003, has been appointed to succeed him in the re-named position of Executive Director.

(30)

TOP

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				Highlights:
	Vol. 5, No. 3 August 2007 Spain to Host Founding Congress of International Federation of Coalitions in Seville Delegates from some 50 countries will gather in Seville , Spain , September 17 to 19 to take part in the Founding Congress that will launch the new International Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD). Participants will include delegates from the 38 coalitions for cultural diversity now in existence. They will be joined by leaders of cultural organizations from an additional 10 countries who have been invited to attend in an observer capacity. The Congress will take place just before the tenth annual ministerial meeting of the INPC (INCP), which is being hosted by Spain ’s Minister of Culture, César Antonio Molina. On September 20, a delegation of coalition representatives will appear before the ministers to report on the outcome of the Congress and exchange of views regarding priorities for an effective implementation of the UNESCO convention on the diversity of cultural expressions, including the role of civil society in this process. The IFCCD Founding Congress is being hosted by Spain ’s Coalition for Cultural Diversity, in collaboration with the Canadian and French Coalitions in their capacity as Co-Secretariat of the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC). The Seville Congress will effectively transform the ILC into an international federation—a step that delegates attending the Ninth General Assembly of the ILC in Montreal this past March unanimously agreed to proceed with in order to put in place a governance structure, with smaller elected representative bodies mandated to push forward the work of the coalitions in between bi-annual IFCCD Congresses, at which all coalitions will join in articulating the broad direction, priorities, and policy positions of the coalitions movement. Establishing the Federation will also reinforce the coalitions movement’s capacity to build more formal working relationships with key bodies such as UNESCO. The Seville Congress marks the second time the Spanish Coalition has hosted a major meeting of the coalitions movement. In May of 2005, it hosted the Fourth International Meeting of Cultural Professional Organizations, which brought together representatives of 170 cultural organizations from 60 countries on the eve of the third and decisive UNESCO intergovernmental negotiations session on the convention on the diversity of cultural expressions. “We are very pleased to once again be hosting our colleagues from around the world for the Seville Congress, which truly represents a watershed moment in the evolution of the coalitions movement,” said Eduardo Bautista, President of the Spanish Coalition and Chairman of SGAE, the authors and composers rights society. “The timing for Seville is ideal,” noted Pedro Pérez Vice-President of the Spanish Coalition and President of the producers’ federation of associations FAPAE. “In addition to internal structure, we will be discussing key issues relating to implementation of the convention—as well as the ongoing challenge of encouraging the broadest possible ratification of the convention by UNESCO member states. We will immediately be able to engage with the INCP ministers on these important questions, and prepare for the first Intergovernmental Committee Meeting on the Convention set to take place in Ottawa in December.” Establishing this new Federation is an emphatic expression of our resolve as coalitions to remain active in the campaign for cultural diversity, and to continue expanding the engagement of cultural organizations from around the world in this campaign,” added Jorge Bosso, Vice President of the Spanish Coalition and Secretary General of the Spanish actors’ federation FAEE. “We would like to express our thanks to the Spanish Ministry of Culture, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Regional Government of Andalusia for their support in making this meeting possible.” Additional support has been provided by the International Organization of La Francophonie and the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development. International Cooperation Focus of Experts Group Meeting in Madrid Seventeen experts gathered in Madrid July 10 to 12 to discuss issues of international cooperation with reference to the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. Organized by UNESCO with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation in partnership with the Interuniversity Institute for Cultural Communication of Madrid’s University Carlos III, the three-day meeting focused on three main issues: An analysis of articles 12 to 16 of the convention concerning international cooperation. Preparing outlines of cooperation programs and projects to develop policies and measures as well as capacity-building initiatives in line with the convention’s guiding principles. Developing profiles of, and possible roles for, of different stakeholders concerned by the convention. Anna Danieli, an independent publisher and longstanding member of Uruguay ’s Coalition for Cultural Diversity, was among the group of experts, which also included other cultural practitioners, academics, NGO leaders, foundation officials, and government officials. Galia Saouma-Forero, Chief of Section of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions of the UNESCO’s Division of Cultural Expressions and Creative Industries, headed up the UNESCO team present for the experts’ deliberations. Milagros del Corral, former Director of UNESCO’s Arts and Cultural Enterprise Division, moderated the open sessions of the meeting, which were attended by several observers from government, intergovernmental organizations, foundations active in the cultural sector, and the academic world. The experts’ recommendations will be passed on for consideration by the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention that will meet for the first time in Ottawa starting December 10. A detailed summary of the experts’ discussion, including their recommendations for action, is expected to be available shortly on UNESCO’s cultural diversity site. TOP First Conference of Parties to UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions Held June 18-20 in Paris The first Conference of the 57 States Parties to the Convention (that is, of the 56 States that had ratified the convention on or before its March 18 entry into force, as well as the European Commission) was held in the presence of numerous observers, notably from the coalitions for cultural diversity. The officially registered delegation of the International Liaison Committee consisted of Jim McKee and Solange Drouin of the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Diversity, Cécile Despringre of the French Coalition, Sergio Navatta of the Uruguayan Coalition, and Mané Nett of the Chilean Coalition. However, several other coalitions were present as well, whether as part of their national delegations, or representing other NGOs: Beat Sanchi, Diego Gradis and Mathias Knauer of the Swiss Coalition, Giaccomo Mazzone of the Italian Coalition, Christine Merkel of the German Coalition and Kodjo Noussouglo of the Togolese Coalition. The purpose of this first Conference of Parties was to establish the operational and monitoring organs of the Convention. Under the chairmanship of Kader Asmal, who chaired the intergovernmental negotiations on the convention from September 2004 to June 2005, the Conference of Parties started by adopting its own rules of procedure. Adoption of the internal by-laws One key issue addressed by the rules of procedure concerns the treatment of NGOs. The States Parties agreed on language that grants the status of observer at the Conference of Parties specifically to non-governmental organizations “having interests and activities in the field covered by the Convention.” These NGOs “may be invited by the Conference to participate in its work as observers, without the right to vote, and subject to the provisions of Rule 9.3, at all its sessions, at a single session or at a specific meeting of a session upon written request to the Director-General of UNESCO.” The Rules of Procedure also established the principles of geographic distribution and rotation of the 24 Parties elected to the Intergovernmental Committee: the elections took place based on the composition of UNESCO’s six electoral groups, and the distribution of seats was pro-rated to the number of State Parties within each group, with a minimum of three seats and a maximum of six seats being granted to each group. Given that only two States from the Asia were eligible to attend the Conference ( India and China ) and that the Arab States also had low representation, an agreement was reached to allocate seats from these zones to other zones that have significantly higher levels of ratification. This arrangement will stand until the next Conference of Parties (scheduled to take place in June of 2009). Accordingly, group I (Western Europe and North America) obtained seven seats, group II (Eastern Europe) obtained four seats, group III (Central and South America) obtained four seats, group IV (Asia) two seats, group Va (Africa) five seats and group Vb (Arab countries) two seats, with the understanding that at the next session of the Conference of the Parties, group I would yield one seat to group IV and group Va would yield one seat to group Vb. The Rules of Procedure also organized a random draw to determine which twelve member States of the Intergovernmental Committee (half) would be given a limited mandate of two years—as opposed to four years—to allow for the renewal of half of the seats every two years. To implement the rotation principle, the Rules of Procedure specified that, in principle, members could not be elected for two consecutive mandates (three exceptions are provided for, including one that enables those countries that have drawn only two-year mandates to stand for election for a second term). Election of the Intergovernmental Committee The Conference of Parties proceeded to elect State Parties to the Intergovernmental Committee. The following States were elected: Group I: Germany , Greece , Luxembourg , Finland (two years), Canada (two years), Austria (two years) and France (two years). Group II: Croatia , Lithuania , Albania (two years) and Slovenia (two years). Group III: Mexico , St. Lucia , Guatemala (two years) and Brazil (two years). Group IV: India and China (two years). Group Va : Senegal , South Africa , Mauritius , Mali (two years) and Burkina Faso (two years). Group Vb: Oman and Tunisia (two years). International Fund for Cultural Diversity With respect to the Fund, the Conference of Parties went no further than adopting a resolution mandating the Intergovernmental Committee to submit to it for approval at its next session a draft policy on the use of fund resources, setting out priorities and terms for the latter. In their opening statements, a number of Parties announced their intention to make an initial contribution to the fund. Date and Time of Upcoming Meetings The Conference of Parties decided to hold its regular sessions every two years around the month of June and not at the time of UNESCO’s General Conference. The second regular session of the Conference of Parties is accordingly scheduled for June 2009. In the meantime, the Intergovernmental Committee is scheduled to meet four times: in December 2007, in May 2008, in September 2008 and in the spring of 2009. It was decided that the meetings would, as a general rule, take place in Paris . However, due to its inaugural nature, the Conference of Parties accepted Canada ’s invitation to hold the first meeting of the Committee on December 10-14, 2007 , in Ottawa . NGO Participation NGOs were granted very limited opportunity to express themselves before the Conference of the Parties. While the coalitions had submitted a written request to speak prior to the Conference, the Chair ultimately only granted shared speaking time on behalf of all NGOs on the second day, forcing them to agree on a common statement at the very last minute. Solange Drouin , Vice-President of the Canadian Coalition, delivered the intervention on behalf of the organizations present: International Network for Cultural Diversity (INCD), European Broadcast Union (EBU), The International Theatre Institute, International Music Council, International Council of Museums (ICOM), International Federation of Musicians (FIM), Traditions for Tomorrow and the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC). The real work to implement the convention is now in the hands of the Intergovernmental Committee. And it is now up to the Coalitions to work with the Parties elected to this Committee to secure better channels for working with the Committee, and thereby help to ensure a quick, consistent and effective implementation of the convention. TOP Robert Pilon Steps Down as Executive Vice President of the Canadian Coalition At the Canadian Coalition for Cultural Diversity’s annual general meeting held in Montreal June 8, Robert Pilon stepped down after seven-and-a-half extremely eventful years as its Executive Vice President. In the course of more than 120 international missions to some 45 countries, Robert played a key role in helping to mobilize cultural organizations around the world in support of the campaign for what ultimately became the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. As part of this campaign, he also staged in September of 2001 the first International Meeting of Professional Associations from the Cultural Milieu, which inspired a series of progressively larger similar meetings in Paris (February 2003), Seoul (June 2004), and Madrid (May 2005). He was also instrumental in initiating the formation of what became known as the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity, which now brings together coalitions from 38 countries representing several hundred cultural professional organizations, and which will be formally transformed into an international federation at a founding congress in Seville , Spain , this September. Recently appointed Director General of Strategic Planning for Radio-Canada, the country's public broadcaster, Robert will join his former colleagues in Seville for the opening ceremonies of the Founding Congress. “Certainly, we will miss Robert, but we all recognize the remarkable contribution he has made to advancing the cause of cultural diversity and he can certainly pass on the torch with a well-deserved feeling of accomplishment,” said Solange Drouin , Executive Director and Vice President, Public Affairs, with the Quebec independent producers association ADISQ, who was elected Co-Chair of the Canadian Coalition at its June 8 AGM. “My decision to leave now is informed by the recognition that with the implementation process beginning, we will be entering a new phase in the campaign,” Robert explained. “Having worked on the campaign from its earliest days—when the challenge was to make the case for an international instrument on cultural diversity—through the negotiations to ensure an effective Convention was adopted, and then into the first phase of a ratification campaign to ensure it entered into effect on a priority basis, I feel now is the right time to make this transition.” “I leave confident that the coalitions movement has a strong group of leaders in place around the world to continue the work in the years ahead,” Robert added. “And I want to emphasize that the work is by no means over. The UNESCO convention has entered into force, but a Phase II campaign must continue to ensure that it is ratified on a scale appropriate for major international agreements—surpassing 100 ratifications and ultimately being ratified by 150 or more countries. Moreover, the next two years will be a critical period in terms of ensuring that the Convention is effectively implemented.” Robert cited the personal relationships developed over the course of his many travels as one of the most rewarding aspects of his work with the Coalition. “I have had the great honour and good fortune of meeting, of getting to know (of often forging deep bonds of friendship with) and of working alongside hundreds of individuals who have laboured tirelessly, both here in Canada and in many countries in all regions of the world, to make our ambitious undertaking a success,” he said. Jim McKee , who has worked closely with Robert since joining the Canadian Coalition in March 2003, has been appointed to succeed him in the re-named position of Executive Director. (30) TOP			Spain to Host Founding Congress of International Federation of Coalitions in Seville First Conference of Parties to UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions Held June 18-20 in Paris Robert Pilon Steps Down as Executive Vice President of the Canadian Coalition Coalition Currents is published by the Secretariat for the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity (ILC). Member Coalitions: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Ecuador, France, Germany, Guinea, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Ivory Coast, Korea, Mali, Morocco, Mexico, New Zealand, Niger, Paraguay, Peru, Senegal, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, 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, Jean-Luc Pilon, Julie Masson 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, the Government of Quebec, the Ministry of Culture of Ontario, and the Culture and Sport Secretariat of New Brunswick