Informal meeting of the European Ministers responsible for Cultural Affairs : «The new role and new responsibilities of Ministers of Culture in initiating intercultural dialogue, with due regard for cultural diversity» - Strasbourg, 17- 18 February 2003

	Thirty Council of Europe Culture Ministers to discuss their new role in conflict prevention Culture ministers from member states, candidates for membership and observer states to the Council of Europe met in Strasbourg on 17 and 18 February. They debated their role and responsibilities in fostering intercultural dialogue whilst respecting cultural diversity. Discussions focused in particular on the role of culture in preventing and overcoming conflicts.
Themes - Culture and conflict - Diversity and dialogue - Governance and inter-sectorial cooperation - Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict Prevention
Programme List of Participants Contacts Curriculum Vitae of Heads of Delegations Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict prevention website Action plan 2002-2004 Expert Colloquy – « Dialogue serving intercultural and inter-religious communication » - Strasbourg, 7 to 9 October 2002 Conclusions and debates analysis			Council of Europe interview brings Greek and Turkish Culture Ministers together In the last years, after centuries of conflict, Greece and Turkey have been shrugging off their mutual prejudices and setting out to forge new ties, political, economic and cultural – an example which many other countries could usefully follow. Interview
		Robert Grossmann: ''Strasbourg, the home of European cultures'' “We want to make Strasbourg the home of European cultures, with the Council of Europe and the other cultural institutions which we have in the city,” said Robert Grossmann, President of the Strasbourg Urban Community, when he received the Council of Europe’s Ministers responsible for Cultural Affairs on 17 February at the Palais des Rohan. Pictures of the reception
			Maud de Boer-Buquicchio : “The initiation of intercultural dialogue, a keenly-awaited development” Addressing the Culture Ministers, the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, said that conflicts could be neither prevented nor resolved “without a consistent policy capable of guiding people’s choices and helping them deal with the situations that arise”. Speech
		Rokas Bernotas says cultural dialogue is a key to avoiding minority communities' sense of exclusion In his opening address Lithuania's Ambassador, Rokas Bernotas, said that internal cultural dialogue was a key to understanding and managing delicate situations so that no community felt estranged from its country's dominant group. Speech
Introduction to the themes of the Ministerial Colloquy Professor Johan Galtung - Rethinking Conflict: the Cultural Approach Professor Jean Petaux - From the Expert Colloquy on “Dialogue serving intercultural and inter-religious communication” to the Draft Declaration on “Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict Prevention” Working session 1 : culture and conflict Chair: Mrs Jenny Randerson, AM, Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Langauge of the United Kingdom Introduction by Dr Antun Vujic, Minister of Culture of Croatia General debate Speech by Mrs Katérina Stenou, Director of the Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialogue (UNESCO cultural sector) Address by Dr Petros M. Kareklas, permanent Secretary (vice Minister) of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus Working session 2 : diversity and dialogue Chair: Mr Hüseyin Celik, Minister of Culture of Turkey Introduction by Mr. Evangelos Venizelos, Minister of Culture of Greece General debate Intervention of Mrs Marie Bedard, International and International Affairs (Canada) Speech by Mr Blagoj Stefanovski, Minister of Culture of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Speech by Mr.Waldemar Dabrowski, Minister of Culture of Poland Working session 3 : governance and inter-sectorial cooperation Chair: Dr Pedro Manuel Da Cruz Roseta, Minister of Culture of Portugal General debate Address by Mrs Sesili Gogiberidze, Minister of Culture of Georgia Address by Dr Petra Smolikova, Vice-Minister, Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic Address by Mr Kalevi Kivistö, Director General, Ministry of Education Working session 4 : towards a draft declaration on “Intercultural Dialogue and Conflict Prevention Chair: Mr Razvan Theodorescu, Minister of Culture of Romania General debate Address by Mrs Karistas H. Gunnarsdottir, Director of Cultural Office – Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Iceland Address by Mr Pietro Ercole Ago, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Italy (Italian version) Speech by Mr Rudolf Chmel, Minister of Culture of the Slovak Republic (Slovakian version)