MiCultura and City of Knowledge sign framework agreement that benefits cultural and creative enterprises

The Ministry of Culture and the City of Knowledge Foundation signed a framework convention for cultural cooperation that will benefit the creative and cultural initiatives of the country with the development and implementation of a Cultural Information System that will facilitate decision-making and support in the formulation and appraisal of public policies on cultural issues with the participation of all sectors concerned.

One of the products of the convention will allow the training of 1,200 entrepreneurs from creative industries with an emphasis on cultural heritage and digital culture of the program PN-L1146 Support for the Conservation and Management of Cultural and Natural Heritage, financed by the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) and that will be part of the process designed by the Crea project in Panama, recently launched with UNESCO and the European Union.

The aim of this convention is to facilitate collaboration between the ministry and the City of Knowledge Foundation with a view to working together in the areas of information technologies, communication, cultural and creative industries, cultural initiatives, training, counselling, consulting and project development, to support institutional plans to promote public policies with respect to culture, the promotion of cultural rights and sustainable human and local development processes that are part of the aim of both institutions.

The Minister of Culture, Carlo Aguilar Navarro, explained that technical, scientific and cultural cooperation brings great benefits to the development of the entities, with culture being an intrinsic manifestation of every human being that should be held as a tool of growth and integral enrichment of society.

"with the signing of the convention we strengthen formal cooperation relations, enabling efficient use of resources and establishing a collaborative infrastructure to achieve national benefits and human development targets," she emphasized.

Both partners undertake to join forces to ensure that the contribution and exchange of experience will achieve best cultural results at national level by co-contributing to actions to promote sustainable human development, with a view to using the infrastructure, knowledge, skills and experiences of each of the parties to the convention.

The signed convention is of great importance to promote innovation processes in cultural and creative industries that can become a source of employment in new sectors, to promote international cooperation for strengthening cultural development, to provide meeting spaces, resources and projects that promote and strengthen the entrepreneurship of cultural and creative industries and to promote cultural rights so as to allow citizens to fulfill their just aspirations.

Research and development of cultural processes, including cultural and creative industries as well as production, distribution, dissemination, preservation of goods and Panamanian cultural heritage are one of the important points stated in this agreement.

That framework convention for cooperation shall be valid for a term of five years and may be extended by mutual agreement and referred to by the legal representatives of each of the parties after the approval of the Comptroller General of the Republic.