Paris, 3 June 2025. Latin America and the Caribbean Week was officially inaugurated at UNESCO. The celebration is centered on the theme of the biocultural diversity of the region. With a four-day program, the scheduled activities will run until 6 June.
The opening ceremony was attended by UNESCO’s leadership, including its Director-General, Ms. Audrey Azoulay, who, in her remarks, highlighted the value of international cooperation in protecting diversity through an alliance between traditional knowledge, science, and cultures. In this regard, she underscored the contribution of the “Transcultura” program, implemented from Havana, and its importance in strengthening Caribbean artistic creation.
David Choquehuanca, Vice President of Bolivia, the country currently chairing the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC), also delivered opening remarks at this major celebration. In his address, he emphasized the need to defend the cultural plurality and heterogeneity that make our region unique, and the responsibility to protect Mother Earth as a living rights-bearing entity.
With artistic performances from the region the stage was filled with music and color. A special moment was devoted to the colloquium: “Safeguarding Biocultural Diversity: Challenges and Responses from Latin America and the Caribbean.”
The week at UNESCO will feature a wide array of cultural expressions, ranging from cuisine to cinema, visual arts, music, and dance. Among the contributions from the Cuban Delegation in this edition are an exhibition showcasing the results of the local development project “Flora: Grandma’s Apothecary”, as well as the region’s only UNESCO Chair on Natural Medicine, based at the University of Havana.
Additionally, French expert and filmmaker Dominique Roland, president of the Enghien-les-Bains Arts Center, will offer an illustrated presentation on the history of Cuban son music at UNESCO’s Miró Room, featuring a live performance by the quartet “Son mío” and a dance performance by Cuban dancers.
The celebration will conclude with the traditional “Cuban Mojito Bar”, a festive tribute to Cuban culture through the tasting of this iconic and popular national drink, along with recognition of the knowledge of the Masters of Light Rum, inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.