H.E. Mr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran;

Ministers and Heads of Delegations of the Member and Observer countries of the Non-Aligned Movement;

Distinguished delegates and guests:

On behalf of the Presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement, I would like to extend appreciation for the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to host this Ministerial Meeting, whose gathering was agreed upon by the XIV Summit in Havana nearly a year ago.

We will look at issues of extraordinary relevance, just now, when it is more necessary than ever before to work tenaciously in order to preserve the culture and identity of our peoples, when we must join forces in defending cultural diversity and our cultural rights.

We will have a unique opportunity to engage in the exchange of experiences, ideas and projects; and to review and assess the performance of the Non-Aligned Movement in light of the current challenges in the field of human rights and cultural diversity.

Culture is an essential component of sovereignty. That is how President Fidel Castro defined it some years ago: “What is Homeland if not a culture of one’s own?”

Today, the cultural heritage of our nations is endangered and it is our duty to fight, both smartly and resolutely, in defense of the right of our peoples to preserve the legacy of our history and our culture for the future generations.

The implementation of the tenet that the best way to subdue a nation is by destroying its historic and cultural heritage and its patrimonial values forms part of the domination and hegemony strategy imposed by the powerful on a global scale. Promoting the respect for each nation’s culture, history, diverse religions and idiosyncrasy is a fundamental human right. Fostering the respect for cultural diversity is our duty and our right.

Neoliberalism, in a globalized world, has visited merchandising and privatization upon most of the cultural production around. Authentic art tries hard to forge ahead amid the relentless invasion of transnational corporations and the market.

Culture turned into merchandise, the spread of mind-numbing banality as opposed to thought-provoking art and the dissemination of one-sided mediocrity versus cultural diversity are the result of the decimating action of “the All-Powerful Master Money.”

It is not a haphazard action; it is a plan. The privileged and parasitic consumerism of an elite is allegedly presented as the equivalent of development. They want to convince us that it is our fault that our countries are stifled by poverty and underdevelopment.

They are seeking to break our endurance and resistance to a consumption model that makes it impossible for our species to survive, that pollutes, degrades and depletes the natural resources for a minority to squander wealth at the expense of the hardships of four fifths of the planet’s population.

The unipolar hegemony brought into play by the mightiest and wealthiest power in history in terms of economic, political and military relations on the international scene attempts to impose a single culture on a global scale. They are trying to convince us of a mirage, of a colonizing model, purposefully bedazzling and alienating, under the guise of global culture.

Faced with this worrisome reality, it is imperative that we defend ethical and esthetic values as opposed to market-based mediocrity – and that we connect culture with the safeguard of each nation’s identity and the preservation of the human species.

It is essential that the United Nations play a role in protecting and promoting diverse cultures, in the same way that international cooperation in this area should contribute to it. Full respect for political, economic, cultural, social and religious diversity is decisive, in strict conformity with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

We can and we must fight! This is not a lost battle. A recent indication of it is the entry into force of the UNESCO Convention of the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted by 148 countries and only objected to by the United States and Israel. Such agreement is a landmark in our common struggle to preserve the important human right to diversity.

But it is just the beginning. The Convention identified the objectives. Now we must work in order to turn it into concrete results and prevent it from becoming dead letter. We must increase our activism in UNESCO, where last March we reorganized the work of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Let us recall that by 2005, as a result of our struggles, the Commission on Human Rights, still in the midst of disrepute and politicization, was forced to proclaim that “cultural rights are an integral part of human rights, which are universal, indivisible and interdependent.”

We are currently dealing with the final stage in the institutional building of the new Human Rights Council. So far, we have prevented the powerful from getting away with it and doing what suits them. They have not been able to keep us from moving forward in building a Council devoid of the corrupted and hackneyed practices that weighed down the now-defunct Commission. But it is clear that they are already concocting their revenge, that they will attempt a new assault at the General Assembly. We must be alert.

Since now, we must get to work for the Human Rights Council to proclaim the international recognition of the human right to cultural diversity. Also in our favor is the related resolution adopted in December 2005 by the United Nations General Assembly, which asserted “the importance for all peoples and nations to maintain, develop and preserve their cultural heritage and their traditions.”

Excellencies:

About Cuba, my Homeland that has been subjected to a blockade and to aggressions for half a century, I will just say that it has resisted, that it resists and that it will overcome, for it proclaimed in Fidel’s voice that “there is no freedom possible without culture,” because the Revolution told the people: “we are not telling you to believe, we are asking you to read.” Because we always understood that Humanity is our Homeland – and we have defended our national heritage and values in close and essential connection with the universal ones.

Let us join efforts in order to save universal culture, underpinned by the authenticity and diversity of the most enlightened spiritual and artistic creativity of our peoples and nations.

Let us defend the globalization of diversity. Let us demand respect for the rights of the minorities, of the disadvantaged, of the marginalized.

Let us strongly condemn the lack of respect for cultural diversity and let us reject the racist, discriminatory and xenophobic conceptions about the superiority of races, cultures and nations – which have been some of the root causes of painful conflicts in history, whose repetition we must be in a position to avoid.

Let us promote the dialogue among cultures and civilizations – and let us strongly oppose the pretext of the so-called “clash of civilizations,” used by those who threaten the peace and security of our peoples.

Let us work to put in place cultural policies that uphold our national identities and protect our heritage.

Cuba recognizes that there is a huge challenge ahead of us and that effort will be required, particularly the political commitment to materialize concrete actions that add content to the statements and agreements that we adopt at this Ministerial Meeting. But we are optimistic and rely on the strength of our unity, on the wealth of our diversity and on the shared will to fight for our right to a world with peace and justice for all.

Defending cultural diversity today is tantamount to defending our right to preserve the future of humankind. In this, as in other battles to vindicate the aspirations of the peoples of the South, the Non-Aligned Movement will be able to count on Cuba.

Thank you very much.