In Latvia, the UNESCO Deputy Director-General, Ernesto Ottone, arrives at the visit to know the traditional tradition of songs and dance festivals included in THE UNESCO representative list of human intangible cultural heritage.
Deputy Director-General OF UNESCO for cultural matters Ernesto Otton will meet with President Nauri Puntuli, President OF the Latvian National Commission of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, to discuss the links of Latvia's cultural policy with THE UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UNESCO cultural conventions ratified by Latvia and Latvia's participation in UNESCO networks. During the visit, Ernesto Otton will participate in a high-level discussion on the protection of Ukrainian cultural heritage during the invasion of the Russian Army. The cultural ministers of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Ukraine will participate in the discussion organised by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.
On Saturday, July 8, Ernesto Otton will visit the National Library of Latvia, where he will meet with its Director, Andris Vilks and his team, to discuss THE joint activities of UNESCO and the National Library of Latvia and the library's ambitious project “Latvian Book 500”, as well as to give a book to the folk of the People's books. On Sunday, July 9, Ernesto Ottones meeting with Director of Latvian National Cultural Centre Signi Puyti, Director of the Latvian University Institute of Latvia Valta Ernštreit and Latvian Academy of Culture, Lolita Ozoliņš, will be devoted to Latvia's experience in preservation of the intangible cultural heritage, including the tradition of songs and dance festivals and the development of cultural spaces.
During the visit, Ernesto Otton will also visit the exhibition “Song festival room” of the museum of the music and museum, the historic centre of Riga, the Latvian Architectural Museum, as well as the dance performance “eternal engine” and the closing concert “together” in the viewers.
Ernesto Ottone (Ernesto Ottone) since 2018 is a Deputy Director-General of UNESCO in cultural matters. He has previously been the Minister of Cultural, Arts and Heritage of Chile (2015-2018), establishing the Monitor's Department and Migration Unit and strengthening copyright laws and the protection of cultural heritage; led the regional centre for the promotion of books in Latin America and the Caribbean (2016-2017), as well as the Director-General of the Chile University artistic and cultural centre (2011-2015).
The Baltic Song and Dance Celebration tradition has been included in UNESCO's representative list of human intangible cultural heritage since 2008.
On UNESCO
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialised United Nations agency that brings together 193 countries worldwide for mutual cooperation in education, science, culture, communication and information to promote peace, public welfare and sustainable development. Latvia joined UNESCO in 1991, but since 1994 THE Latvian National Commission of UNESCO has ensured the implementation of UNESCO programmes in Latvia and is concerned with the representation of Latvia's interests and experience in THE areas of UNESCO's activities internationally. More plašāk: www.unesco.lv and Facebook.com/UNESCOLNK.