The Organisation of American States (OAS) says the 8th Inter American Meeting of Ministers of Culture and Highest Appropriate Authorities will be held this week in Bridgetown, Barbados.

The OAS said the meeting will be held under the slogan: “Strengthening the Creative Economy and Culture Sector: Repositioning the Culture Sector to Secure Sustainable Development.”

“The meeting will provide a forum on strengthening the creative economy and the culture sector, and the importance of cultural data collection and measurement as critical elements to support evidence based policy design and to advocate for the allocation of public and private resources to the sector,” the OAS said.

In addition, it said the meeting will address issues related to the contribution of women to culture, enhancing the capacity of businesses and enterprises in the creative economy, opportunities to strengthen the links between tourism of cultural heritage and other sectors, among other topics.

“Moreover, the meeting will provide an opportunity to exchange information on initiatives undertaken by regional and international organizations regarding the establishment of indicators highlighting culture’s contribution to sustainable development.”

The meeting will be opened on Thursday by OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro; the Minister of Creative Economy, Culture and Sports of Barbados, John King; and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Creative Economy, Culture and Sports of Barbados, Jehu Wiltshire.