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Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights
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March 9, 2022

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur in the Field of Cultural Rights

Statement As Delivered by Kelly Billingsley

Delegation of the United States of America

Human Rights Council – 49th Session 

March 8, 2022

Thank you Mr. Vice President and Madam Special Rapporteur.

The United States welcomes the Special Rapporteur’s first report in the field of cultural rights.  We support your assessment that the freedom to take part in and enjoy cultural life is indispensable for creative activity and celebrates the cultural diversity of humankind.

We support the focus on the cultural rights of members of marginalized and underrepresented groups, including indigenous peoples.  The United States recognizes the challenges that historically underserved communities face.  We strive to advance equity and to create a space in which these members of society are able to celebrate their diverse cultural and religious heritage.

The United States supports further exploring the intersection of culture and environment to see where cultural knowledge and practices can achieve more sustainable ways of life.

We condemn the detentions of Afro-Cuban artists and activists Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara and Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo.  We call for an immediate end to the harassment and unjust detentions of Cubans exercising freedoms of expression, religion or belief, and peaceful assembly.

Question:  How can we protect freedoms indispensable for creative activity and activism globally?

Thank you.