The context of the approval of the Agenda 2030 of Sustainable Development converged in Cuba with the process to conform a proposal of development strategy, called "National Plan of Economic and Social Development until 2030" (PNDES 2030), with a systemic, comprehensive and sustainable approach that responds to a strategic and consensual vision in the medium and long term, coherent with what was proposed in the Conceptualizing of the Cuban Economic and Social Model and the Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the Party and the Revolution. In May 2017, the Third Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba approved the guiding documents for updating the Cuban economic model of socialist development and the bases for the elaboration of the National Plan of Economic and Social Development, which were approved by the National Assembly of People's Power on June 1 of this year.
In Cuba, the elaboration of the "National Plan of Economic and Social Development until 2030" has gone through two stages. In the first, the fundamental conceptual elements that constitute the bases of the PNDES were established, among which the following stand out: the evaluation of the current situation and the qualitative diagnosis, the guiding principles for elaborating the development strategy, the Vision of the Nation, the strategic approaches and their objectives, and the strategic sectors for the production changes.
In the second stage, which is currently underway, the different programs and lines of action are validated and integrated, indicators to evaluate the objectives are established, goals to be achieved from a quantitative point of view are set, the budgetary demands and the available sources of financing are specified, as well as the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the fulfillment of the established objectives.
The PNDES 2030 Bases establish six strategic pillars, designed under a systemic approach, which combine the proposal for economic and social development until 2030 and contribute, from their area of influence, to the achievement of that purpose in the long term. The six strategic pillars are: a socialist, effective, efficient and socially integrated government, production changes and international insertion; infrastructure; human potential, science, technology and innovation; natural resources and environment, and human development, equity and social justice. Twenty-two general objectives and one hundred and eleven specific objectives are established under these strategic pillars.
The national sustainable development policy, as set forth in the documents presented, identifies and recognizes the role of culture in its broadest sense, as an element of the cross-cutting nature of development pillars. Accordingly, the Ministry of Culture has its own Cultural Development Program until 2030 for the sector in which 16 dimensions are identified and which establishes the guide for determining the work objectives of its system of institutions until 2030.
The Cultural Development Program 2030 is the strategy that defines, evaluates, regulates and facilitates the control of the general activity of the Ministry of Culture according to its social mandate and through its relationship with organizations, entities and natural and legal persons. It places artistic and literary creation in the foreground and strengthens its vocation for service, interacting permanently with the evolution of cultural processes and projecting itself towards society as a whole, all on the basis of human development.
Dimensions such as artistic and literary creation, artistic education, community work, computerization and new technologies, as well as cultural and creative industries and tourism, are included in the Development Program and establish a synergic relationship with the objectives of the PNDES 2030 in its description.
The Cultural Development Program works in these essential dimensions with a view to meeting the current needs without compromising the capacities of future generations, ensuring a balance between environmental care and social well-being.
The Ministry of Culture's system of institutions has an organizational structure throughout the country that ensures the design and implementation of the fundamental principles of national sustainable development policies, in line with the Cultural Development Program. It jointly works with local governments, CSOs and other entities.
The art education system, as well as the insertion of appreciation and creation disciplines in the curricular design in general education, has a fundamental role in the development of cognitive processes with respect to art and culture at early ages, and constitutes one of the main elements of the vision of sustainable development of the country. In Cuba, all children have access to artistic manifestations through multiple ways. In general compulsory education, the manifestations of artistic education are included in the curriculum of Primary and Middle Education. It is also expressed in the extracurricular component, from the coherent and integrating design from the perspective of all subjects, the previous diagnosis of the children's artistic interests and needs, as well as the characteristics of the school, family and social environment.
This work is developed through the fulfillment of the shared responsibilities of the Ministries of Education and Culture, of all the cultural and educational institutions, artists, intellectuals, teachers, art instructors, and mass media.
The community work carried out by the National Council of Culture Houses (CNCC) plays a fundamental role in sustainable development at the local level, through the management and support of community cultural projects and the coordination with other government and civil society organizations. An example of this coordinated work is the Regional-National Integrated Community Work Workshops, convened by the National Assembly of People's Power (Parliament), which are organized based on the experiences of various local actors. In the evaluation of their results, the impact of local development initiatives and their contributions to these territories have been verified.
As part of the cultural platform of community work that aims to socialize and stimulate management processes coordinated in terms of localities, the National Competition of Experiences, which convenes the National Council of Houses of Culture, together with the Center for Exchange and Reference-Community Initiative (CIERIC) and the National Association of Writers and Artists of Cuba, has made possible to train managers and groups managing socio-cultural community projects, to promote dialogue and exchange of good management practices, to identify processes of production linkages, role of women and the promotion of local cultural expressions, in favor of the development of sustainable cities and communities.
The updating of the Registry of Community Projects, Initiatives and Experiences reported an increase in this modality of cultural action, focused on local development through the promotion of artistic expressions. By the end of 2019, around 50 new projects had been registered during the period. With these additions, the registry totals 447 community initiatives, experiences and socio-cultural projects. The gradual inclusion of these in the cultural programming, based on the new methodology adopted by ministerial resolution, will establish new areas for follow-up and monitoring of their evolution, with the joint action of decisive actors in local development and in line with the national parameters of implementation of sustainable development policy.
On the other hand, work is being done in the integration of the Cultural and Creative Industries into the processes of local development, based on the results achieved mainly in the marketing of their goods and services towards tourism. In this sense, tourism development focused on the cultural processes of the localities is encouraged as an essential factor of sustainable development that encourages the generation of jobs, establishes patterns of sustainable production and stimulates the processes of production linkage. Among the most representative examples is the city of Trinidad, with a wide movement of artists and artisans dedicated to the production of material goods that contribute to satisfying the demand of local entities. The incorporation of the city to UNESCO's Creative Cities Network in the field of Crafts and Popular Arts and the declaration as a Crafts City by the World Crafts Council, both in 2019, support and encourage these practices in terms of sustainable development.
In general, the institutions of the cultural system encourage cultural initiatives developed by musicians, visual and performing artists throughout the country. These contribute to the promotion of sustainable environmental education to be achieved in inclusive resilient human settlements, as well as to promote the well-being of the population and a healthy life.
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The system of cultural institutions
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* Work together with the system of cultural institutions and CSOs in order to follow up on the implementation of the objectives and priorities set out in the Cultural Development Program until 2030 in accordance with the corporate purpose and mission of each entity;
* Generate and strengthen mechanisms for working with other Central State Administration Bodies that encourage synergies and modalities of production linkage in all possible areas.