On 27 October 2009 the British Council is organising a one-day conference on The Cultural Relationship between the UK and South Caucasus at Tbilisi Marriot.
Cultural Relationships can address the global challenges of our time. For the UK these are the need to build intercultural dialogue, create opportunity for people to participate in the knowledge economy and tackle the threat to us all presented by climate change. Cultural relations work over the long term protects diversity and individual identity and brings the people of the world closer together. Cultural relationships build international trust and understanding; generate opportunities for individuals to fulfil their potential and countries to foster the co-operation that contributes to a stable world.
The British Council approach to cultural relations harnesses the power of education, the arts and creativity, sport, science, English and governance to build relationships of mutual benefit worldwide and to address global issues.
The British Council would like to explore the cultural relationship between the UK and the South Caucasus. We have engaged Cultural Leaders and senior members of the cultural community to scope the nature of the relationship, i.e. what the cultural arena is in its broadest sense; to explore the key issues for a cultural relationship between the UK and the South Caucasus; to examine the sources of funding that enables this activity; to review the legal or regulatory framework; and to discuss what constitutes a successful cultural relationship and what the success criteria might be.
Cultural leaders, representatives of organisations with a specific mandate to develop a cultural relationship, UK alumni, senior government officials, and major cultural practioners - within the sectors of Education, Creativity and Arts, Governance, English, and Science from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will attend the conference. The participants will focus on assessing cultural relations to explore the extent of current engagement in Cultural Relations activity with the UK, willingness to engage in Cultural Relations activity with the UK and capacity and resources for engaging in Cultural Relations activity between the South Caucasus and the UK.

The Conference will be opened by Nikoloz Rurua, Minister of Culture and Sports of Georgia. Catherine Fieschi, Head of Counterpoint, The British Council's Think Tank will provide the key note address. Sarah Ewans, British Council Head of Strategy and Michael Bird, the British Council's Regional Director for South East Europe will be guests of honour at the conference.