United Nations General Assembly A/RES/66/208 Distr.: General 15 March 2012 Sixty-sixth session Agenda item 21 Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 22 December 2011 [on the report of the Second Committee (A/66/442)] 66/208. Culture and development The General Assembly, Guided by the purposes and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, Recalling its resolutions 41/187 of 8 December 1986, 46/158 of 19 December 1991, 51/179 of 16 December 1996, 52/197 of 18 December 1997, 53/184 of 15 December 1998, 55/192 of 20 December 2000, 57/249 of 20 December 2002, and 65/166 of 20 December 2010, concerning culture and development, Recalling also the adoption by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity 1 and the Action Plan for its implementation, 2 on 2 November 2001, and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, 3 as well as other international conventions of that organization that acknowledge the important role of cultural diversity for social and economic development, and welcoming the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity at the thirty-sixth session of the General Conference, Recognizing that culture is an essential component of human development, represents a source of identity, innovation and creativity for the individual and the community and is an important factor in social inclusion and poverty eradication, providing for economic growth and ownership of development processes, Acknowledging that cultural diversity is a source of enrichment for humankind and an important contributor to the sustainable development of local communities, peoples and nations, empowering them to play an active and unique role in development initiatives, _______________ 1 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Records of the General Conference, Thirty-first Session, Paris, 15 October–3 November 2001, vol. 1 and corrigendum, Resolutions, chap. V, resolution 25, annex I. 2 Ibid., annex II. 3 Ibid., Thirty-third Session, Paris, 3–21 October 2005, vol. 1 and corrigenda, Resolutions, chap. V, resolution 41. 11-47130 *1147130* Please rec cle ♲