Mercosur Cultural is MinC's main multilateral forum in the American continent

The Southern Common Market (Mercosur) brings together various ministerial groups in different areas, led by the minister of the portfolio in the country that holds the Pro Tempore Presidency (PPT), exercised by each of the republic presidents that compose the bloc, on a rotating basis every semester. The Culture Ministers Meeting (RMC), called Mercosur Cultural, is the maximum body in the segment.

The Ministry of Culture's (MinC) main multilateral forum in the American continent has a thematic agenda that seeks conceptual debate and delineation of joint programs directed toward integration of cultural policies and national plans, development of studies, and integration of cultural information and statistics systems.

It also aims at circulation of cultural goods and services, promotion of technical and artistic exchange, universalization of access to culture, and cultural heritage management and valorization of social memory and cultural diversity in the region.

Mercosur Cultural operates in an expanded manner (6 State Parties – Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela and has representation from four of the seven Associated States – Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru).

The frequency of Associated States' participation demonstrates an approximation of views on cultural public policies, enabling even greater exchange of information and experiences from successful national cultural programs and projects.

Mercosur is a regional integration process that began in 1991 and was formalized with the signing of the Treaty of Asunción. Initially composed of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, it later came to include Venezuela (suspended from rights and obligations since 2017) and Bolivia, which concluded its accession process in 2024.