Mr Ernesto Ottone R. is the Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO. Prior to this position, Mr
Ottone R. served as Chile’s first Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage from 2015 to 2018. As Minister of
Culture, he created a Department of First Peoples, a Migrants Unit and strengthened copyright laws and
heritage protections. During this time, he also chaired the Regional Centre for the Promotion of Books in
Latin America and the Caribbean (2016 – 2017).
From 2011 to 2015, Mr Ottone R. served as Director-General of the Artistic and Cultural Extension Center
of the University of Chile, which manages the National Symphony Orchestra of Chile, the Chilean
National Ballet (BANCH), the Chile Symphony Choir and the Vocal Camerata. From 2001 to 2010, he held
the position of Executive Director at the Matucana 100 Cultural Center in Santiago.
Mr Ottone R. holds a Master’s degree in Management of Cultural Institutions and Policies from the
University of Paris IX Dauphine (1998) and a Bachelor of Arts in theatre from the University of Chile
(1995).
Oslo Governance Centre
