Capacity building is one of the five functions that UNESCO performs to fulfil its mandate. As such, one of the top priorities for implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is its global capacity-building programme. The Programme was put in place in 2009 to support countries in safeguarding their intangible cultural heritage and harness its potential for sustainable development, while promoting broad public knowledge and support for the Convention.

Communities are at the heart of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage

The 2003 Convention places communities at the center of all its safeguarding activities. The capacity-building programme takes an inclusive approach to ensure the widest possible participation of all relevant stakeholders, especially relevant community groups, in the design and implementation of safeguarding activities.

What we do

  • Develop community-based inventorying and safeguarding methods
  • Support the ability of States to effectively implement the Convention
  • Integrate the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage into sustainable development plans, policies and programmes at all levels
  • Strengthen institutional frameworks to help safeguard intangible cultural heritage
  • Enhance monitoring for the implementation of the Convention
© UNESCO

How we do it

The Programme offers capacity-building services at country level, combining training, advisory services, stakeholder consultation and pilot activities. These can be adapted to specific country needs and thematic topics, always with the view to ensuring the continued impact and sustainability of safeguarding measures at national level.

UNESCO develops content and training materials and draws upon its dynamic network of trained facilitators to deliver capacity-building services in countries around the world.

For more details on the global capacity-building programme, download our informative leaflet: English|French|Spanish|Russian|Arabic|Chinese

Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint...

1 - 31 May 2017

Oranjestad (Aruba)

Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius,...

1 May 2017 - 30 June 2017

Kralendijk, Bonaire (Netherlands)

Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius,...

1 - 31 May 2017

Sint Eustatius (Netherlands)

Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius,...

1 - 31 May 2017

Paramaribo (Suriname)

Joint workshop on the nomination, Dutch Caribbean islands

8 - 11 April 2017

Kralendijk, Bonaire (Netherlands)

Workshop on community-based inventorying in the context of implementing the 2003 Convention in Eritrea

3 - 18 April 2017

Asmara (Eritrea)

Capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level in Guatemala

3 - 7 April 2017

Guatemala (Guatemala)

Training workshop on the preparation of International Assistance requests

1 - 3 April 2017

Atar (Mauritania)

Reinforcement Field Exercises for the project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius,...

1 April 2017 - 30 May 2017

Philipsburg (Sint Maarten)

Field survey and inventorying of ICH elements in Fiji

1 April 2017 - 31 July 2017

Fiji (Fiji)

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