The Bureau,
- Recalling Article 23 of the Convention as well as Chapter I.4 of the Operational Directives relating to the eligibility and criteria of International Assistance requests,
- Having examined Document ITH/18/13.COMBUR/4 as well as International Assistance request no. 01518 submitted by Colombia,
- Takes note that Colombia has requested International Assistance for the project entitled My Heritage, My Region: strategy for capacity-building in social management of the intangible cultural heritage in two departments of the Colombian Orinoco region:
The proposed fourteen-month project, to be implemented by the Fundación Circulo de Profesionales del Arpa y su Música, is aimed at building capacities of communities and relevant stakeholders in the management of intangible cultural heritage in the departments of Arauca and Casanare, in the Orinoco region of Colombia. The overall objective is to ensure that the different social and institutional actors present in the territories can autonomously generate strategies to safeguard their living heritage. The regions were selected on account both of their cultural diversity and of the alarming levels of institutional weakness they present when it comes to managing their living heritage. This situation is partially explained by the complexities of dealing with such geographically extensive, diverse territories and the long-term impact of the internal armed conflict. In this context, the proposed project is in response to repeated requests by the communities themselves who, together with the local authorities and public officials, have expressed the need to acquire the necessary skills to handle the different tools available for safeguarding their living heritage. To this end, the project – based on a fully participatory methodology – will seek to build capacities through face-to-face workshops on management, public policy and regulations surrounding intangible cultural heritage, with a special focus on methodologies for safeguarding it in a comprehensive manner.
- Further takes note that this assistance is to support a project implemented at the national level, in accordance with Article 20 (c) of the Convention, and that it takes the form of the provision of a grant, pursuant to Article 21 (g) of the Convention;
- Also takes note that Colombia has requested assistance in the amount of US$99,950 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the implementation of this project;
- Decides that, from the information provided in file no. 01518, the request responds as follows to the criteria for granting International Assistance given in paragraphs 10 and 12 of the Operational Directives:
Criterion A.1: The proposed project has been developed on the basis of a request from the targeted communities and local authorities wishing to enhance their skills to safeguard their intangible cultural heritage. It envisages a participatory approach at all stages of its implementation, including the preparation of capacity-building workshops adapted to the needs of the communities concerned. Monitoring and evaluation will also be undertaken with the use of an individual work log throughout the project in order to record the beneficiaries’ direct feedback on and self-assessment of the activities.
Criterion A.2: In general, the budget is expressed clearly with a realistic allocation of resources for the different expenditures relating to the planned activities. The total amount of assistance requested is therefore judged to be appropriate and in line with the scope of the project to achieve the desired results.
Criterion A.3: The activities are well-thought-out and presented in a feasible and logical sequence. Capacity-building workshops are foreseen for each of the project locations, which would be followed by the implementation of pilot safeguarding projects to directly apply the knowledge and skills acquired. A follow-up workshop would then provide an opportunity to share the results of these pilot projects. The implementing organization is a non-profit organization with experience and knowledge of the region as well as a longstanding, well-established relationship with the targeted communities.
Criterion A.4: The capacity-building workshops and pilot safeguarding projects are intended to provide sixty participants comprising community representatives, cultural stakeholders and local authorities with the methodological tools and skills needed to continue working on the management and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage within their communities. This approach should enable them to develop and present safeguarding initiatives to various potential partners in the future.
Criterion A.5: The requesting State will share 25 per cent and other partners 1 per cent of the overall budget of the project for which International Assistance is requested. The Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund will therefore cover 74 per cent of the overall budget.
Criterion A.6: The project is aimed at reinforcing the capacities of the target communities as well as of local institutions to safeguard their living heritage. It also seeks to strengthen the skills of community members to enable them to engage in an intercultural dialogue and to benefit from mutual understanding with diverse actors present in their localities. The project is part of a larger National Strategy in the social management of intangible cultural heritage led by the Ministry of Culture, directed at fostering the empowerment of communities and local cultural agents in this field.
Criterion A.7: Colombia received International Assistance in the amount of US$25,000 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the project ‘Safeguarding of the traditional knowledge for the protection of sacred natural sites in the territory of the Jaguars of Yuruparí, Vaupés Province, Colombia’, which was concluded in March 2018; Colombia has also been benefiting, since June 2018, from an emergency International Assistance to the amount of US$99,400 for the project ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage as a basis for resilience, reconciliation and the construction of peace environments in Colombia’s post-conflict agreements’.
Paragraph 10(a): The proposed project is local in scope and involves local and national partners in building capacities for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the region of Orinoco.
Paragraph 10(b): The dissemination of the results and experiences of the project throughout the whole region, as well as at the national level through the toolbox website of the Ministry of Culture, could inspire similar efforts in the country. Moreover, the National Strategy in the social management of intangible cultural heritage of the Ministry of Culture includes a funding component at the national, departmental and municipal levels for future safeguarding projects presented by the trained participants.
- Approves the International Assistance request from Colombia for the project entitled My Heritage, My Region: strategy for capacity-building in social management of the intangible cultural heritage in two departments of the Colombian Orinoco region and grants the amount of US$99,950 to the State Party to this end;
- Encourages the State Party to take into account the materials developed by the Secretariat as part of the global capacity-building programme with its network of facilitators, as well as to consider benefitting from the expertise of the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America (CRESPIAL) in the implementation of the project, as deemed appropriate;
- Requests that the Secretariat reach an agreement with the requesting State Party on the technical details of the assistance, paying particular attention to ensuring that the detailed workplan of the activities to be covered by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund is specific enough to provide a sufficient justification of the expenditures;
- Invites the State Party to use Form ICH-04 Report when reporting on the use of the assistance provided.