A capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level is being organized in Guatemala from 15 to 17 April. This is the first activity specifically benefiting Guatemala within the regional capacity building project in Central America, supported by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund thanks to the generous voluntary contribution of Spain.
For three days, representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Sport and cultural managers from different areas will be receiving intensive training on the objectives, key concepts and international mechanisms of the 2003 Convention as well as on the national obligations of States Parties. Conducted by two members of the network of UNESCO-trained experts, Ms Soledad Mujica (Peru) and Ms Eva Martínez (Honduras), these sessions will provide a comprehensive overview of this international normative instrument and the operational directives for its application which may serve as a framework to reflect on a national strategy for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage which integrates the views and aspirations of the different Guatemalan actors involved in this field.