Central America: capacity-building programme for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage kicked-off

20 March 2013

Building upon a regional study on the existing legislation in the field of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, a new regional capacity-building programme starts. Throughout 2013, the four countries are going to build the professional and institutional environments required for the effective safeguarding of their living heritage, working closely with UNESCO’s Offices in San José and Guatemala and benefitting from the generous contribution of Spain to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

The inaugural activity consists of an intensive five-day workshop from 18 to 22 March in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, which is supported by the Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination (CECC/SICA). It will bring together the key Honduran stakeholders involved in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, in particular from the Department of Culture, Arts and Sports, as well as representatives of the Nicaraguan Institute of Culture and the Secretariat of Culture of the Salvadoran Presidency. Conducted by two members of the UNESCO-certified experts network, Mr Enrique Pérez López (Mexico) and Ms María Ismenia Toledo (Venezuela), these working sessions will provide the project focal points of recipient countries an overview of the objectives, the key concepts and international mechanisms of the 2003 Convention as well as the national obligations of States Parties.