Within the framework of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), UNESCO Addis Ababa is organizing a workshop for 32 participants:

• 12 officials from nine Regional Culture and Tourism Bureaus;
  
• 8 officials from the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism;
  
• 3 scholars from Addis Ababa University;
  
• 3 from NGOs working on related topics and 4 from communities

It will focus on familiarizing participants with the basic concepts, measure and mechanisms of the Intangible Heritage Convention, recognizing that effective implementation depends upon profound knowledge and understanding of all of these. The workshop will be facilitated by Ms Deidre Prins-Solani and Mr Amareswar Galla, two facilitators from a network of 65 experts who participated in a training-of-trainers workshop series on how to use the UNESCO curricula specifically designed to build capacity on implementing the Intangible Heritage Convention.

The global capacity-building strategy put in place with the support of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s regular programme budget, will continue to enjoy highest priority. It currently includes an initial series of workshops addressing the most urgent training needs:

1) ratification
2) implementing the Convention at the national level
3) community-based inventorying
4) elaborating nominations to the Urgent Safeguarding List

The Addis Ababa workshop is part and parcel of this important initiative.