African experts advise on effective support to policy development

28 de septiembre de 2015

UNESCO is bringing together 24 experts from Africa and UNESCO field offices in Constantine, Algeria, from 28 September to 2 October 2015, to discuss how best support policy development in the field of intangible cultural heritage.
Under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, States are encouraged to develop public policy and legislation with the widest possible involvement of communities and civil society. As intangible cultural heritage is not the exclusive domain of culture, but a driver for social and economic inclusion, environmental sustainability and peace building, participants will reflect on the best way to integrate intangible cultural heritage and its safeguarding in development programmes.
The workshop programme covers conceptual issues and possible synergies with other relevant policy frameworks, including the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, to reflect on modalities for effective support in the context of the 2003 Convention’s global capacity-building programme.
Africa is a priority for UNESCO and so far, almost half of the region’s countries have benefitted from the Convention’s global capacity-building programme. The workshop thus provides an opportunity to take stock of the lessons learnt and make recommendations for the future.
The gathering is generously hosted by the Algerian National Centre of Research on Prehistory, Anthropology and History in Algeria (CNRPAH) and the ‘Manifestation Constantine, capitale de la culture arabe 2015’ (Constantine, Capital of Arab Culture 2015).

• Argelia