Capacity-building efforts continue in Asia and the Pacific

• 5 October 2015
• Fiji, Mongolia,

Thanks to the continued generous contribution of Japan to implement the project ‘Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage through the Strengthening of National Capacities in Asia and the Pacific’, two countries in the region are successfully moving forward in strengthening their capacities to effectively implement the 2003 Convention during the second phase of the project.
A workshop on the implementation of the Convention at the national level has been held in Suva, Fiji from 25 to 29 September 2015. This is only the first of a series of capacity-building activities that will take place in this Pacific State in the coming months, allowing it to be better equipped with new tools and knowledge to ensure the safeguarding and promotion of its rich intangible cultural heritage. Organized by UNESCO in cooperation with national authorities, this workshop aimed at providing a broad overview of the Convention and its Operational Directives, the obligations of Fiji as State Party and possible ways to safeguard and inventory its living heritage with the full participation of the communities concerned.
Mongolia is also hosting this week a capacity-building workshop in Ulaanbaatar from 5 to 9 October 2015. This specific workshop on the elaboration of nomination files to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists represents for Mongolia another step towards the successful implementation of the Convention after numerous other activities that have been carried out in previous years under the first phase of the project. The five-day training workshop is jointly organized by UNESCO, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of Mongolia, the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO and the Center of Cultural Heritage of Mongolia. It will gather 29 participants, comprising of government officials, cultural officers from all 21 provinces of Mongolia, academia, ICH practitioners and NGO representatives. Combining theoretical sessions, practical and field exercise two UNESCO-accredited facilitators will explore the different international mechanisms established by the Convention and their appropriate and effective use.

Project:

• Strengthening national capacities for effective safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Asia and the Pacific (1 April 2015 – 1 April 2017)