Training on cultural policy monitoring and sustainable development in Latin America

A regional training of trainers on cultural policy monitoring in Latin America will be held in Quito, Ecuador, gathering representatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
The training of trainers aims to strengthen capacities of public officials and professionals of public institutions to better incorporate the principles and objectives of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) into public policies for sustainable development in the region. It will highlight the importance of cultural policies for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals, in relation, for example, to issues of decent employment and economic growth, gender equality, access to global markets or fight against inequalities. The workshop will deliver key information and practical tools to facilitate the monitoring and implementation of the 2005 UNESCO Convention, thus facilitating the preparation and delivery of quadrennial periodic reports (QPR) on the implementation of the Convention by Latin American States. The gathering will also be an occasion to foster cooperation within the region and to promote the exchange of experiences and good practices.

UNESCO has run a capacity-building programme on participatory policy monitoring since 2014 with the support of the Government of Sweden, through the project “Reshaping Cultural Policies for the Promotion of Fundamental Freedoms and the Diversity of Cultural Expressions”. The QPRs present an opportunity to explore the results obtained and the challenges faced in the cultural and creative sectors as well as to systematize information gathering on policies and measures developed in line with the principles and objectives of the Convention. The preparation of the QPR represents a strategic exercise, as it establishes a unique space of dialogue between various stakeholders, including ministries and public institutions as well as civil society, creative workers, cultural professionals or sectorial associations. The establishment of constructive dialogue mechanisms will in turn support the construction of evidence-based cultural policies that respond to the needs of the different actors.

As the participating countries are about to embark on the elaboration of their QPR, the training will notably focus on introducing the participants to the newly updated QPR form as well as how to engage in a participatory process. This event will be an opportunity to discuss on how to contextualize and adapt this process to country-level challenges as well as to share lessons learnt.

This regional training of trainers is part of a series of regional training of trainers. Two previous editions were held in Jakarta, Indonesia for the Asian region (July 2019) and in Pretoria, South Africa for the Eastern and Southern African region (September 2019). These regional trainings facilitate global south cooperation and peer-to-peer learning, creating regional communities of practices in the field of culture, creativity and sustainable development.