PARIS, France – Government officials from various institutions participated in a training session to strengthen the incorporation of intangible cultural heritage into urban development.
With the aim of strengthening the incorporation of intangible cultural heritage into urban development, twenty-three national and municipal officials from various institutions—including the ministry of culture, the ministry of housing, the directorate of Territorial Planning, the Salvadoran Tourism Corporation (CORSATUR), the Planning Authority for the Historic Center of San Salvador, the Secretariat of Culture of San Salvador, and the directorate of Territorial Development and Community Assistance—participated in a three-day training session in San Salvador, El Salvador.
The “Workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Urban Contexts,” held in the Digital Reading Room of the National Library of El Salvador (BINAES), is part of the project “Latin America and the Caribbean: Strengthening Capacities for Resilient Communities through Sustainable Tourism and the Safeguarding of Living Heritage,” implemented in 10 countries with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia within the framework of UNESCO’s program on Culture and Digital Technologies.
The training, facilitated by Yonny Marroquín Orellana and Estanislao López, addressed international instruments, national regulatory frameworks, and practical tools for managing living heritage in urban contexts. Through dialogues and working groups, participants exchanged experiences with bearers of cultural expressions and explored how to apply the knowledge acquired in local projects and policies.
A central aspect of the workshop was the creation of spaces for joint work among the different institutions involved, which allowed for reflection on the importance of integrating intangible cultural heritage into urban plans to ensure sustainable, inclusive, and identity-based development.
Likewise, the participation of officials from different public institutions opened the discussion on possible inter-institutional projects, underscoring the relevance of cooperation between different sectors of the State to advance cultural and urban policies that incorporate Salvadoran living heritage.
The results of the initiative will contribute to developing technical guidelines for the integration of living heritage into the urban plans and programs of San Salvador, reinforcing the synergies between the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
