The Eighth Annual Meeting of the South East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place in Limassol, Cyprus, on 15-16 May 2014, organised by Cyprus (Ministry of Education and Culture; National Commission for UNESCO) in cooperation with the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Culture and Science in Europe (Venice, Italy).
This is the latest in a series of meetings set up as a platform to reinforce cooperation among countries of the South East European (SEE) region on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage; and to share experiences on issues including: inventory policies, training and capacity-building, the role and involvement of the local communities, the transnational dimension of intangible cultural heritage, the management of sustainable cultural tourism, etc.
Titled “Intangible cultural heritage and education: experiences, good practices, lessons learned”, the meeting will focus on 3 main areas of discussion:
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The progress made by specific countries in implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
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The integration of intangible cultural heritage within formal and informal education programmes/systems.
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Regional cooperation on training and capacity-building, within the framework of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy.
The emphasis on education shall especially concern the mutually beneficial relationship between the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, education, and capacity-building within local communities. The integration of intangible cultural heritage into educational curricula and programmes can improve both formal and non-formal education by promoting inter alia intercultural dialogue and cultural exchange, broadening access and cultural relevance, stimulating creativity, increasing intergenerational engagement in the community, etc.
The meeting will be attended by experts in representation of the ministries of culture of Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria, Croatia; Cyprus; Greece; Montenegro; Republic of Moldova; Romania; Serbia; Slovenia; and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, as well as by international experts and representatives from neighbouring countries.