Government officials from national and municipal institutions in El Salvador took part in a three-day training session aimed at strengthening the integration of intangible cultural heritage into urban development. Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Housing, Directorate of Territorial Planning, 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.
The workshop, titled “Intangible Cultural Heritage in Urban Contexts”, was held at the Digital Reading Room of the National Library of El Salvador (BINAES). It forms part of the regional project “Latin America and the Caribbean: Strengthening Capacities for Resilient Communities through Sustainable Tourism and the Safeguarding of Living Heritage,” supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under UNESCO’s Culture and Digital Technologies program.
Facilitated by experts Yonny Marroquín Orellana and Estanislao López, the training covered international instruments, national frameworks, and practical tools for safeguarding living heritage within urban environments. Through group discussions and exchanges with cultural practitioners, officials explored how this knowledge could be applied in local projects and public policies.
A key outcome of the workshop was the promotion of inter-institutional collaboration, providing space for joint reflection on the role of intangible heritage in sustainable and identity-based urban planning. The discussions emphasized the importance of cooperation across public institutions to develop inclusive cultural and urban policies that reflect Salvadoran heritage.
The initiative’s results are expected to support the creation of technical guidelines for incorporating living heritage into San Salvador’s urban development strategies. This effort will strengthen links between the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, ensuring that heritage plays a central role in shaping the city’s future growth.
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