Event
2022 UN Ocean Conference
Article
Portugal's education responses to the influx of Ukrainian students
News
Costa Rica launches implementation of UNESCO indicators to measure impact of culture on sustainable development
Story
Sustainability initiatives improve lives in Costa Rica and Uzbekistan
In Costa Rica an innovative recreational park has opened new horizons for people living with the dire social and environmental consequences of extreme poverty Meanwhile in Uzbekistans Aral Desert a programme is encouraging the local population around the rapidly disappearing Aral Sea to adapt and live sustainably
Story
More than 3,000 magistrates debate freedom of expression
Respect for freedom of expression free and independent media journalists able to do their job without fearing for their lives these are all indispensable conditions for any true rule of law
Article
The project ‘Young Leaders of the Diquís’ concludes with the creation of a youth association
Young people from southern Costa Rica have formed a youth association to take part in the management of the preColumbian cacique settlements with stone spheres of the Diquís inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2014 The creation of this association has been formalized during the closing ceremony of the project Young Leaders of the Diquis which has been implemented by UNESCO and the National Museum of Costa Rica and financed by the World Heritage Fund thanks to a financial contribution from Germany The formation of this association is a remarkable result of this project whose objective has been to involve young people from neighboring communities including indigenous peoples and territories in the management of the four archaeological sites inscribed on the World Heritage List Finca 6 El Silencio Grijalba and Batambal located in the canton of Osa in southern Costa Rica To this end a series of workshops have been organized focused on strengthening knowledge about cultural heritage as well as strengthening soft skills to enhance the leadership capacity of the young participants In total more than 160 young men and women from the districts of Palmar Ciudad Cortes Sierpe Bahia Ballena Drake Bay and Piedras Blancas as well as from the indigenous territories of Boruca and Rey Curré have been involved In addition to gaining knowledge and skills in heritage management through the workshops this project has allowed them to generate youth networks carry out volunteer activities and participate in various initiatives of the National Museum of Costa Rica in the area The closing ceremony of the project took place on Saturday December 18 2021 with the participation of Mr Julio Carranza Director ai of UNESCO Cluster Office in San Jose Mrs Martina NibbelingWriessnig Ambassador of Germany in Costa Rica Mrs Rocío Fernández Director of the National Museum of Costa Rica Mrs Yanina Chaverri Vice Mayor of the Canton of Osa Mr Jeison Ariel Bartels Quirós General Coordinator of the project as well as young participants of the project and members of the benefited communities
Article
Central American Parliament examines the situation of cultural sectors in Central America
Following the invitation of the Central American Parliament PARLACEN UNESCO through its Offices in San Jose and Guatemala City participated in an ordinary meeting of the Commission on Education Culture Sport Science and Technology of this regional body which is part of the Central American Integration System SICA During the session held virtually on Wednesday December 1 Ms Caroline Munier Culture Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Cluster Office in San José addressed the important challenges faced by the regions cultural sectors in the context of the COVID19 pandemic Since the onset of the pandemic people engaged in cultural and creative work have seen many preexisting challenges exacerbated particularly related to the high rate of labour informality that prevails in these sectors UNESCO emphasized to the members of the Commission the importance of promoting measures to improve the socioeconomic conditions of these people and at the same time contribute to enhance the multiple contributions they make to the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations for Sustainable Development UNESCO has also called on PARLACEN to get involved in the preparatory process for the next World Conference on Cultural Policies Mondiacult to be held in September next year in Mexico City Mondiacult 2022 seeks to strengthen the role of cultural policies for sustainable development at the global level To gather regional perspectives for this important event a series of regional consultations will be carried out through an inclusive and participatory process involving not only national authorities but also regional intergovernmental organizations academia and civil society organizations among other stakeholders
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Conclusion of the project "Música FFWD" for the strengthening of Costa Rica's music sector
The FFWD Music project implemented together with the Ministry of Culture and Youth of Costa Rica in the framework of the UNESCOEuropean Union cooperation programme for the development of cultural and creative industries and SouthSouth cooperation has come to an end This project was developed throughout 2021 with the technical assistance of a team of international and local experts including Nicolas Madoery Eva Moraga and Roberto Montero Música FFWD focused on strengthening the Costa Rican music sector through actions to boost its professionalisation associativity and visibility as well as its transition to the formal economy   The formal closure of the project took place through a virtual event held on December 2 with the presence of the Minister of Culture Sylvie Durán Salvatierra the Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union in Costa Rica Alberto Menghini and the Culture Programme Specialist of the UNESCO Office in San José Caroline Munier as well as the international team of experts in charge of the implementation of the project and members of the Costa Rican music sector The closing event provided an opportunity to present the sector with the main results achieved in the different phases of the project Between April and July four training modules were held which were aimed at the entire sector These modules were attended by 26 international specialists from 8 countries mainly from Latin America and focused on topics such as the music ecosystem associativity digital music and new business models More than 300 people from the Costa Rican music sector were involved in these activities The second phase of the project consisted of a mentoring program in which seven selected projects were guided by four international professionals to establish their objectives and medium and longterm planning The third phase consisted of a Music Ecosystem Forum in which a limited number of representatives from the public and private sectors academia professional associations and various roles in the value chain of the Costa Rican music industry participated to address strategic issues and to establish a roadmap for the development of the sector in the future Within the framework of Música FFWD a pilot project was also carried out with the music sector to promote the transition to formality of the creative sectors in Costa Rica The project sought to identify barriers or obstacles to the transition to the formal economy through research and analysis thanks to an inclusive consultation process involving multiple public institutions as well as organizations and individuals from civil society The results of this study provide an overview of a diversity of perspectives on the social and economic conditions of the music sector and set forth the basis for future research and dialogue to improve the living conditions of those working in the arts and culture and to highlight the important role they play in the development of society Costa Rica is one of the twelve countries selected worldwide to benefit from technical assistance provided by the UNESCOEuropean Union Cooperation Programme for the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries and SouthSouth Cooperation This programme seeks to position the creative and cultural industries as important sectors for the fulfilment of the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development     For more information httpsmusicaffwdculturacr httpsenunescoorgnewsstrengtheningitscompetitivenessmusicsectorcostarica httpsenunescoorgnewscostaricasmusicsectorstrength httpsenunescoorgnewscostaricasmusicsectorreceivesdigitalcontenttraining httpsenunescoorgnewscostaricanmusicsectorendsroundtrainingmodulestrainingnewbusinessmodels httpsenunescoorgnewscostaricastrengthensitsmusicecosystemthroughvirtualforum      
News
Costa Rica strengthens its music ecosystem through virtual forum
Some 30 representatives from various sectors of the Costa Rican music ecosystem met virtually in a forum organized by UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture and Youth in the framework of the project Musica Fast Forward FFWD
News
Portuguese Biosphere Reserves celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MAB Programme
In the framework of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of UNESCOs Man Biosphere Programme the Portuguese National Commission to UNESCO and the Politecnico de Leiria in partnership with the Portuguese Network of Biosphere Reserve are hosting the webinar Biosphere Reserves as Sustainability Laboratories Working for a Better Future
Article
Costa Rica seeks to enhance the contributions of agriculture to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
News
On the eve of the Bicentenary of its Independence, Costa Rica reflects on the role of Culture in Sustainable Development
News
Costa Rican music sector ends round of training modules with training on new business models
More than 40 people participated in the virtual workshop on new business models aimed at workers in the music sector of Costa Rica