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Costa Rica launches implementation of UNESCO indicators to measure impact of culture on sustainable development

February 25, 2022

A great meeting of thinking for a great thinker: 5th International Conference “For World Balance”

The 5th International Conference For World Balance With all and for the good of all Dialogue of Civilizations has been convened by the World Council of José Martí Project for World Solidarity and will be held in Havana from January 24 to 28 2023 The Conference will be the culmination of the International Commemoration in tribute to the 170th Anniversary of José Martís birth which is celebrated on January 28 next year In a meeting held with representatives of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Havana the Director of the Cuban Office of Martí Programme Dr Eduardo Torres Cuevas and its Deputy Director Dr Héctor Hernández Pardo together with Ambassador Teresita Vicente Sotolongo Director of Cultural and Academic Affairs of the Cuban Foreign Ministry and Ana Margarita Morejón Director of International Affairs of the Cuban Ministry of Culture urged to stimulate the presence in the conclave of academics intellectuals artists social and religious activists representatives of political parties and from governments around the world who share the view that dialogue is necessary Dr Torres Cuevas recalled that José Martí raised the need for a way of thinking that would help maintain the world balance to understand each other to dialogue in order to be able together to think about the good of humankind That aspiration has encouraged Martís followers in all parts of the world he assured and from there the idea of these international conferences was born

February 13, 2022

Cuba strengthens capacities for the management of its water resources in the face of climate change

Training Workshop for the formulation of projects in the hydraulic sector for the Green Climate Fund A group of 30 specialists linked to water management in Cuba more than half of them women and a third part made up of young people under 35 years of age strengthened their capacities in the formulation of projects related to water security in the face of climate change During two intense days leaders specialists and people dedicated to research at the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources INRH the Ministry of Science Technology and Environment CITMA and the business system of the water sector in Cuba received technical training aimed especially at the development of projects to be submitted to the Green Climate Fund GCF

February 2, 2022

Associate Project Officer for the Transcultura programme - Incubators and Scholarships

The UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean is implementing the joint UNESCOEuropean Union programme Transcultura Integrating Cuba the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity The Programme is built on two components the first focusing on strengthening the skills and capacities of young cultural professionals and the second on enhancing opportunities through knowledge transfer and exchanges It includes the establishment of a regional Cultural Training Hub in Cuba and will create opportunities for entrepreneurship socioeconomic projects and collaboration in the cultural and creative sectors heritage and tourism within the Caribbean region and with the European Union The programme implementation was launched at the beginning of 2020 and is expected to last until the end of 2023 The incumbent will provide support to the Programme component related to Incubators and Scholarships

February 1, 2022

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

January 18, 2022

Innovative cultural cooperation project links the Caribbean and the European Union

Launched on 13 November 2019 during the second Paris Peace Forum with US$5 million in funding from the European Union the Transcultura project aims to strengthen cultural cooperation within the Caribbean region and with the European Union

January 17, 2022

UNESCO Transcultura Programme trains Caribbean facilitators for blended teaching

© UNESCOThe UWI Open Campus The University of the West Indies has vast experience and expertise in conducting capacitybuilding courses across the Caribbean region Photo UWIOC The UNESCO Transcultura Programme Integrating Cuba the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity in collaboration with The University of the West Indies The UWI Open Campus has benefitted 150 cultural facilitators from training institutions in Cuba and the Dominican Republic who received the Blended Teaching Training Course

January 10, 2022

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

December 22, 2021

Jardines de la Reina National Park: Technical support to strengthen the management and possible future preparation of a World Heritage nomination file

Seminar for managers of the main Cuban marine sites strengthens capacities Managers and administrators of Cuban marine sites strengthened technical capacities during three intense days The main authorities technical workers and specialists of Jardines de la Reina Ciénaga de Zapata and Guanahacabibes national parks gathered in the Cuban capital together with experts from the Regional Center for the Management and Handling of Underwater Natural and Cultural Heritage CUBASUB on line from Santiago de Cuba They all benefited from the technical training dedicated especially to the development of the Declaration of Outstanding Universal Value and on the procedures for preparing nominations for UNESCO World Heritage sites

December 11, 2021

UNESCO - EU Transcultura Programme extends until February 28 its Second Call for Applications for young Caribbean creative professionals

The Transcultura Programme Integrating Cuba the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity launched the Second Call for Applications to the Transcultura Scholarship Scheme in partnership with the University of West Indies Open Campus UWIOC It is a fully funded scheme supporting young artists and cultural professionals developing a career related to culture and creativity Candidates will have the opportunity to enroll in short capacitybuilding online and blended courses on Cultural and Creative Industries CCI offered by the Transcultura Regional Cultural Training Hub The Call has been extended to February 28 2022 This Call for Applications round 2 offers free access to blended courses conducted by the UWIOC for young Caribbeans within the cultural and creative sector enabling them to manage and develop their business ideas and projects The blended courses are part of the Transcultura Course Catalogue Small Business Management Effective management and Leadership Effective Business Communication Grant Proposal Writing Financial Monitoring and Evaluation Project Management Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Finance for NonFinance Manager Sales and Marketing Management Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management Brand Management The Transcultura training opportunities are designed in both facetoface and online formats primarily in physical centres in Havana but also through partner institutions like the University of the West Indies and its Open Campus However given the need to address and adapt the capacitybuilding component of the Programme there are currently implemented exclusively in an online and blended format With this initiative Transcultura aims to deepen cultural cooperation in the Caribbean and strengthen peopletopeople cooperation by empowering young women and men as agents for sustainable development through capacity building in the cultural and creative industries seeking to boost entrepreneurship and innovation foster cooperation in the arts and culture sector and create exchanges and networks to enhance complementarity and knowledge sharing Transcultura is a fouryear Programme funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean Do not miss this outstanding opportunity to become a Transcultura Fellow Learn more and apply here httpswwwopenuwiedutransculturascholarships

December 9, 2021

UNESCO joins Cuba in its purpose of promoting science and technology parks

The Training Workshop on innovation policies and science and technology parks organized by UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO CNCU and the Cuban Ministry of Science Technology and Environment CITMA concluded successfully in Havana on November 30 2021 with the express purpose of the Cuban authorities to promote the creation of science and technology parks in the country

December 8, 2021

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

December 3, 2021

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

December 3, 2021