UNESCO strengthens capacities in countries across the region to integrate living heritage as a key component of sustainable urban development

UNESCO is advancing the implementation of the project "Latin America and the Caribbean: Capacity-building for resilient communities through sustainable tourism and the safeguarding of heritage" , an initiative that brings together 10 countries in the region to strengthen capacities for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and to promote its strategic integration into urban planning.

Supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the project is part of UNESCO's Programme on Culture and Digital Technologies. Its purpose is clear: to connect the living memory of communities with more inclusive, sustainable and identity-respectful models of urban development, at a time when Latin American cities are undergoing profound transformations.

At present, Intangible Cultural Heritage faces multiple challenges. One of the most pressing is the rapid growth of urban centres, where diverse communities coexist and whose changing dynamics influence both ways of life and the transmission of living heritage. This is especially relevant in Latin America and the Caribbean, where 80% of the population lives in cities. Additional pressures-such as migration, climate change, real-estate development and the gradual loss of traditional practices-further impact the continuity of ICH.

In response to this context, UNESCO has conducted workshops in cities such as Trujillo (Honduras), San José (Costa Rica), Oaxaca de Juárez (Mexico), San Salvador (El Salvador), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Antigua (Guatemala), Colón (Panama), Belmopan (Belize) and Trinidad (Cuba). These spaces brought together public officials, tradition bearers, cultural practitioners and specialists to reflect on the role of Intangible Cultural Heritage in contemporary urban life and its potential to strengthen social cohesion.

"This project represents a significant contribution for a wide range of beneficiaries in the culture and tourism sectors across Latin America and the Caribbean. The strategies we are implementing aim to strengthen, in the long term, the sustainability and resilience of local communities, ensuring that their living heritage continues to be transmitted and dynamically adapted in the face of contemporary challenges," said Enrique López-Hurtado, Culture Specialist at UNESCO's Regional Office in San Jose.

To date, nearly 300 participants have taken part in these dialogues on how community cultural expressions can inspire new ways of inhabiting cities, reinforcing a sense of belonging and expanding opportunities for sustainable development.

The workshops have also enabled participants to experience living heritage directly in the territory. In Antigua Guatemala, for example, participants visited San Juan del Obispo, where living memory is expressed through gastronomy, handicrafts and traditional chocolate-making. These experiences opened conversations on the role of ICH as a driver of cohesion, innovation and urban sustainability.

In San José, Costa Rica, visits to the Central Market and the Borbón Market highlighted how urban markets function as everyday spaces for cultural transmission. The sessions also included discussions on regulatory frameworks and safeguarding measures adapted to urban contexts.

In Oaxaca de Juárez, participants worked on expressions such as the pedal loom and tinwork, and advanced a first inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in urban contexts-an exercise that is key to understanding the relationship between traditional practices and urban dynamics.

The progress achieved in each country illustrates the strength of a multisectoral and community-based approach. In El Salvador, the collaboration of more than twenty officials from various institutions laid the groundwork for inter-institutional projects to integrate ICH into the Historic Centre of San Salvador. Meanwhile, in the Dominican Republic, the workshop held in the Colonial City fostered dialogue among heritage bearers, municipal authorities and cultural specialists on how living heritage can interact with a designated World Heritage property.

Throughout its implementation, the project seeks not only to strengthen technical capacities, but also to broaden understanding of the role of living heritage in building cities that are more human-centred, creative and resilient. By promoting spaces for listening, participation and collaborative work, UNESCO reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that communities remain active protagonists in safeguarding and transmitting their cultural heritage.

As part of the results achieved, 20 regional experts were trained to deliver the workshops. The development of community-based inventories of Intangible Cultural Heritage in urban contexts was also initiated-a participatory process through which communities, groups and tradition bearers identify, document and further explore the cultural practices they consider essential to their identity and continuity.

In the next phase of the project, to be implemented throughout 2026, participatory roadmaps will be developed in collaboration with national and local authorities to guide the integration of living heritage into public policies and local programmes, strengthening the linkages between culture, territory and sustainable urban development in cities across Latin America and the Caribbean.