UNESCO Brings Caribbean Partners Together to Safeguard Living Heritage

In July 2026 an online capacity-building workshop titled "Envisioning Intangible Cultural Heritage in Formal and Informal Contexts" brought together more than 40 participants from government agencies, educational institutions, National Commissions for UNESCO, civil society organizations, research institutions, and cultural practitioners from Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

During the three-day virtual workshop participants strengthened their understanding of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage , exploring practical approaches to integrating living heritage into formal and informal education, and promoting community-led safeguarding across the Caribbean.

According to the Convention, intangible cultural heritage means the "practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills" and the "instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith" that communities and groups "recognize as part of their cultural heritage."

Discussions throughout the workshop celebrated the richness of the Caribbean's living heritage, with examples including Creole language, Anansi storytelling, Carnival traditions, traditional boat building, music, dance, culinary traditions, and community festivals.

Participants also identified opportunities to strengthen documentation, increase youth engagement, and promote intergenerational transmission.

The workshop was held under UNESCO's project "Integrating Living Heritage into Education in the Caribbean SIDS" in partnership with the National Commissions for UNESCO of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines with support from the Kingdom of the Netherlands.