From 3 to 7 April 2017, representatives from Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten met in Kralendijk, Bonaire, to take part in a workshop entitled ‘Mechanisms for International Cooperation under the 2003 Convention.’

As part of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, bearers, experts and representatives of the local administrations and NGOs were trained in preparing nominations to the Lists of the Convention and international assistance requests. They also discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the islands, Suriname, the wider Caribbean and the Netherlands in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.

Bringing together around 23 participants, the workshop was the first activity in the second phase of a project focusing on safeguarding living heritage in the region. It was implemented by the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean thanks to a contribution to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund from the Netherlands. This phase of the project will also include activities to reinforce community-based inventorying in some territories in the region.