A five-day training of trainers’ workshop gathered 24 incoming facilitators from Europe and North America to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully support State Parties, NGOs, and communities in their safeguarding efforts.

The workshop held from 23 to 27 October 2023 in Tirana, Albania was organized within the 2023 United Nations Week in Albania, which was opened by the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Fiona McCluney. In her welcome remarks, the fundamental role of living heritage was highlighted as an essential driver and enabler of sustainable development.

During the training, facilitators also visited two workshops in Shkodër and exchanged with bearers about their living heritage. Shkodër was one of the pilot sites of the International Assistance project ‘Community based Inventory of ICH in Albania with a view to safeguarding and transmitting to future generations’ (2020-2022), which led to the identification of over 90 elements of intangible cultural heritage in three regions in Albania.

Generously hosted by the Ministry of Culture of Albania, the workshop was organized by UNESCO’s Living Heritage Entity in close cooperation with the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe (a category 2 center under the auspices of UNESCO) and with the support from the Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland.

Training workshops for incoming facilitators to the Global network of facilitators under the 2003 Convention are being organized in all regions in 2023 and early 2024.