This workshop marked the final phase of the “Three-Year Capacity-Building Training Programme for ICH Safeguarding in Sri Lanka.” Over the past three years, this programme has systematically enhanced foundational capacities for ICH safeguarding. Through expert lectures, case studies, and practical exercises, it helped participants master systematic methods for identifying and documenting ICH elements, strengthened awareness of community participation and ethical norms, and improved their skills in observation, documentation, and analysis of ICH information, providing practical guidelines for fieldwork.

Following the training, inventory-making efforts are being systematically advanced across Sri Lanka. Government cultural departments and participants plan to continue follow-up work on ICH elements.

Furthermore, the programme has significantly promoted tangible progress in safeguarding ICH at the local level. It directly addressed Sri Lanka’s urgent needs, particularly its nascent ICH safeguarding framework and incomplete inventory system. The training helped Sri Lanka establish a foundational record of its ICH elements from the ground up, ensuring that future safeguarding efforts are evidence-based. It also directly supported local cultural authorities in identifying and documenting their intangible heritage, ensuring that safeguarding work is rooted at the grassroots level.

Moreover, the training programme offered systematic learning opportunities for cultural officials and experts in Sri Lanka. Over three years, it has trained nearly 150 participants from various provinces, cultivating a cohort of local professionals capable of undertaking sustained ICH documentation work.

Overall, the training not only provided Sri Lanka with essential ICH safeguarding methodologies and a pool of local talent, effectively advancing national and local ICH documentation, but also served as a practical bridge for fostering cultural exchange and mutual understanding between China and Sri Lanka.