Educación y patrimonio cultural inmaterial en América Latina y el Caribe is the new regional document published by UNESCO on 7 May 2026. The report systematises 200 educational practices developed in 15 countries across the region and shows how living heritage—oral traditions, knowledge about nature, craft techniques, rituals, festivities, performing arts and community knowledge—is enriching learning, strengthening the cultural relevance of education and opening up new opportunities for public policy, educational institutions, communities and cultural actors.
The study, promoted by UNESCO as a joint initiative between the Culture and Education sectors, offers a broad regional perspective on experiences that connect formal and non-formal education with traditions, local knowledge and community practices. The publication identifies trends, pedagogical principles and inspiring experiences that show how the living knowledge of territories can contribute to education that is more inclusive, creative, situated and connected to contemporary challenges.
The document includes experiences from Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Suriname. These include initiatives on astronomy and Indigenous knowledge, intercultural bilingual education, traditional trades, museums as learning spaces, immersive technologies, school gardens, workshops with culture bearers, pedagogical materials and community projects linking memory, territory and learning.
“Intangible cultural heritage not only preserves the memory and cultural diversity of our communities; it is also a powerful tool for transforming education. This study shows that when the living knowledge of territories enters into dialogue with teaching and learning processes, inclusion, creativity and community participation are strengthened,” said Esther Kuisch Laroche, Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago.
Key findings
One of the study’s main findings is that nearly half of the experiences analysed correspond to non-formal education initiatives, led by museums, libraries, community centres and cultural institutions. Meanwhile, 38% take place in the formal sector and 12.5% combine both spaces.
These figures reinforce one of the central conclusions of the research: learning does not occur only in classrooms, but also in territories, communities and cultural spaces, through processes of intergenerational transmission.
The publication also reveals that 65.5% of the practices have a primarily local focus, confirming the fundamental role of communities in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. In addition, 81% of the initiatives involve communities at some stage of design, implementation or dissemination, highlighting that living heritage cannot be separated from the people and groups who recreate and transmit it.
The study also identifies contributions in areas such as human rights, cultural diversity, gender equality and a culture of peace and non-violence, demonstrating the potential of intangible cultural heritage to advance Target 4.7 of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) on education for sustainable development.
The research further shows that many of the practices combine different expressions of living heritage. In fact, 54.5% of the experiences relate to more than one domain of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention, integrating orality, music, dance, rituals, traditional crafts, environmental knowledge, community memory and forms of social organisation.
The analysis organises the practices around three dimensions: their principles, their processes and their contributions. In terms of principles, it highlights culturally relevant learning, the integration of interdisciplinary knowledge, and the capacity of living heritage to build bridges between past, present and future. In terms of processes, participatory approaches and experiential methodologies stand out, based on learning by doing, community work, the body, the senses, the arts and the territory. In terms of contributions, the practices point towards social resilience, environmental awareness, gender equality and the construction of a culture of peace.
Alongside presenting evidence and experiences, the publication proposes guidance for strengthening the integration of living heritage into education through public policy, educational and cultural institutions, teaching teams and practitioner communities. These recommendations aim to actively promote intersections between education and intangible cultural heritage in formal and non-formal contexts, and to encourage community participation in teaching and learning processes.
The research was led by the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago, with the support of the UNESCO Offices in Havana, Lima, Quito and Guatemala. It also benefited from the collaboration of the UNESCO Office in Kingston and the supervision of the Secretariat of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its implementation was made possible thanks to the contribution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund of the 2003 Convention.
read more: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-publishes-study-200-educational-practices-latin-america-and-caribbean-integrate-living?hub=701
