On 5-6 December, the European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR), the Technical Agency of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe programme, delivered a Training seminar in Tbilisi, Georgia. It was the first Training seminar organized and delivered upon request from a member State of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA).

The Seminar was co-organised by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, represented by Mr Levan KHARATISHVILI, Deputy Minister and Vice-chair of the EPA Governing Board, and Mrs Teona JAKELI, Head of the Division of Cultural Routes, in cooperation with the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia.

The event was held in the framework of the Georgian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe which counts the promotion of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe amongst its priorities.

The programme of the seminar was especially designed in order to meet the needs of the Georgian context for capacity building and development of Cultural Routes. It addressed aspects ranging from the Council of Europe’s conventions to co-creation, fundraising, governance and the “Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe” certification.

The Seminar was administered by Mrs Carolina Clark, EICR Project Officer, and Prof Mike Robinson, Director of the Ironbridge International Institute for Cultural Heritage (University of Birmingham). It was attended by Ministry officials, representatives of the Georgian Tourism National Administration, representatives of certified Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe crossing Georgia and Cultural Routes projects, as well as tourism stakeholders, among other participants.

More information, complete programme and photos of the Training event in Georgia are available here.

For more information on EICR Training Seminars for EPA member States and interested stakeholders, please contact the EPA Secretariat at the following address: [email protected].