On 4 June, the first Meeting of the Ibero-American Cultural Routes and Itineraries Programme (PRICI) was held in Huelva, Spain, at the initiative of the Organisation of Ibero-American States (OEI). The meeting had a twofold purpose: to review the progress achieved in the field of Cultural Routes in Ibero-America in the past years and to formally launch the OEI programme for the development and certification of Cultural Routes in Ibero-America — the first of its kind in the region.
The PRICI programme aims to contribute to the development of cultural routes in Ibero-America as a key strategy for cooperation and the promotion of the region's shared cultural heritage and history. Central to the programme is the development of a certification framework drawing direct inspiration from the methodology of the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, which has provided technical advice throughout the process. The meeting concluded with the signing of a joint declaration in which participating delegations established shared regional commitments in this field.
One of the key outputs presented at the meeting was the Manual of Cultural Routes and Itineraries for Ibero-America, a pioneering technical tool developed by the OEI with funding from the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID), the support of expert consultants, and the active cooperation of the European Institute of Cultural Routes.
These activities take place within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the European Institute of Cultural Routes and OEI in January 2018 and reflect the OEI's participatory status in the Governing Board of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes— consolidating a partnership that has grown steadily over the past years.
The event gathered delegates from 19 Ibero-American states, including Portugal and Spain, and was attended by Mariano Jabonero, Secretary General of the OEI. The Cultural Routes programme was represented by Eladio Fernández Galiano, member of the Board of Directors of the European Institute of Cultural Routes.
The Huelva meeting declaration can be downloaded in Spanish and in Portuguese.
