Paris, 15 October 2025 – During the 222nd session of UNESCO’s Executive Board, the final evaluation of the programme “Transcultura: Integrating Cuba, the Caribbean, and the European Union through Culture and Creativity” was approved. This flagship initiative has established itself as a true enhancer of cultural ties, regional integration, and sustainable development in the Caribbean.
During the session, the Chairperson of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO, Dulce María Buergo Rodríguez, highlighted the significant results of the programme, implemented between 2020 and 2025 by UNESCO’s Regional Office in Havana with funding from the European Union. The programme directly benefited more than 2,700 young creators and professionals from the cultural and creative industries in 17 Caribbean countries.
The evaluation recognized that Transcultura fully achieved its strategic objectives, strengthening institutional and human capacities, promoting mobility, creative entrepreneurship, cultural heritage rehabilitation, and intercultural dialogue between the Caribbean and Europe. Among its main achievements are the creation of the Caribbean Cultural Training Hub, composed of eight educational institutions, and the rehabilitation of the Santa Clara College, designed as an international center for training in heritage restoration and safeguarding.
Various delegations praised the programme’s impact. Representatives from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines highlighted the transformative nature of Transcultura, its contribution to strengthening Caribbean cultural identity, and its value as a model for regional cultural cooperation.
The evaluation also emphasized the programme’s alignment with UNESCO’s and the European Union’s strategic priorities, its contribution to the implementation of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, as well as its support for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, 5, 8, 10, and 11. In 2024, Transcultura also received the United Nations Award for Partnerships for SIDS, in the social category.
The approval of this evaluation confirms Transcultura as a genuine cultural bridge for development and opens up opportunities for future initiatives to continue its results and cooperation networks.