Costa Rica: Intercultural Policies for social inclusion and generation of opportunities

The Joint Programme promoted the cultural and social inclusion of marginalised groups and the potential of the creative sector, and took as a starting point La Libertad Park, a space for artistic, ecological and cultural-production related projects. The programme served 15 marginalised districts in the country’s largest built-up urban area comprising 700,000 inhabitants (29% of the Greater Metropolitan Area and 16.5% of the country).

It sought to foster cultural policies in specific communities in order to prove the relevance of culture in supporting the achievement of the MDGs and to strengthen institutional capacity by means of lessons learned.

It was based on 35 years of public programmes which have successfully included minorities, and whose coverage can be extrapolated to a wide and diverse population with the necessary co-ordination and resources. It provided strategic support to the development of institutional competences and for the coordination of multiple sectors in carrying out intercultural policies.

This Joint Programme was launched in June 2008 and was closed in February 2012.