International Projection

El legado andalusí, was designed as European Cultural Itinerary by the Council of Europe, which meant an important support for the work of heritage dissemination carried out by the Foundation, who has among its objectives to promote cultural and rural tourism, traditional arts and crafts and to protect and restore our monumental and artistic heritage.

The Council of Europe considered El legado andalusi to be worthy of this appointment given “the importance of the Itineraries of al-Andalus in terms of cooperation, the labour aimed at young people, cross-border initiatives and intercultural dialogue”. This nomination means that El legado andalusí is a reference point for the implementation of other Itineraries and an example of “good practices”.

One of the main aims of El legado andalusí is international cultural cooperation, comprising the fields of education, science and culture, as established in the UNESCO Declaration of the Principles of International Cultural Cooperation: “To disseminate knowledge, encourage vocations and to enrich cultures, to develop friendship among peoples leading to a better understanding of each other’s ways of life, to ensure that everyone has access to knowledge, to enjoy the arts and literature, to share the benefits of scientific progress in all regions of the world and the benefits thereof, and to contribute to the enrichment of cultural life. Cultural cooperation is a right and a duty of all peoples and countries, who must share their knowledge and know-how. International cooperation, in carrying out its beneficial action on cultures, while encouraging mutual enrichment, will respect the originality of each of them”.

UNESCO has included El legado andalusí in its “Mediterranean Programme” for its contribution to the progress of the Mediterranean peoples, promoting the Mediterranean as an eco-cultural space in cooperation with ALECSO (Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization).

As a member of the permanent European network of Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe, El legado andalusí has participated in different cultural projects with international projection in countries of the Euro-Mediterranean and Latin American environment through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the State Society for Cultural Commemorations, or the Spanish Society for Cultural Action Abroad (SEACEX).