Culture for Sustainable Development (CSD) is an Armenia-based civil society organization working at the intersection of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), research, public policy and sustainable local development. We promote a culture-driven approach to development, supporting communities in recognizing, safeguarding and using their living heritage as a resource for resilience and sustainable futures.
Research is a core component of CSD’s work. We conduct ethnographic and community-based research, cultural heritage mapping and documentation, and translate research findings into practical initiatives, policy recommendations, strategic documents and development approaches. We work with communities, researchers, cultural institutions, local authorities and other stakeholders to connect evidence-based research with heritage safeguarding and local development.
Our thematic expertise includes traditional ecological knowledge, food heritage and traditional foodways, crafts, oral traditions, cultural memory and identity, as well as living heritage in contexts of displacement and crisis. We are particularly interested in the connections between ICH, biodiversity, local food systems, environmental knowledge and community resilience.
CSD also contributes to ICH identification, documentation and nomination processes, capacity building, awareness raising, and the development of cultural and heritage strategies and policy papers. We welcome international cooperation and partnerships in the fields of intangible cultural heritage and cultural heritage more broadly, culture-driven local development, and heritage in contexts of displacement and social change.
We are particularly open to joint research and applied projects, exchange of expertise and methodologies, capacity building, policy and strategy development, and collaborative initiatives connecting heritage safeguarding with sustainable community development.
Year of accreditation: 2026
Main domain(s) of the ngo’s activities: Social practices, rituals and festive events, Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, Traditional craftsmanship
Main safeguarding measures: a) identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making), c) promotion, enhancement, e) revitalization
Main country where the NGO works: Armenia
