01991nas a2200133 4500000000100000000000100001008004100002100002700043245015600070300001000226490000700236520160000243022001401843 d1 aJoris Van Doorsselaere00aSafeguarding intangible cultural heritage through formal education in Flanders: A critical analysis of the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention a27-370 v163 aIn 2003, UNESCO adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This paper investigates its implementation in the formal education system in the Flemish part of Belgium. Linking education and intangible heritage is set as a high strategic priority, not only in the Convention but also according to the Overall Results Framework (ORF), a tool to measure its impact.Three levels are examined. First, the national level is discussed; on this macro level, educational policy and learning outcomes take shape. Second, the educational providers (meso), who transfer these outcomes into curricula.Third, schools and teachers (micro), who bring the curricula into practice. In addition, recommendations to enhance implementation are proposed.The results show that the 2003 Convention has not yet permeated into the policy processes. Although the Flemish government developed open learning outcomes that accommodate awareness-raising and – to a lesser extent – the safeguarding of intangible heritage, the 2003 Convention did not serve as a reference framework. Evidently, considering the short time frame since the conception of the ORF, the results need to be interpreted as a baseline measurement on which to build. To conclude, this paper aims to put the overall results framework to the test in a particular context. Nevertheless, when leaving the institutional and operational scope of the specific case in Flanders behind, the paper provides useful reflections and strategic learnings for the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention in other contexts as well. a1975-3586