Efforts to safeguard intangible cultural heritage are gaining momentum throughout Asia-Pacific, resulting in a need for more highly trained professionals in this area. Universities can play an important role in this regard, which is why UNESCO is organizing a regional symposium on 2-3 November in Bangkok to promote the integration of intangible cultural heritage at post-graduate levels in Asia-Pacific higher education. This event benefits from financial support from the [Fund for …
The first of three capacity-building training workshops will take place this week in the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, from 25-29 October, 2015.
This workshop will focus on the key concepts of the 2003 Convention and their implementation, through community based inventorying, safeguarding measures, and policy development strategies. It will also provide a good opportunity to demonstrate to the participants some good examples on the best practices of safeguarding ICH, as well as other …
International Assistance has been granted from the
Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund to three countries on 6 October 2015.
Sudan will receive US$174,480 from the Fund to document and inventory its intangible cultural heritage. Capacity-building of community-based inventories, as well as strengthening operational structures and cooperation at the level of national and local …
Following the workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention held last July in Praia, 17 community members and 13 culture officers gathered in Ribeira Grande de Santiago’s communities of Centro histórico, Salineiro and Calabaceira for training on community-based inventorying.
Organized in close cooperation between the Cultural Heritage Institute of Cabo Verde (IPC) and UNESCO from 23 September to 3 October, this training workshop introduced participants to the concepts, objectives and methods of inventorying and gave them hands on field …
The agreement concerning the hosting of the tenth session Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was signed by the Government of the Republic of Namibia and UNESCO on Monday 5 October 2015 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The agreement was signed by Ms Sanet Steenkamp in her capacity as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture of Namibia and Mr Eric Falt in his capacity as Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Public Information of UNESCO, in the presence of …
UNESCO is bringing together 24 experts from Africa and UNESCO field offices in Constantine, Algeria, from 28 September to 2 October 2015, to discuss how best support policy development in the field of intangible cultural heritage.
Under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, States are encouraged to develop public policy and legislation with the widest possible involvement of communities and civil society. As intangible cultural heritage …
Following months of consultation and coordination meetings, Kallawaya community members, as well as representatives of the San Pablo Bolivian Catholic University (SECRAD), has assembled in Charazani, La Paz, from the 13 to 18 September 2015 for a transmission workshop aimed at safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of the Kallawayas.
The integrated workshop covered three parts, the first of which focused on the basic principles and concepts of the Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and community-based inventorying …
The town of Taunggyi, Shan State, in Myanmar is hosting this week (from 14 to 18 September 2015) a workshop on how to elaborate nomination files for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. This is the final chapter of the capacity-building project, which has been generously supported by the Royal Norwegian Government through a contribution to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. The two-year national project has been implemented since 2013 with the …
Following a needs assessment carried out with UNESCO’s support, Albania is taking new steps in building professional and institutional capacities for safeguarding its living heritage.
A workshop on implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level will be held from 14 to 18 September in Tirana with the participation of local authorities, practitioners, civil society organizations and experts. …
Just two months ago, representatives of bearer communities, municipalities, as well as governmental and non-governmental experts gathered in the Ecuadorian province of Manabi with the aim to develop an inventory of intangible heritage.
The inventorying continues in Riobamba, Chimborazo province with a workshop from 24 to 29 August 2015, assembling stonecutters, bearers of oral traditions of the Zapara Culture and the Qhapac Ñan communities, civil servants from several municipalities (Alausí, Chambo, Chunchi, Colta, Cumandá, Guamote, Guano, …
Côte d’Ivoire is being supported with a grant of US$299,972 by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund on an emergency basis to conduct inventory work contributing to peacebuilding and stabilisation efforts following a 10-year political and military crisis. The project aims to draw up the inventory of the intangible cultural heritage present in Côte d’Ivoire with a view to its urgent safeguarding and valorisation as one of the major lines of action for the consolidation of peace and lasting stabilisation in the country under the National Programme
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Thirty Cabo Verdean representatives from diverse institutions and backgrounds gathered in Praia last month for a training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at national level.
The training programme, held from 27 to 31 July, was organized in close cooperation between the Cultural Heritage Institute of Cabo Verde (IPC), UNESCO Headquarters and UNESCO’s Regional Office in Dakar to provide attendees with a forum to discuss the scope …
As Suriname moves closer towards the ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, it is timely for community members, policy-makers, and governmental and non-governmental representatives to come together to chart the way forward in the safeguarding of their living heritage.
From 27 to 31 July 2015, a five-day workshop will be held in Paramaribo aiming to clarify the process and mechanisms for successful ratification and implementation of the 2003 Convention, including an overview of its objectives and …
On 29 June, during the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, the Chairs of the six UNESCO culture conventions* met for the first time to discuss ways to work together more effectively.
In the context of the 70th anniversary of UNESCO, this provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the future of the Organization’s standard-setting action in the face of contemporary challenges and emerging needs. This is particularly important as the international community advances towards the definition of the United Nations Post-2015 …
International Assistance is at the very core of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Regrettably, however, it has not yet been utilized to the full extent envisaged when the Convention was drafted, with few requests submitted by States Parties and even fewer of sufficient quality to warrant approval by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. In order to face this challenge, technical assistance
…
Thanks to the generous support from the Government of Japan, UNESCO has just launched the second phase of the Asia-Pacific project to strengthen national capacity in implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The capacity-building programme has been launched in the region since 2012 in response to the States Parties’ emphasis of the importance of strengthening national capacity to effectively implement the Convention. The second phase of this …
Following the signing of the Plan of Operations between UNESCO and the National Institute of Cultural Heritage of Ecuador (INPC) a few months ago, representatives of bearer communities, municipalities, as well as governmental and non-governmental experts, have fully mobilised to launch another significant step in the safeguarding of their living heritage.
Aiming to develop an inventory of intangible heritage in the Ecuadorian province of Manabi, representatives will come together for a workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural …
Morocco is perfecting its knowledge in international mechanisms for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage
Having already received two training workshops on the implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention at national level and on participatory inventories, Morocco hosted a workshop on international assistance and the lists of the Convention in Casablanca from May 25 to 29, funded by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund through a contribution from Norway.
Twenty …
UNESCO has embarked on the establishment of a follow-up and evaluation mechanism for activities carried out under the Convention’s
global capacity-building programme. The programme is part of global and national efforts to attain long-term development goals benefitting more than 65 countries to date. While it is considered by many the most important mechanism of the Convention, little is known about its long term effects at country level. How do the participants of training workshops use the
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The ICH Secretariat has received 56 new files by the 31 March deadline: 7 nominations to the Urgent Safeguarding List, 41 to the Representative List, 6 proposals for the Register of Best Safeguarding Practices and 3 financial assistance requests. 61 States have applied, of which four for the first time and ten that have no inscribed element so far.
As in previous cycles, only 50 files will be processed according to the level of priority determined in the Operational Directives. Details on submitting States and the priorities for 2016 cycle can
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On 18 and 19 May 2015 a specialised workshop is being held in Ramallah on the final revision of the draft “Palestinian Law on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.”
The workshop, which is organized by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture and the UNESCO Ramallah Office, will include participants from various ministries, the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, relevant civil society organizations and research institutions. …
Non-governmental organizations play vital roles in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. At the international level, NGOs having proven competence in safeguarding ICH may be accredited to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (
read more on the criteria for accreditation and advisory functions).
Interested organizations have until 31 May 2015 to submit the accreditation requests which will be examined
…
Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Madagascar, Palestine, South Sudan and Sudan have successfully completed needs assessments in the field of intangible cultural heritage. Through onsite national consultations, each of these countries identified opportunities and gaps in the institutional and professional environment for effective safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and mapped out the next steps for strengthening their national capacity. The urgent needs range from setting up adequate institutional infrastructures, mobilizing all stakeholders, developing …
Following an initial training workshop on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in November 2014 , which marked the launch of a project for capacity building in Niger, the country will host its second training workshop from 21 to 30 April in the Cultural Culturel Oumarou Ganda Centre (CCOG) in Niamey which will focus on …
As the first of the five Portuguese speaking African countries (PALOP) to have ratified the Convention, in 2006, Sao Tomé and Principe has launched a workshop on the development of community based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage.
From 30 March to 10 April 2015, 25 participants - members of different communities, Government staff and technicians, as well as representatives of NGOs and scientists – are working on identifying, assessing, and recording necessary information in alignment with the Convention’s principles in a pilot …
How can Albania effectively implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and benefit from its different provisions? These and many other questions have been recently addressed by a UNESCO Needs Assessment Mission supported by the Italian government, in close cooperation with the Albanian Ministry of Culture.
The report (English) explores the legislative and policy documents in the sphere of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Albania, analyzes the institutional and administrative framework for the implementation …
What are the core values and ethical principles – drawn from the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage – that ought to guide all safeguarding efforts, whether undertaken by States, communities, civil society or the private sector? How can those core values and principles be integrated into one or more model codes of ethics that could orient the work of different actors, in different contexts? And how can a model code be translated effectively into concrete, practical tools that could be used in the day-to-day …
The adoption of safeguarding plans for traditional music marks the project’s success where local communities have been sensitized, musical traditions inventoried, a database and a collection of documents created. Senegal’s objective has been achieved, following eighteen months of implementation aimed at the safeguarding of traditional music in Senegal, accompanying various events of social life (rituals and celebrations related to the birth, death, initiation, agriculture and fishing).
Implemented …
Eight countries in Africa and the Arab Region (Comoros, Djibouti, Madagascar, Egypt, Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen) are currently benefitting from UNESCO’s support to map out their needs for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage through on site national consultations. These needs, essential for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, range from an adequate institutional and professional environment, relevant
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A mid-term project meeting of representatives of the ministries of culture of Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia was held from 23 to 25 February 2015 in Casablanca, the purpose of which was to review the half way results of an ongoing capacity building project in the field of intangible cultural heritage funded by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund through a contribution from Norway. The project aims to assist these three countries of the Maghreb sub-region in safeguarding their intangible …
It is time to review and to plan for the next steps! Chinhoyi (Zimbabwe) welcomes a workshop from 24 to 26 February 2015 in order to take stock of the results of the project implemented in seven countries in southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
Thanks to this project, which aimed to enhance the sub-regional cooperation as well as the national capacities of effective implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural …
Having completed the first joint training on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage last September, representatives of the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) are taking the next significant step in the implementation of a coordinated strategy to safeguard their living heritage.
From 22 to 28 February 2015, community practitioners, as well as governmental and non-governmental experts, will gather in Curacao for a workshop on community-based inventorying …
Senegal is about to conclude an eighteen-month project to safeguard traditional music accompanying various events of social life (rituals and celebrations related to birth, death, initiation, agriculture and fishing) as well as myths and legends associated with them. The project, funded by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund up to 80,000 USD, aims at reinvigorating the intergenerational transmission chain of intangible cultural heritage and at strengthening the capacity of the communities concerned in inventorying it. The results of the inventory …
A project has recently been launched in Nigeria, aiming to provide a solid foundation for effective safeguarding of living heritage.
Thanks to the financial assistance of Japan, the national authorities will be accompanied by UNESCO during the period of three years in order to create an effective institutional and legal environment for the safeguarding of rich intangible cultural heritage that exist in Nigeria. The project will also allow the strengthening of national capacities required for preparing inventories and for elaborating nomination …
What are the knowledge and skills required to elaborate safeguarding plans for intangible cultural heritage effectively? How to acquire these competencies successfully? These questions are at the centre of a training workshop with eleven expert facilitators and ten UNESCO culture officers involved in implementing the global capacity-building strategy for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in the Asia Pacific region. Participants will test a new interactive methodology that UNESCO elaborated for this purpose and, furthermore, discuss new training …
The deadline approaches (15 January 2015) for the first 97
non-governmental organizations accredited to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to submit their reports on the contribution and the commitment of the organization and their relations with the Committee. These first 97 NGOs were accredited in 2010, during the
third session of the General Assembly.
This process provides an opportunity for NGOs to report on and highlight the contribution …
The 9th annual session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage ended today in UNESCO Headquarters with the election of H.E. Ms Trudie Amulungu (Namibia) as chair of the next session. The 10th session will take place in Namibia, from 30 November to 4 December 2015.
Receiving more than 1070 delegates from 138 countries, the Intergovernmental Committee welcomed the significant progress made in the implementation of the Convention, as well as expressed its appreciation of the overall strategy of capacity …
The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today inscribed sixteen new elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Representative List serves to raise awareness of intangible heritage and provide recognition to communities’ traditions and know-how that reflect their cultural diversity. The List does not attribute or recognize any standard of excellence or exclusivity. The titles of the newly inscribed elements below lead to web pages …
The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today inscribed eighteen new elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Representative List serves to raise awareness of intangible heritage and provide recognition to communities’ traditions and know-how that reflect their cultural diversity. The List does not attribute or recognize any standard of excellence or exclusivity. The titles of the newly inscribed elements below lead to web pages …
The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today inscribed three new elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding:
PHOTO:06596-THB-L-
November 24, 2014 - The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee was inaugurated today at UNESCO headquarters. In his opening address, Mr. Alfredo Pérez Armiñán, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Culture, stressed that “The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recognizes communities as key players in the identifying and safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, and calls all States Parties to implement a true cultural democracy - very promising for …
An information session for States Parties to the Convention, and particularly for new Committee Members, will take place on Sunday 23 November 2014 (3 to 5 p.m.) in Room IV (Fontenoy) to introduce the provisional agenda and timetable and the working methods of the Committee during its
ninth session.
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A representative of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Leisure of Niger will open today next Monday 10 November a five-days Training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, with the participation of the Spanish Technical Bureau of Cooperation in Niger.
Organized together with the National Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of Niger and the support of UNESCO, the workshop (held in Niamey from 10 to 14 November) is the first of three major training activities of the …
After having benefitted from a workshop on the implementation at the national level of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Myanmar ratified the Convention in May 2014 and now presses on with fundamental steps in the inventorying of its living heritage.
A national workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage has assembled various stakeholders including government officials and community practitioners in the Inle Lake region in Southern Shan State, from 27 October to 3 November 2014, …
Documents are
online, registration is
open, and preparations are in full swing for the
ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, 24 to 28 November 2014). Chaired by H. E. Mr José Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros, Peru, the Committee will review periodic reports submitted by
27 States Parties on their implementation of the Convention and reports
…
The process of review is underway for 97
non-governmental organizations accredited to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Every four years following
accreditation of a NGO, the Committee reviews the contribution and the commitment of the organization and its relations with it, taking into account the perspective of the NGO concerned (Paragraph 94 of the Operational Directives). The first 97 NGOs to be reviewed were accredited in 2010, during
…
Following eight months of conducting a pilot inventory in the Province of Manica in Central Mozambique, the national institute for socio-cultural research, Arquivo do Património Cultural (ARPAC), in cooperation with UNESCO is organizing a closing workshop from 27 to 31 October 2014. The workshop in Manica and Maputo will highlight how inventories of intangible cultural heritage are a key step for further safeguarding measures.
Taking stock of the results of the pilot inventory, the workshop marks the end of a sequence of …
How can the contribution of intangible cultural heritage to sustainable development best be understood and fully recognized? How can intangible heritage take a central place in the efforts to achieve the new post-2015 development goals? How can countries concretely realize this potential? Those are some of the questions that will be addressed during an expert meeting organized by UNESCO and the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO in Istanbul, Turkey, from 29 September to 1 October 2014.
This meeting invites twelve participants …
What are the lessons learnt from implementing UNESCO’s capacity-building strategy for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Europe and Central Asia? What do the expert-facilitators need to know to deliver trainings and policy advice effectively? What is their advice to UNESCO for the further improvement of the programme? These are some of the questions for discussion at the Review meeting of the global capacity-building strategy, which the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding …
Community representatives, non-governmental and governmental experts in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) are joining efforts to develop and implement a strategy for the safeguarding of their living heritage.
As a significant step in the safeguarding process, a meeting was held in 2013 in Aruba which assessed the needs in the Dutch Caribbean islands for implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, laying the foundation for [this two-year …
What can we learn from other programmes and organizations to refine UNESCO’s approach to policy advice in the field of intangible cultural heritage? How can synergies can be created with the policy work undertaken under the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005)? These are among key questions of a one-day workshop that the Intangible Heritage Section is organizing on 25 June 2014 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris with the participation of colleagues working on the diversity of cultural expressions.
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As highlighted in a recent evaluation of the impact of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the link between culture and sustainable development is increasingly recognized internationally. The Convention, however, is not explicit in this regard, even if the relationship between safeguarding, commercialization and sustainable development have featured in numerous debates in Committee meetings in recent years.
Similarly, the impact of climate change and its effects on ecosystems and the communities …
More than
600 participants attended the
fifth General Assembly which concluded today with subtantial resolutions. Starting from 2015, all nominations will be evaluated by a single Evaluation Body of twelve members appointed by the Committee, six experts representing States Parties non-Members of the Committee and six representatives of accredited NGO, taking into consideration equitable geographic representation and various domains of intangible cultural heritage. The General Assembly furthermore decided to allocate
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From 20 to 27 May 2014 the city of Marrakesh is hosting its first training workshop on the preparation of a participative inventory of the intangible cultural heritage.
This training is part of a wider capacity-building programme for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage funded thanks to a generous contribution from Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. It follows on from a first workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage which was held in Agadir in March.
The …
The
fifth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place from 2 to 4 June 2014 at UNESCO Headquarters (Room XII). It is the first session following the review of the ten years implementation of the Convention.
The General Assembly will revise some of the Operational Directives following the recommendations formulated by the Intergovernmental Committee, conduct an election for the renewal of the Members of the Intergovernmental …
The two-year project ‘Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Central Asia’ concludes with a training workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage from 11 to 17 May 2014 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Since the launching of the programme in 2012, substantial changes can be noted in the Tajikistan State Programme for the Safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) for 2012-2015.
Participants of the final training, representing the Ministry of Culture; leading …
Where do Arab countries stand with the development of policies and institutional frameworks for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage? How successfully do they involve sectors other than culture, whose policies fundamentally affect the future of intangible cultural heritage, but which are often not recognized as such? What about issues, such as community involvement, cultural rights and gender equality?
Starting from these substantive questions, about 30 representatives of Ministries of Culture and UNESCO-trained experts from different countries …
Guatemala and the Dominican Republic benefitted in March from intensive training in drawing up inventories of intangible cultural heritage with the participation of the communities that practise and experience it. The Guatemala training focussed on the traditional knowledge of ceramic crafts practised by indigenous Maya-Pocomam women in the town of Chinautla, 10 km from Guatemala City, and the Dominican Republic activities highlighted the improvised couplet songs of the Chuineros, the rural villagers of Baní, in the southern province of Peravia. …
Following on from Mauritania and Tunisia, Morocco took its turn to host the training workshops on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. From 26 to 30 March, Agadir hosted an initial national meeting as part of the capacity building project for the safeguarding of living heritage established in the three countries thanks to the generous contribution from Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.
Organised by the UNESCO Rabat Office, this workshop was attended not only by officials …
The activities for the inventory of intangible cultural heritage were officially launched by the Malian Minister of Culture during a ceremony on 7 March in Bamako, in the presence of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
Thanks to emergency international assistance of over $300,000, financed by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, the work for inventory …
In the framework of the regional capacity building project in the Asia-Pacific Region funded by the UNESCO Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a number of representatives from governmental and non-governmental institutions from Sri Lanka and Bhutan receive intensive training on the nomination process, from preparation to evaluation and examination. These sessions represent a major step in the strengthening of their capacities and complement the training that both countries have already received on the …
The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, and the Algerian Minister of Culture, Ms. Khalida Toumi, signed an agreement on 28 February for the creation of a Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Africa under the auspices of UNESCO, which will play a key role in strengthening the region’s capacities for safeguarding its living heritage.
‘This Centre is supporting our efforts to place culture at the heart of sustainable development,’ said Ms Bokova. ‘Without culture, and in particular without the intangible …
In celebration of International Mother Language Day, the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage launches a new ‘Festival Photo Gallery’ showcasing the many cultural experts who shared their language revitalization efforts and cultural traditions as part of the One World, Many Voices: Endangered Languages and Cultural Heritage programme at the 2013 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
Produced in collaboration with UNESCO, the National Geographic Society’s Enduring Voices Project, and the Smithsonian’s Recovering Voices …
For two years Argentina, along with Paraguay and Uruguay were accompanied in a capacity-building process for the effective and sustainable safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. A closing ceremony on Thursday 13 February at the National House of the Bicentenary in Buenos Aires, Argentina, marks the culmination of the project “Living Heritage”.
Jointly organized by the Argentinian Secretariat of Culture of the Nation and the UNESCO Office in Montevideo, the event will bring together key project players to review its interventions, achievements …
Please note that the deadline for submission of candidature files, of proposals and requests for assistance for the 2015 cycle, is set for March 31, 2014. The forms have been updated. Kindly note the introduction of new requirements regarding candidatures files for inventories, in conformity with the recent decision of the Committee (8.COM 7.a).
In addition, the Secretariat put in place a mechanism for information sharing in order to …
Intangible cultural heritage bearers from six Cuban provinces (Las Tunas, Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Camagüey) will join members of the respective provincial councils and national cultural heritage institutions from 11 to 14 February in Santiago de Cuba to participate in a capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level.
The city is the birthplace of the dance, song and drumming from Haitian slaves known as Tumba Francesa …
From 20 to 24 January 2014, a capacity-building session on preparing nominations to the Lists of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took place in Ventiane Province. About 30 participants, including government officials and experts involved in the safeguarding of cultural heritage from Lao PDR have received theoretical and practical training on the nomination process understood as a process of community-based safeguarding. A particular focus was on possible efforts and procedures to put in place for listing …
The locality of Matmata, Tunisia, is hosting its first training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage from 27 to 31 January 2014. This workshop, organised by the UNESCO Rabat Office thanks to a generous contribution from Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, is part of a larger project also involving Morocco and Mauritania.
The training will be jointly led by Mr Ahmed Skounti (Morocco) and Mr Mohamed Ould Mohamed Lemine Beijeu (Mauritania) both UNESCO facilitators …
A virtual exhibition illustrating the role Intangible Cultural Heritage plays in sustainable development is . Its message is that culture is a fundamental enabler of sustainability, a source of meaning and energy, a wellspring of creativity and innovation, and a resource to address challenges and find appropriate solutions.
It features examples from different parts of the world (Brazil, Egypt, Estonia, Kenya, Samoa and Spain) highlight …
The 8th annual session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, marked by the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, ended in Baku today with the election of José Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Peru to UNESCO, as chair of the next session. The 9th session will take place in Paris, France, from 24 to 28 November 2014.
During the meeting, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Culture, Francesco Bandarin and Lassana …
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, holding its 8th session until 7 December, today inscribed 11 elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This marks the end of this year’s inscriptions.
The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity serves to raise awareness of intangible heritage and provide recognition to communities’ traditions and know-how that reflect their cultural diversity. The List does not attribute or recognize any standard …
On Wednesday 4 December, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed two new elements on List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding:
It also selected “[Methodology for inventorying …
The eighth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today reviewed the periodic reports of States Parties on their implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. These reports, which show the various measures taken to ensure effective implementation of the Convention, including in the legislative and institutional areas and the state of elements inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, constitute one of …
The eighth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was opened today in Baku (Azerbaijan). In his message sent to participants, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Mr Ilham Aliyev underlined: “Since its adoption in 2003, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has played an important role in the implementation of the international strategy to promote cultural diversity … around the world”. On the other hand, Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General …
Chaired by H. E. Mr Abulfas Garayev (Azerbaijan), the eighth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from Monday 2 to Saturday 7 December 2013 (webcast in English, French, Spanish and Arabic).
The Committee will discuss in particular the recent evaluation produced by the Internal Oversight Service and recommendations for more effective implementation of the Convention.
The Committee will also review the periodic reports …
Community practitioners, non-governmental organizations in the field of crafts, traditional music and dance, leading universities and museums of the country as well as government officials came together for a workshop on inventorying of intangible cultural heritage which is held from 22 to 29 November 2013 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.
Organized by the UNESCO Almaty Office in cooperation with the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ISESCO and the Kazakhstan National Federation of UNESCO Clubs, the workshop marks a significant …
The network of category 2 centres under the auspices of UNESCO is set to expand with the decision to establish a regional centre in Algeria for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Africa. The centre, approved during the 37th session of UNESCO’s General Conference, will be devoted to promote the safeguarding of living heritage in Africa through the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The main functions of the Algerian centre are to encourage African States to adopt …
The Bureau of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, meeting at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters, approved an emergency assistance package of $307,307 for the preparation of an inventory of the Mali’s intangible cultural heritage.
The project will evaluate the state of intangible heritage (knowledge and practices related to nature, oral traditions, rituals, festivals and traditional crafts) in all parts of Mali, and will be carried out in two, year-long phases. The first will cover the three northern regions …
UNESCO continues to assist several countries of the Asia-Pacific region in safeguarding their intangible cultural heritage. Thanks to the generous support of the Government of Japan two different activities have been organized in October 2013.
The first one will allow Samoa to strengthen its national capacities to safeguard its rich intangible heritage thanks to a six-day Community-based Inventorying workshop organized from 21 to 26 October 2013 in Savaii Island. Organized by UNESCO Apia Office in collaboration with Samoan national and local …
As part of a larger project concerning Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, the UNESCO Rabat Office is organizing its first training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kaédi, Mauritania, from 22 to 26 October 2013.
This workshop, organized thanks to a generous contribution from Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, will be jointly led by Mr Ahmed Skounti and Mr Mohamed Ould Mohamed Lemine Beijeu, both UNESCO facilitators in the field of intangible heritage, …
The cities of Buenos Aires and Santiago del Estero, on the banks of the Dulce River in north-central Argentina, are hosting two training sessions from 14 to 22 October on the preparation of nominations to UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Two members of UNESCO’s network of facilitators, Adriana Molano Arenas from Colombia and Mónica Lacarrieu from Argentina, will lead 70 participants from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay through the nomination process, emphasizing how to devise community-based safeguarding …
Community practitioners, members of non-governmental organizations and government officials came together for a national workshop on inventorying of intangible cultural heritage held in Uzbekistan, which is held from 8 to 15 October 2013 in Fergana, Uzbekistan.
Organized by the UNESCO Tashkent Office in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the workshop marks a significant step in safeguarding the living heritage of Uzbekistan. It will focus on community participation in the identification and inventory …
Twenty representatives of institutions involved in safeguarding cultural heritage in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti meet in Havana, Cuba, from 7 to 11 October to strengthen their skills in preparing nominations to the Lists of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. This complements the training they received in their respective countries on the implementation of the Convention at the national level. Both activities were made possible thanks to a generous contribution from Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage …
Having begun the development of its cultural policy and conducted a workshop on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level, Belize presses on with fundamental steps in the inventorying of its living heritage.
A national workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage will assemble various stakeholders including government officials, non-governmental organizations and community practitioners in the Orange Walk district of Belize, from 1 to 9 October …
Tango bearers, government officials and members of concerned non-governmental organizations have been making steady progress since April 2013 in drawing up intangible heritage inventories, considered a priority safeguarding measure by the tango community in Buenos Aires.
Guided by the UNESCO-trained expert, Ms Mónica Lacarrieu, the inventory team chose, among the different musical, poetic and human elements of the practice of tango, to focus on milongas, the popular evenings where men and women gather in local clubs to dance the tango and the …
After more than two years of implementation, time has come to take stock of UNESCO’s capacity-building strategy for strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America (CRESPIAL), a category 2 centre under the auspices of UNESCO, will host a review meeting in Cusco, Peru, from 17 to 19 September 2013. The review will bring together eleven Latin …
The elaboration of community-based inventories is at the heart of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and requires specific skills, which are, however, not always sufficiently mastered in countries that have ratified, including in Africa, a priority region for UNESCO. It is therefore urgent that the members of UNESCO’s network of trainers in Africa, which was set up to support the implementation of the Convention, have the pedagogical and methodological tools necessary to facilitate training in this area. UNESCO …
Less than a year after hosting a foundational workshop on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level and the development of a plan of action to this effect, Jamaica is mobilising community practitioners and representatives of its governmental and non-governmental organisations to push forward with the inventorying of its living heritage.
Organized by the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank in collaboration with the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO …
Senegal is mobilizing local authorities and communities to undertake an inventory of its traditional music situated in the Senegal River Valley in the north-east and in Kédougou region in the south-east. These regions host a large variety of traditions and genres that have social, spiritual and cultural functions essential for social cohesion.
The concerned communities will receive training on inventorying traditional music and related craft skills and sustainably managing a database, in order to strengthen the viability of this music and its …
Within the framework of the global capacity building strategy for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, two workshops will be organized in Mozambique in August 2013 that aim to reinforce national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage
The first workshop will provide training on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level to officials from ARPAC (the National Institute for Socio-cultural Research), the Ministry of Culture as well …
The Institute of African and Asian Studies (IAAS) of the University of Khartoum has finalized a project aiming at assessing the needs to safeguard the important collection of audio visual materials of traditional Sudanese Music housed in the Folklore and Traditional Music Archives of the University of Khartoum. Through a financial assistance of US$12,167 by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, an action plan for the management and preservation of the Archives has been set up.
The Folklore and Traditional Music Archives constitute a valuable …
A national workshop on the implementation of the Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage is taking place from 16 to 20 July 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The workshop, organized by UNESCO Dhaka Office in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh, aims at providing a broad overview of the Convention and its Operational Directives, the obligations of the State Party and possible ways to safeguard and inventory the intangible cultural heritage with the full participation of the …
In July 2013, a project has been launched which will enable four local communities to identify their living heritage, as an essential step for its safeguarding. It is financed with an amount of US$216,000 by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund (the contribution from the Government of Uganda amounts to US$32,891).
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, which is responsible for its implementation, will establish a national strategy for inventorying intangible cultural heritage …
Community practitioners, government officials and members of non-governmental organizations are mobilizing themselves for a national workshop on inventorying of intangible cultural heritage to be held in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago from 22 June to 1 July 2013.
Organized by the Trinidad and Tobago National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of the Arts & Multiculturalism of Trinidad and Tobago and the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean, the workshop marks a significant step in safeguarding the living heritage of Trinidad …
Anniversaries are opportunities to reflect on the past and to envision the future. As the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention celebrates its first decade (2003-2013), experts and officials who were involved in its conception and birth came together in Chengdu, China to discuss how it has lived up to – or exceeded! – their expectations and what challenges and opportunities lie ahead of it.
A highlight of the worldwide celebrations of the Convention’s tenth anniversary, the Chengdu …
Just nine months after the ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO and the Secretariat of Culture of the Presidency of El Salvador join forces in organizing an intensive training in community-based inventorying from 17 to 25 June 2013. Starting with a first theoretical phase in the country’s capital, San Salvador, which will involve about thirty participants coming from the Secretariat of Culture, non-governmental organizations and community representatives from Conchagua, a third of the …
Lao’s national capacities to safeguard its intangible heritage are increasing, culminating with an eight-day workshop from 11 to 18 June 2013 at Thalat, Vientiane Province. This national safeguarding effort has been made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the Republic of Korea. The workshop is part of a two year project that aims at enhancing national capacity of Lao PDR, both in government institutions and in civil society for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage.
It will be conducted by two experts from the UNESCO …
Thanks to a financial support of US$24,947 from the 2003 Convention’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, eight communities in northern Malawi participated in the inventorying of their intangible cultural heritage. After having received training on documentation and inventory making, twelve young members from the Bandya, Lambya, Mambwe, Namwanga, Ndali, Nyakyusa, Nyiha and Sulwa/Chewa communities conducted fieldwork to collect information on 26 living practices and expressions that they considered characteristic for their communities.
The result …
A new step in a series of training activities for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage will take place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from 28 to 31 May 2013. A workshop will bring together participants from governmental, academic and educational institutions as well as communities to improve their knowledge and skills for developing nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and the Representative List …
The seventh annual regional meeting of experts on Intangible Cultural Heritage in South East Europe will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 27-28 May 2013. The event, organized by the Sofia Regional Center on Intangible cultural heritage in South-East Europe, with the support of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture and Science in Europe (Venice, Italy) will bring together experts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic …
Burkina Faso is launching a national project to inventory and promote its intangible cultural heritage, thanks to financial assistance of US$260,000 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.
From now until 2015, this major project will enable Burkina Faso to create an inventory and database of the intangible cultural heritage present throughout its territory. With the participation of representatives from different communities, civil society organizations and academic institutions, this project will enable the country not only to identify its …
For the first time, Southern African countries are joining hands to create the professional and institutional environment required for the effective safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in their countries.
Since 2009, the countries have laid the groundwork for this commendable initiative, notably through the MDGF Culture and Development Programme in Namibia, and the pilot projects on community based inventorying (in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Uganda) and national capacity building exercise (Botswana, Malawi, Zambia …
Following a needs assessment carried out by UNESCO in February that gathered the viewpoints of a wide range of Haitian actors, a reflection is now launched on how to adapt the principles of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to the Haitian context. Ms Soledad Mujica (Peru) and Ms Claudine Augée Angoué (Gabon), two expert facilitators from UNESCO’s network, will accompany the country in this process thanks to a generous contribution of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.
Two workshops will …
The implementation of the capacity building strategy for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Namibia is moving to its second phase. After a series of successful community-based ICH inventorying exercises carried out within the broader framework of the MDGF Culture and Development programme, the UNESCO Office in Windhoek and the Ministry of Youth, National Service, Sports and Culture trained a group of 20 local trainers to ensure sustainability of the ICH inventorying and safeguarding …
UNESCO’s regional capacity-building programme in Central America – benefitting from the generous contribution of Spain to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and kicked-off some weeks ago in Honduras – now materializes in Guatemala. The programme aims to develop institutional capacities and a national strategy for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, built upon the experiences, views and aspirations of actors working in this field.
Twenty persons, including representatives …
Three years after ratifying the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Tajikistan is moving forward to strengthen its safeguarding capacities as a participant in UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy, introduced in the country in 2012 thanks to the generous support of Norway. The strategy entails a long-term, multi-faceted approach and includes revision of policies and legislation, strengthening of institutional infrastructures, development of inventory frameworks and methods that fully involve …
Building upon a regional study on the existing legislation in the field of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, a new regional capacity-building programme starts. Throughout 2013, the four countries are going to build the professional and institutional environments required for the effective safeguarding of their living heritage, working closely with UNESCO’s Offices in San José and Guatemala and benefitting from the generous contribution of Spain to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.
The …
Representatives of governmental and non-governmental institutions, universities and civil society, drawn from a wide range of Dominican stakeholders involved in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, come together in Santo Domingo from 11 to 15 March for an intensive five-day capacity-building workshop on the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The meeting inaugurates the Dominican Republic’s participation in a regional project for strengthening capacities for safeguarding …
Great efforts are underway to reorient Cambodia’s methods of inventorying living heritage. Thanks to the global UNESCO Programme to build capacity for the implementation of the Convention, the Government is reinforcing its existing methods to document and inventory intangible cultural heritage.
With the generous funding from Japan, a number of provincial directors under the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, civil society organizations and community representatives came together in Siem Reap (about 320 kilometres from the capital Phnom Penh) …
Nominations for possible inscription in 2014 must be submitted before March 31, 2013. As this date falls on Sunday and April 1 is a public holiday at UNESCO Headquarters, Intangible Cultural Heritage Section will accept the files
before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at the latest. All nominations must be submitted using the forms for the 2014 cycle as made available
online. All the required documentation needs to be received before the deadline. Please note that the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section will move from Bonvin
…
The rural festivities of the Red and Blue Bands in the small city of Majagua, in the very centre of Cuba, are known throughout the island as an enduring social institution that brings residents from different generations into one or the other camp for friendly rivalry and competitions. Five of these community members, experts from four provinces and two representatives of the National Commission for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage will work together beginning 28 February to identify and define the various components of the festivities. …
An expert mission travelled to Haiti from 18 to 24 February to conduct an initial needs assessment and plan future activities for a UNESCO-led capacity-building programme for the effective safeguarding of the country’s intangible cultural heritage.
Organized with the support of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, thanks to a generous contribution from Norway, the mission was composed of a UNESCO-trained expert, Ms Soledad Mujica from Peru, and the UNESCO Culture Programme Specialist in Port-au-Prince. The mission intended to provide an opportunity …
Ten years after the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by the General Conference of UNESCO on 17th October 2003, the international community is celebrating, this year, the
10th anniversary of the Convention.
A significant number of activities are planned by States Parties and various international and local stakeholders involved in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. They are all invited to share on this site the events and activities they organize to celebrate this …
How can Arab States effectively implement the 2003 Convention at the national level? What can be done to promote regional cooperation in the Arab world and to strengthen the capacities of all concerned stakeholders? What are the best ways to raise people’s awareness and assure the involvement of concerned communities in the process of safeguarding?
These are amongst the issues that representatives of Ministries of Culture of all countries from the Arab region discussed during the [meeting on ‘The challenges of capacity building in the field …
Held in Paris from 3 to 7 December 2012, the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has completed its work, with more than 800 participants including experts, practitioners and government officials. The sixteen new periodic reports from States Parties were examined by the Committee and it provided enlightening information on the importance of strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, in particular the training of government …
Four years of cooperation for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic
* will come to an end with the completion of the
project MedLiHer - Mediterranean Living Heritage in December 2012. To showcase this experience, a series of activities have been planned at Maison des cultures du monde and UNESCO Headquarters in Paris (Room XI) from 17 to 18 December 2012.
Co-financed by the European Union and UNESCO through the Euromed Heritage Program, …
‘We must begin by emphasizing within the community itself upon the importance of safeguarding our most precious heritage our ancestors left us.’
(Ginuervel Roach, Curaçao youth participant).
With an increased awareness of the significance of living heritage and the pivotal role of youth in its safeguarding, it is no surprise that the voices of youth and their actions are propelling globally.
Intangible cultural heritage provides a continuous link between the past, present and future. Embodied within such practices as oral traditions …
This is the key question to be addressed in the first review of UNESCO’s strategy to build capacity for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage to be completed this year. Already 42 UNESCO Member States are benefitting from tailored capacity-building projects in the fields of policy and legal revision for safeguarding, institutional infrastructure development, inventorying and participation in international cooperation mechanisms. Indeed, 75 training activities have been carried out in seven different languages across the world since mid 2011. …
What does it mean to speak of an ‘element’ of intangible cultural heritage in the 2003 Convention and its Operational Directives? What are the actual trends, categories and examples of the elements inscribed on the Lists so far? How should similar elements, within and between countries, be treated? How can an inscribed element be ‘extended’? Is it useful to speak of ‘serial elements’? What is the ‘right’ scale of an element, and for what context?
These are the questions that experts from States Parties of the Convention will have …
For the first time since their ratification of the 2003 Convention in history, Sao Tome and Principe brought together a range of key stakeholders to give a boost to the safeguarding of its living heritage. The representative from governments and civil society discussed the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in light of the local realities and communities, paving the way for required policy revision and action as well as the establishment of a national committee to stir the process.
Along with Angola and Mozambique, …
The 7th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, chaired by Mr Arley Gill of Grenada, will meet at UNESCO Headquarters (Paris, France) from 3 to 7 December 2012 (audiocast in English, French and Spanish).
Its agenda includes the examination of almost 60 nomination files that are now available online: 8 related to the Urgent Safeguarding List , 2 to the Register of Best Safeguarding Practices , 36 to the Representative List and …
The diverse cultural communities of Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, will be happy to know that in the context of its Global Strategy, UNESCO has launched a two and a half year project to help their countries safeguard their intangible heritage.
Funded by Japan, this timely project includes an assessment of the ICH related policy development process in the respective countries and identification of their specific needs for the way forward. Cultural policy consultations have already begun in Belize and Jamaica and will soon commence in …
Thanks to the generous contribution of Spain to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua have embarked on a series of activities to strengthen their institutional capacities for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage present in their countries. UNESCO has started working closely with national counterpart to revise the policy and legislative frameworks and develop inventory systems to identify and safeguard the rich diversity of knowledge systems, rituals and cultural practices which communities …
The development of a film scenario and of a photography exhibition around the Mediterranean intangible cultural heritage was at the core of a meeting involving Egyptian, Lebanese and Jordanian producers and photographers on the 27th to 29th august 2012, at UNESCO Paris. The ultimate stage of the MedLiHer project (Mediterranean living Heritage), co-financed by the European Union and UNESCO, the premiere of the film projection and the exhibition are foreseen for late December 2012 in Paris. The audiovisuals on the intangible cultural …
Young people play a crucial role in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. UNESCO is therefore intensifying its efforts to partner with youth in the implementation of the 2003 Convention. Three sub-regional youth forums in the coming months aim to strengthen youth knowledge and safeguarding capacities through awareness-raising, dialogue and focused activities.
First on the calendar is a youth seminar being organized by the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe (a …
Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan have just taken another step in safeguarding their intangible cultural heritage. After months of meticulous preparation, the three partner countries of the ‘MedLiHer - Mediterranean Living Heritage’ project have signed partnership agreements with UNESCO, co-financed by the European Union and UNESCO. Each US$175,000 partnership will support implementing national projects focused on community-based inventorying.
In Lebanon, the research teams will be working with the communities of Zajal, a form of …
The General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take a number of decisions important for the future of the Convention during its fourth session from 4 to 8 June 2012 at UNESCO Headquarters.
The Assembly will be invited in particular to decide on certain amendments to the Operational Directives proposed by the Committee concerning the methods of examination and the maximum ceiling of files to be processed annually by the Committee.
In the context of the …
How to build on the multidimensional aspects of the intangible cultural heritage and stimulate innovative and creative approaches to intangible cultural heritage safeguarding while enhancing sustainable development and dialogue in the region? Several South-East Europe initiatives are seeking ways to address these questions.
First through the annual regional meeting …
Expanded interest in safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage is strongly demonstrated by the new files received from forty four States Parties for the cycle that began on 31 March 2012 and will end in November 2013.
Among the submitting States, eleven have never before had elements inscribed. For the first time, Africa is the region with the largest number of submitting States (twelve).These are the first tangible fruits of the capacity-building strategy conducted by UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Section. With eight …
What is intangible cultural heritage? What are the links with national sustainable development strategies? How can it be identified? Why and how should it be safeguarded? Who are the key players?
These are just a few of the questions to be addressed in a major capacity-building project just launched by UNESCO, thanks to Norway’s generous contribution of US$1.2 million to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. Aimed at supporting communities in keeping their intangible heritage alive, the project will focus on building know-how and institutional …
The network of 65 trainers set up by UNESCO since 2011 to promote the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and strengthen national capacities for its implementation is enhanced with a new training institution: School of African Heritage (EPA).
From April 11 to 17 in Cotonou (Benin), the School will introduce new teaching tools developed by UNESCO to assist States in safeguarding. Supported by the International Fund for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, this workshop will …
How does identification and inventorying of intangible cultural heritage work with the widest possible involvement of communities? This critical question is being explored by country teams from Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon in a workshop taking place at UNESCO from 23 to 25 March, 2012.
Organized in the context of the project “Mediterranean Living Heritage” (MEDLIHER), this workshop co-funded by the European Union and UNESCO, preludes the launching of three major safeguarding projects in the Mediterranean countries …
Good news for communities in Asia and the Pacific who wish to keep their intangible heritage alive! UNESCO, with the generous support of Japan, will be working hand in hand with governments, civil societies and communities to ensure that safeguarding efforts in eight countries of the region (Bhutan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste) are supported and sustained.
With time running as the enormous reservoir of cultural practices, knowledge systems and rituals across the region is increasingly threatened, …
