The Republic of Korea has been a faithful supporter of UNESCO’s activities in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, providing substantial support in the 1990s to the development and dissemination of “Living Human Treasures” systems in a number of countries. The Arirang Prize for intangible heritage was awarded to six of the elements proclaimed Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity between 2001 and 2005, and will be reinstated soon as a prize to recognize outstanding contributions to the safeguarding of intangible heritage. The Republic of Korea has also established several Funds-in-Trust to support specific safeguarding activities:
- Support of a regional meeting “Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and Sustaining Cultural Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges”, $60,000, organized in December 2007 in Hue, Viet Nam, by UNESCO’s Bangkok field office, in cooperation with the Establishment Initiative for the Intangible Heritage Centre for Asia-Pacific, a unit of the Cultural Heritage Foundation (formerly, Foundation for the Protection of Cultural Property)
- Establishment of Living Human Treasures systems in Fiji and Cambodia, $113,000. Established 21 March 2005; fund source the Municipal Government of Gangneung, through the Korean National Commission for UNESCO
- Support of a documentation project on children’s games in the Asia-Pacific region, $113,000. Fund source the Municipal Government of Gangneung, through the Korean National Commission for UNESCO
- Fund-in-Trust on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia Pacific Region, $200,000. Established on 21 November 2006, with funding provided by the Government of the Republic of Korea. Among the activities to be supported by the FIT is a feasibility study for a proposed category 2 centre for intangible heritage in the Asia-Pacific region (inglés|francés|español|ruso|chino|árabe). Project planning is underway for:
- Feasibility study for an interactive resource for communities involved in safeguarding intangible heritage
- Expert meeting: How can information and communications technologies contribute to safeguarding intangible heritage?
Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Cultural Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges
11/13-12-2007Hue (Viet Nam)
Structured around case studies from the region, the meeting aimed to provide a platform for experts and practitioners to discuss how best to strengthen communities’ capacities to control and manage their own Intangible Cultural Heritage in the face of increased tourism. The key themes under which the case studies were organized include:
- Handicrafts in the context of sustainable cultural tourism
- Performing arts in the context of sustainable cultural tourism
- ICH in the context of environmental, agricultural and eco tourism
The meeting has been organized by the Hue Monuments Conservation Center (HMCC), the Department of National Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Viet Nam, the Korean Establishment Initiative for the Intangible Heritage Centre for Asia-Pacific (EIIHCAP) and the Office of the UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific.
- Meeting page on UNESCO Bangkok website
- Final report: English
Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage through the Strengthening of National Capacities in Lao PDR11-2011/06-2014, Lao People’s Democratic Republic
This project aims at building up a critical mass of national capacity, both in government institutions and in civil society, and to provide general programmatic and managerial support to the Organization’s activities in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Lao PDR and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
To that end, the project has started to implement an integrated capacity-building strategy, including a series of well-prepared workshops and activities, tailored to respond to the identified needs of Lao PDR. Themes covered in training workshops are the implementation of the Convention at the national level and community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage. There is also a workshop designed for preparation of nominations files to the Urgent Safeguarding List and the Representative List, proposals to the Register of Good Practices and International Assistance requests. Likewise, assistance is provided for the field activities to inventory intangible cultural heritage in pilot sites which will be organized by the implementing partner after the training workshop on preparation of files.