112 candidates for inscription on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

By the deadline of 30 September, UNESCO had received a total of 112 applications from 35 States for the first ever inscription on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

After in depth examination of all the application files, the 24 elected members of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee will decide on their possible inscription which should be carried out in late 2009.

The third session of the Committee, scheduled to take place in Istanbul (Turkey) in November, will incorporate the 90 Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity proclaimed by UNESCO in 2001, 2003 and 2005 into the Representative List. These masterpieces include, for example, the Carnival of Oruro (Bolivia), the Kutiyattam Sanskrit Theatre (India) and the Oral Heritage of Gelede (Benin, Nigeria and Togo).

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, welcomed the high number of applications as "proof of the great interest of the international community in the safeguarding of living heritage. It is my conviction that the Representative List, designed to give more visibility to the intangible cultural heritage, will contribute to raising awareness of its importance and give the communities that are custodians of intangible cultural heritage a feeling of pride and belonging. Not only will it contribute in this way to the continued existence of this rich and diverse heritage for the benefit of future generation, it will also, without a doubt, be a means to favour dialogue that is respectful of cultural diversity."

Adopted in 2003, the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage has been ratified by 104 countries to date. The Convention also foresees the creation of a List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Elements on this List will be eligible for financial support from a special Fund created for this purpose. The deadline for applications for this List has been set for 16 March 2009. The Committee is expected to make the first inscriptions in the autumn of 2009.

• Author(s):Press Release N°2008-94
• Source:UNESCOPRESS
• 07-10-2008