Globalization and Intangible Cultural Heritage: Opportunities, Threats and Challenges What are the opportunities, threats and challenges for intangible cultural heritage in an era of rapid globalization? Over 15 political and intellectual leaders will debate this at the UNESCO/UNU International Conference on “Globalization and Intangible Cultural Heritage: Opportunities, Threats and Challenges” on 26 and 27 August 2004 in Tokyo, Japan.

 
The event will be opened on Thursday, 26 August at 10:00 a.m. by UNESCO's Director General, Koïchiro Matsuura and Hans van Ginkel, Rector of United Nations University at the premises of the United Nations University in Tokyo.

For two days, the conference will discuss the relations between globalization processes and living intangible culture. International experts on intangible cultural heritage will seek to identify and discuss phenomena which have positive or negative effects on cultural diversity and its continuous development in general, and on the vitality and the transmission of the intangible cultural heritage in particular.

UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage defines intangible cultural heritage as the practices, representations, expressions, as well as the knowledge and skills, that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.

Among the leading experts and intellectuals who will take part in the International Conference are: Henriette Rasmussen, Minister of Culture, Education, Science and Ecclesiastical Affairs, Greenland; Tsuji Takashi – Seiji Tsutsumi, President of The Saison Foundation and Souren Melikian Art Editor, International Herald Tribune.