Lebanon, a signatory of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in 2007, has undertaken recently a needs assessment on the situation of institutional capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in the context of the development of a sectoral cultural policy for the safeguarding of ICH. This assessment has shown that community-based approaches to safeguarding are not yet systematic and more support is needed to build a methodology and capacity in this area to develop community-based inventories of different intangible cultural heritage in Lebanon. Similarly there is a need to build capacity for the elaboration of effective and practical safeguarding plans. Furthermore, it will be necessary to address the lack of resource persons equipped to conduct inventory and safeguarding activities, which are important for the implementation of the Convention at the national level.
Against this backdrop, UNESCO Beirut designed a project to strengthen the human and institutional resources in Lebanon involved in the safeguarding of ICH through workshops and training activities. The project, funded by UNESCO/Japan Fund In Trust, aims at providing technical assistance to enable the integration of the safeguarding of ICH into plans, policies and programmes, as well as reinforcing knowledge and practical skills for community-based inventorying and elaboration of safeguarding plans.
The main objective of the project is to support government institutions, associations, NGOs and communities in creating favorable conditions for the safeguarding, sustainable practice and transmission of their intangible culture heritage, through capacity-building initiatives, focusing on community-based inventorying and developing cultural and non-cultural policies translating the principles and concepts of the 2003 Convention in addition to building knowledge on the preparation of the nomination files and the requests for International Assistance . In the short and medium term, the project will reinforce national capacities for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage present in Lebanon with the widest possible participation of communities and relevant non-governmental organizations.
On 22-23 June 2020, UNESCO Beirut organized the first capacity-building workshop on Cooperation and International Assistance for the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Lebanon, after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health safety protocols were strictly applied regarding hand hygiene, social distancing and wearing masks.
The two-day training workshop, which was held at the premises of the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO, targeted representatives from the Ministry of Culture, the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO and community bearers, who previously took part in trainings on community-based inventorying and the elaboration of the safeguarding plans.
This training is the forth in a series of trainings dedicated to developing the necessary conceptual and analytical skills to participate in the preparation of nomination files for the Representative List and the Urgent Safeguarding List, in compliance with the criteria established, as well as on the ways in which specific elements can appropriately be defined, safeguarded, nominated.
It offered an opportunity to build the capacities of participants to make use of the International Assistance mechanisms under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund by preparing requests that can reliably be expected to lead to successful projects for safeguarding ICH.