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After seven months of field work in the communities of Boa Morte and Santo Antonio the National Directorate of Culture of Sao Tomé and Principe evaluates the results of the Inventory exercise, which was launched in April this year. From 23 to 27 November 2015 some 25 actors involved in gathering the information during this period meet to identify lessons learnt and consolidate an action plan for the future ICH safeguarding efforts in the archipelago. To ensure continuity of the April workshop, UNESCO expert facilitators will provide guidance in taking stock of the findings and developing the national strategy. In the same vein of continuity the culture officer from Cabo Verde will once more participate in Sao Tome to share the experience gained in the process with his colleagues in Cabo Verde who currently develop their own community-based inventory.

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The National Cultural Heritage Institute of Angola and UNESCO jointly organize a workshop on the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at national level. The workshop, which will take place from 9 to 13 November 2015 in Luanda, will discuss the scope and objectives as well as the obligations of the State Parties under this international legal instrument.

As part of UNESCO’s global strategy aiming to enhance national capacity for safeguarding of living heritage in the Portuguese speaking countries in Africa (PALOP), the workshop will gather some 20 Angolan participants, including stakeholders from local to national levels. With the aim to strengthen regional cooperation among PALOP countries, the training will be entirely facilitated by two Mozambican experts who have been previously trained through the same programme.

This workshop is made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the Government of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

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This workshop was not included in the J-FIT Phase II workplan. A workshop on community-based inventorying was already conducted in Lao PDR with J-FIT funding in 2013 during Phase I. However, the Heritage Department team expressed the need to follow a refresher course before undertaking the pilot field inventory earmarked as part of this project. External funding was identified for this refresher. The workshop was organized in the city of Luang Prabang, situated in the province where the pilot inventory was to take place. Community members and members of the Provincial Department, as well as 5 practitioners were invited as trainees. They could gain a thorough understanding of community-based inventories techniques as well as participate in the following field activities. Participants were divided into 4 teams for field practicum to document the epok puppet theatre of Xieng Thong village, ‘khap’ singing in Phone Phaeng village, silversmithing and hand-made textiles in Pha Nom village. Two teams were led by workshop’s participants who were also practitioners.

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Efforts to safeguard intangible cultural heritage (ICH) 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 ICH at post-graduate levels in Asia-Pacific higher education. This event was made possible with financial support from the Fund for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The past decade has seen an increase in the number of post-graduate programmes in heritage education in general; however few focus specifically on intangible cultural heritage. Professionals in the cultural heritage sector tend to instead have backgrounds that emphasize the management of tangible heritage (architecture conservation and archaeology, for example).
The UNESCO symposium aims to encourage universities in Asia-Pacific to develop post-graduate level trainings in the field of intangible cultural heritage.
Twenty-two executives, professors and course conveners from 20 universities will take part in the two day event to discuss and share knowledge and resources on these issues. The institutions come from thirteen countries across the region: Australia, China, Kazakhstan, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Discussions will include the identification of key principles of ICH safeguarding for post-graduate studies; exploring disciplines and structures for ICH programmes; and embedding ICH safeguarding in the development of ICH studies at the post-graduate level.
The symposium will also help deepen the knowledge base of participants on methodologies and resources pertinent to ICH as well as promote networking opportunities among them as well as with UNESCO for further collaboration on ICH educational programmes at the post-graduate level.

Documents

• Agenda: English
• Background note: English

Link for direct access 

The workshop on the preparation of nomination files for inscription on the lists of the 2003 Convention (the Representative List and the Urgent Safeguarding List) and the preparation of requests for international assistance is held under the implementation of the project “Safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage through the strengthening of national capacities in the Maghreb” following the workshops on the implementation of the Convention and on participatory inventories.
This workshop held in the city of Nabeul from 2 to 6 November 2015 aims at developing and strengthening the capacity of representatives of officials from various ministries, actors of civil society, community members and other heritage specialists concerning the the development of nomination files on the lists of the Convention and the preparation of requests for international assistance. The implementation and monitoring of this workshop will allow Tunisia to count on institutional staff with the required knowledge of the mechanisms of the Convention which will contribute to the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ratified by Tunisia who will be able to develop quality files.

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The first of three capacity-building 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 projects from the Arab World.
Comprising of 25 participants from the Center’s staff and various stakeholders working in the field of cultural heritage.
Conducted by UNESCO and two of its expert facilitators, this workshop is an example of a training requested and financed by an institution wishing to build its capacities to better integrate the provisions of the Convention in its activities.

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A second series of workshops on transmission of Kallawaya knowledge and practices from experienced healers to young apprentices were held from 17 to 22 October 2015 in Curva, one of the cradles of Kallawaya healers, in the province of Bautista Saavedra.
Topics covered ranged from childbirth practices and diseases of women and children to prevention and cure of respiratory diseases, digestive diseases and diseases of the elderly. More than 30 Kallawaya participants were able to enhance their knowledge of community-based inventorying and received training on audio-visual information collection techniques.
Following the workshops, participants shared outcomes of project with other communities of the province who attended the final session. This last workshop highlighted the importance not only of Kallawaya knowledge and practices but intangible cultural heritage in general to finding responses to challenges faced in peacebuilding and sustainable development.
These workshops bring to an end activities carried out under the project ‘Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage of Kallawaya communities’ which has been possible thanks to the endeavours of the Kallawaya authorities, the Ministry of Cultures and Tourism, the Bolivian Catholic University ‘San Pablo’, UNESCO and the generous and continual support of the Government of Japan.

Documents

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Mongolia was very eager to undertake this workshop that included field visits to communities to research ICH elements and practice drafting nomination dossier. Two groups visited and interviewed practitioners at the camp, while three other groups visited ICH practitioners in their communities.
The five groups explored:
1. Traditional steel carving art – Double carving technique of Suriya;
2. Horse culture: Traditional technique of making Airag in Khokhuur and its associated customs;
3. Mongolian traditional shaman’s knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe;
4. Traditional technique of coin-table embroidery;
5. Horse culture: Traditional knowledge and technique of making horse tools, such as a bridle, halter, whips, tri-hobble and swift horse scraper.

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Curaçao focused its field exercise on the elements of kachu, the harvest festival and playing the benta. Ten participants (5 females  and5 males) were selected from different NGOs and were trained by a local anthropologist and the director of the focal institution for the implementation of the Convention (who also participated in all training workshops). The training utilized the UNESCO training materials for Field Inventory, which were translated into Papiamento). Participants were able to undertake secondary documentation on the elements as primary documentation was not possible due to the seasonal nature of kachu use and because no performances were planned during this period where the benta would have been played. Arrangements were made for primary documentation during the harvest season, so the team could document the use of kachu  during harvest (seú) as well as during the elaborate harvest parade.  Documentation consisted of interviews and demonstrations. Playing the benta was shown along with the interview. Instructions on how it was made were given during the beginning of the two‐day training by a benta maker and player. The kachu session also included more elaborate demonstrations of construction of this instrument. 

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Le Niger, conscient du rôle primordial que le PCI joue dans l’identité des différentes communautés, a exprimé à plusieurs reprises, et notamment lors de son mandat comme membre du Comité intergouvernemental de 2008 à 2012, sa nécessité de renforcer les capacités au niveau nationale pour la sauvegarde de son PCI grâce à la mise en œuvre efficace de la Convention et son souhait d’être accompagnés dans son appropriation des concepts et outils offerts par la Convention. Dans ce sens, le Niger a réalisé des efforts considérables ces dernières années. En effet, sur le plan national, en 1997, la Loi 97-022 relative à la « Préservation et à la mise en valeur du patrimoine culturel national » a été adoptée et les premières initiatives d’inventaire ont été menées à la fin des années 80. De plus, le Niger a ratifié la Convention 2003 le 27 avril 2007. Cependant, cette ratification n’avait pas encore donné lieu à un travail méthodologique et systématique d’inventaire, en ligne avec l’esprit de la Convention et avec la participation des communautés détentrices et des organisations non gouvernementales pertinentes Ce projet, qui s’insère dans la stratégie globale de l’UNESCO pour renforcer et consolider les capacités humaines et institutionnelles pour la sauvegarde du PCI et la mise en œuvre de la Convention 2003 sur le long terme, a reçu le soutien du Royaume d’Espagne qui par une généreuse contribution volontaire supplémentaire au Fonds du PCI a permis la réalisation de ce projet.

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With the generous support of the Algerian ‘National Centre of Research on Prehistory, Anthropology and History’ in Algeria (CNRPAH) and the ‘Manifestation Constantine, capitale de la culture arabe 2015’, UNESCO convenes a UNESCO expert workshop on supporting policy development in the field of intangible cultural heritage, in Constantine, Algeria, from 28 September to 2 October 2015.

The main objective of the workshop is to improve UNESCO’s impact in providing policy support to national authorities in Africa for the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention.

The first three days of the workshop are dedicated to the principal theme of policy development (28 to 30 September), while the last two days (1 to 2 October) focus on reviewing the implementation of the global capacity-building programme in Africa to date.

More specifically, the workshop aims at the following:

• Improve the content and format of the capacity-building programme to provide policy advice effectively;
• Propose methodologies and tools to support experts in their policy advisory mission;
• Take stock of the lessons learnt from implementing the global programme in African countries.

The workshop addresses primarily UNESCO-certified facilitators from the Africa Region, who have substantial experience in providing training and advisory services in the context of the global capacity-building programme for the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. It furthermore welcomes some experts with specialized expertise in the field of cultural policy advice, which they have developed in particular in the context of implementing the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. From the UNESCO side, Culture programme specialists from field offices in Africa and from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section participate. The CNRPAH has designated Algerian experts who will attend as observers. In total, the workshop will bring together about 45 participants.

Documents

• Case study n. 38 Tatau: English|French
• Case Study n.39 Batik: English|French
• Conclusions: English
• Discours d’ouverture: French
• Latest developments in the life of the Convention: English
• Overview of projects in Africa: English
• Policy development in the framework of the 2003 Convention: English
• Politique Nationale de la Culture- Burkina Faso: French
• Sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel à travers le renforcement des capacités nationales au Maroc, en Mauritanie et en Tunisie: French
• UNESCO Follow up mechanisms: English
• Update on materials: English
• Agenda: English|French
• List of participants: English|French
• Background document: English|French

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The Cultural Heritage Institute of Cabo Verde, in cooperation with UNESCO HQ and the UNESCO Office in Dakar, organizes a training workshop on community-based inventorying in Cabo Verde. The workshop, which will take place from 23 September to 3 October 2015 in Ribeira Grande de Santiago, will introduce the concepts, objectives and methods of inventorying and includes a practical field work in the communities of Centro histórico, Salineiro and Calabaceira.

As part of UNESCO’s global strategy aiming to enhance national capacity for safeguarding of living heritage in the Portuguese speaking countries in Africa (PALOP), the workshop will gather some 30 Cabo Verdean participants, including stakeholders from local to national levels. With the aim to strengthen regional cooperation among PALOP countries, the training will be co-facilitated by a Brazilian and a Mozambican expert who have been previously trained through the same programme. Moreover, culture officers from Angola and Guinea-Bissau will attend the training.

This workshop is made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the Government of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

DOCUMENTS:

LIST_DOCUMENTS:00498-0

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The town of Taunggyi, Shan State, in Myanmar hosted from 14 to 18 September 2015 a workshop on how to elaborate nomination files for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. This was the final chapter of the capacity-building project, which had 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 aim to strengthen skills of human resources in Myanmar for the inventorying and safeguarding of its intangible cultural heritage.

The 24 participants, comprising of cultural officers, scholars and actual ICH practitioners, acquired hands-on skills in elaborating nomination dossiers and learned how to use the lists of the 2003 Convention as an effective tool for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. Combining theoretical training on how to devise community-based safeguarding measures and practical exercises of evaluating mock nominations, the workshop provided an opportunity to clarify the different objectives of each of the international mechanisms established by the Convention so policy-makers can use them in the most appropriate and effective manner.

The five-day training workshop that was facilitated by two members of the network of UNESCO-trained experts, included a practical field exercise with local communities in Inle Lake.

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The organization of the workshop was timely in the context of the efforts that are paid by cultural institutions in Albania in the last two years to enhance the national capacity for ICH safeguarding, as well as in light of the needs assessment report of 2014. The latter made specific recommendations on organizing workshops and training activities on ICH related activities with the widest possible participation of people with different backgrounds and coming from different towns and institutions in Albania. This has been the first workshop of its kind in the country and the expectations invested in it were great. The workshop was supposed to fill a void in focused presentations and discussions on the major themes related to the implementation of 2003 Convention on a national level, and to facilitate the undertaking of organized activities in this regard. Despite the high sensitivity and interest in cultural heritage issues in the country, so far no special workshop has been held on these topics in the country and this explains the enthusiasm that it produced among the colleagues working in the sphere of culture. The call for participation that colleagues from the Ministry of Culture at the Republic of Albania distributed attracted more that 40 participants and at some point there were several late applications which had to be declined in order to maintain at least some interactivity during the sessions.

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Kallawaya healers and apprentices met in Charazani, the capital of the Bolivian province of Bautista Saavedra, from 13 to 18 September to participate in a workshop on how elders can transmit their medical knowledge and practices to younger generations for future benefit. Authorities from different Kallawaya organizations selected around 20 apprentices among Kallawaya men and women, who had already made the decision to dedicate themselves to the practice, to learn more about it. It also provided the opportunity for a UNESCO-trained facilitator to introduce the basic concepts of the 2003 Convention as an appropriate framework for the Kallawaya communities, and indigenous communities in general, to safeguard their intangible cultural heritage. Practical inventorying exercises were also involved that addressed the fundamental issue of the free, prior and informed consent of concerned communities.
This activity is part of a broader initiative on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage of Kallawaya communities carried out by the Ministry of Cultures and Tourism, the Radio and Television Training for Development Service of the Bolivian Catholic University ‘San Pablo’ and UNESCO thanks to the generous support of the Government of Japan.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

From 2 to 7 September 2015, the inventorying process moved to the city of Loja, Loja province, where members of Saraguro, Shuar and mestizo communities along with representatives of local governments (Calvas, Catamayo, Chaguarpamba, Gonzanamá, Loja, Olmedo, Paltas, Puyango, Quilanga and Zapotillo) and cultural ministries, were trained on community-based inventorying in the town of Malacatos. This was followed by an inventory exercise where they registered oral traditions and knowledge systems.

Organized by UNESCO and INPC, the workshop was made possible thanks to the generous contribution of the Government of Japan.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish

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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, Pallatanga, Penipe and Riobamba), and representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and the National Institute of Cultural Heritage (INPC). The core of the workshop focuses on community participation in the identification and definition of intangible cultural heritage, data collection, organization and management as an important step in safeguarding intangible heritage. An inventorying field exercise follows in the populations of Guano and Calpi, focusing on the living heritage of stonecutters and includes the mapping of the quarries in the slopes of Chimborazo.

Organized by UNESCO and INPC, the workshop is made possible thanks to the generous contribution of the Government of Japan.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish

Link for direct access 

The assessment of the main needs for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the safeguarding of the ICH in Egypt is part of a regional project for the enhancement of ICH safeguarding capacities in eight African countries and the Arab region . This project, executed by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section of UNESCO, is funded by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA)

This report reports on activities carried out as part of a 10-day mission carried out in April and August in Cairo, Egypt, with the support of the UNESCO Regional Office in Egypt. The mission was to meet the main actors of public institutions and associations involved in the ICH safeguarding process with the aim of identifying needs and proposing a project for capacity building in Egypt.

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The Cultural Heritage Institute of Cabo Verde, in cooperation with UNESCO HQ and the UNESCO Office in Dakar, organizes a workshop on the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at national level. The workshop, which will take place from 27 to 31 July 2015 in the capital of Cabo Verde, will discuss the scope and objectives as well as the obligations of the State Parties under this international legal instrument.

As part of UNESCO’s global strategy aiming to enhance national capacity for safeguarding of living heritage in the Portuguese speaking countries in Africa (PALOP), the workshop will gather some 30 Cabo Verdean participants, including stakeholders from local to national levels. With the aim to strengthen regional cooperation among PALOP countries, the training will be co-facilitated by a Brazilian and a Mozambican expert who have been previously trained through the same programme. Moreover, culture officers from Angola and Guinea-Bissau will attend the training.

This workshop is made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the Government of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Documents

• Agenda: Portuguese
• List of participants: Portuguese

Link for direct access 

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 key concepts and principles. The workshop will also provide a platform for participants to reflect collectively on experiences and challenges in safeguarding their intangible cultural heritage.

Organized by the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean in close cooperation with the Directorate of Culture (Suriname) and the Suriname National Commission for UNESCO, this workshop is a part of a capacity-building project to reinforce the safeguarding of living heritage in the Dutch Caribbean and Suriname. It is made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the Government of the Netherlands to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

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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 extend 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 has been provided by experts to a number of States Parties on an experimental basis for the past year.

In an effort to galvanize further the option of International Assistance for State Parties, a pool of experts, who have conducted technical assistance or may be invited to do so in the future, will join UNESCO staff for a 3-day workshop in Paris from 20 to 22 July 2015 to assess the experiences to date implementing technical assistance. This workshop will provide the opportunity to review the latest advice of the Committee concerning International Assistance, examine other informational materials developed by the Secretariat to support States Parties and technical experts, and provide guidance concerning the development of future capacity-building curriculum materials on International Assistance.

Documents

• Annotated Timetable
  ITH/15/WOR/2: English|French
• List of participants: English
• Summary Report
  ITH/15/WOR/3: English

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The 3rd annual meeting of the category 2 centres active in the field of intangible cultural heritage will be held from 6 to 8 July in Guiyang, China. Hosted by the Chinese centre, the International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (CRIHAP), the meeting will follow up on the two previous annual meetings.

Working documents

• Agenda: English
• Concept note: English
• List of participants: English
• Report of the UNESCO Section for Intangible Cultural Heritage - Third annual meeting of category 2 centres: English
• 37 C/5 MP IV Expected Result 6: National capacities strengthened and utilised to safeguard intangible cultural heritage, including indigenous and endangered languages, through the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention: English|French
• Medium-term strategy for UNESCO’s cooperation with category 2 centres in the field of intangible cultural heritage 2014-2021: English|French

Presentations

• Recent developments in the life of the Convention and objectives of the meeting (UNESCO - Cécile Duvelle): English
• Information and networking, including through the web (ICHCAP): English
• Collaboration with UNESCO in the global capacity-building programme (CRIHAP): English
• Approaches to programme planning and budgeting (Sofia Centre): English
• Approaches to governance and getting the most from your governing body(ies) (CRESPIAL): English
• Cooperation with Member States in planning and implementing programmes (Tehran Centre): English
• Evaluation and renewal (IRCI): English

Reference documents

• Evaluation Report IRCI: English
• General Information: English
• Integrated Comprehensive Strategy for Category 2 Institutes and Centres
  37 C/Resolution 93: English|French|Spanish|Russian|Arabic|Chinese

For further information:

• Category 2 centres under the auspices of UNESCO

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Sint Maarten focused its field exercise on their national dance, the Ponum dance which dates to the 19th century from the days of slavery and emancipation. This element was chosen because only a few practitioners and or performers are directly involved in the enactment or practice of the element. There were also recognizable threats to its continued enactment and transmission, hence its safeguarding was considered extremely important. Two training sessions were held with youth from various youth organizations and discussions were held on the purpose of the inventorying exercise. A total of 17 youth (9 females and 8 males) were trained in the inventorying activity, and worked along with the ICH Committee and 9 practitioners.

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A needs assessment activity has been carried out in the Gambia in 2015 during which national stakeholders addressed the importance of promoting local cultures and the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. These activities allowed to point out the need to raise awareness and support national institutions to reinforce their knowledge of the 2003 Convention and its implementation mechanisms. The importance of building a national strategy to safeguard intangible heritage and to review current strategy documents on culture in general was also underlined. This activity aimed also do develop a project proposal based on the identified needs.

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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 came together for a workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in the city of Portoviejo from 24 to 29 June 2015. The first of a series of action undertaken as part of a capacity-building project to reinforce the safeguarding of living heritage in Ecuador, the workshop focused on the identification and definition of intangible cultural heritage, data collection, free, prior and informed consent, and data organization. It was followed by a practical inventorying exercise in Machalilla, during the Saint Peter and Saint Paul festivity and the Meeting of Presidents from the Castilla and Guinea Governments.

Organized by the UNESCO Office in Quito and INPC, the workshop was made possible thanks to the generous contribution of the Government of Japan.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

From 8 to 12 June, the Lombardy region (Italy) and the canton of Graubünden (Switzerland) hosted a training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Tirano (province of Sondrio, Italy) and Valposchiavo (Switzerland), demonstrating the increasing awareness in Europe of the need for capacity-building to better safeguard living heritage.

Bringing together 25 participants, including representatives of the local administration, civil society, tradition bearers, academia and professionals from the tourism and environment sectors, the workshop introduced fundamental objectives and concepts of the 2003 Convention and enhanced the understanding of participants about obligations and safeguarding activities involved in implementing the Convention at national and local levels. Combining four days of presentations, discussions and exercises, as well as one day of fieldwork in the terraced vineyards of Valtellina, the workshop also addressed linkages between the 2003 Convention, the Convention concerning the protection of the World cultural and natural heritage (World Heritage Convention, 1972) and the Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions (2005).

The workshop specifically highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and of cooperation across sectors directly and indirectly impacting the viability of living heritage.

Funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and its INTERREG mechanism supporting interregional cooperation and sustainable regional development across Europe, the training workshop was held within the framework of the project ‘Italo-Swiss Ethnography for the Promotion of Intangible Heritage’ initiated by the region of Lombardy. Conducted in Italian by a UNESCO-trained facilitator and an international law expert, and based on UNESCO’s global capacity-building programme and training materials, the activity was organized by the Regional Agency for Services to Agricultural and Forestry (Italy) and the Association for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Italy).

Documents

• Agenda : Italian
• Generic references for facilitators - Capacity-building resources: Cession of rights: English
• Generic references for facilitators - Capacity-building resources: Workshop report: English
• List of participants: English
• Presentation - Meeting: Poster: Italian

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UNESCO put in place since 2009 a global capacity-building programme to assist countries in building the institutional and professional environment required for the effective safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. The programme is part of global and national efforts to attain long-term development goals. It intends to assist beneficiary countries with making development more sustainable, ensuring the viability of the intangible cultural heritage present in their territories and strengthening relations within and between communities, through the effective implementation of the Convention. However, stakeholders interviewed stressed the importance of capacity building for its successful implementation and many considered the capacity-building programme to be the most important of all mechanisms established so far. A systematic monitoring mechanism would allow UNESCO to follow up several months and years after the results and impact of these capacity-building interventions at the country level. While some information on project results, strengths and weaknesses is available in reports on project implementation, review meetings and facilitators’ assessments at the end of training delivery, no longer term analysis exists yet on any sustained behaviour or structural change (different approaches or practices used) and on the ultimate impact resulting from UNESCO’s intervention through capacity-building activities: improved inventories, better policy and legislative environment, increased community involvement, successful participation in international mechanisms, etc.
Supported by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO has embarked on the establishment of a follow-up and evaluation mechanism for activities implemented within the context of the global capacity-building strategy.
Such mechanism is challenging and will require creative thinking and commitment from key constituents. The involvement of all constituents — national counterparts, including national commissions, UNESCO Field Offices, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section at Headquarters, but also all relevant other stakeholders — is indispensable.

Documents

• Background note : English|French
• Timetable: English|French
• Working Document: English|French

Link for direct access 

This activity took place in May and June 2015 with a total of 22 participants (14 females and 8 males). The exercise was organised by the Bonaire UNESCO Work group in collaboration with the NGO Fundashon Historiko Kultural di Boneiru (FuHiKuBO) which has been documenting the intangible heritage of Bonaire and the Dutch Caribbean. Additional expertise was provided by the Bonaire UNESCO Work group (ICH Committee) who had all attended previous workshops (IMP and INV), and Rose Mary Allen, an anthropologist from Curaçao. Bonaire focussed its inventorying exercise on practitioners of traditional Bonaire music, haladó (traditional healing) and maskarada. Participants represented cultural foundations, the Ministry of Culture and migrant communities in Bonaire (Venezuelan and Colombian).

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A stakeholder’s workshop on Eritrean Cultural and Natural Heritage Legislation took place on 26 and 27 May 2015 in Asmara organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Asmara Heritage Project in coordination with UNESCO Nairobi Office. Workshop participants were Eritrean experts who represented stakeholder institutions such as the National Museum of Eritrea, National Commission of Eritrea for UNESCO, Research and Documentation Centre, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Department of Religious Affairs, Eritrean Institute of Technology, College of Arts and Social Sciences, Eritrean Police and the School of Law.

Prior to the workshop, a local expert was contracted to collect information on existing legal, policy and institutional frameworks. The workshop was facilitated by Mr Silverse Anami, a UNESCO trained facilitator.

The workshop was supported by the Kingdom of Norway voluntary supplementary contribution to the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Link for direct access 

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. They will provide their inputs and perspectives to the draft Law in line with the principles and provisions of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage ratified by Palestine in 2011. Once finalized, the draft Law will be submitted to the relevant Palestinian authorities for endorsement.

The workshop is a continuation of a process that started in 2012 when the Ministry of Culture with UNESCO’s technical support and through broad consultation with civil society institutions, prepared an initial draft. The Law will be an important safeguarding measure and together with the participatory process through which it emerged, demonstrate the strong commitment of national authorities to ensure the viability of living heritage in Palestine.

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Nigerian officials, policymakers, civil society and members of its United Nations Country Team met in Abuja to discuss the revision of the 1988 Cultural Policy and other national legislation.

The one-day workshop, which featured a cross-section of attendees, including those in fields other than culture such as agriculture, education and health, looked at gaps in current safeguarding policy for Nigeria’s living heritage and associated legal frameworks for amendment.

The initiative is part of the 2014 UNESCO/Japanese Funds-in-Trust cooperation project ‘Support to the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Nigeria’.

A national expert has been assigned to conduct a detailed assessment of the situation and propose recommendations, which is expected to be completed by the end of August 2015.

Document

• Agenda: English
• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

The field exercise in Saba was organized by the ICH Committee and started with a meeting to inform all practitioners that attended the consultation in January about the community-based inventory training in Curaçao, as well as the organisation of the field exercise. Additionally, participants identified different forms of ICH to focus on in the field exercise, among which the Maypole dance, the preparation of traditional dishes within families and ICH related to agriculture and the production of food were highlighted. In the end, the Maypole dance was considered to be the most suitable as it was well known, had not been documented thus far and had few practitioners remaining.

Participants (7 females and 3 males) were trained to work with the UNESCO sample framework by members of the ICH Committee. A short documentary was produced about the Maypole dance that focused on the inventorying process. Practitioners were also trained in the various methodologies from the inventory workshop and in the use of the audio-visual equipment. Saba benefited from the participation of a maypole practitioner from St Maarten who conducted workshops with the children of Saba as well as worked with local practitioners. These children also formed part of the team trained to document this element.

Link for direct access 

The ICH Committee focused its field exercise on Sint Eustatius (Statia) string band music due to its important role in social life and the urgency to safeguard the related knowledge and skills, as practitioners were getting older. Community members involved, as well as active practitioners, formerly active senior practitioners and people who identify with band music but aren’t active practitioners. The key persons from within the string band music community were approached by the ICH Committee to ask for their willingness to participate and their consent to be interviewed and provide information about this element. This was received with enthusiasm. There was great effort to involve youth in the field exercise, with two participants coming from the Simon Doncker Club, the youth organization of the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation. The involvement of this youth organization also provided a basis for future involvement in the inventorying of ICH. To involve more youth outside the cultural field, the ICH Committee organized a specific activity for youth focused on the transfer of knowledge and skills related to playing string band music and the manufacturing of the instruments. The footage of the field exercise will be used to produce a documentary on the Killi Killi band music to further raise awareness.

Link for direct access 

UNESCO New Delhi office was the guest of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of Goa on 27 and 28 April 2015 to orgnaize a two-day training workshop on UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, with a particular focus on inventory making.

Animated by UNESCO resource persons – Dr Shubha Chaudhuri (Director of Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology), Ananya Bhattacharya (Director, Contact Base / banglanatak dot com), and Moe Chiba (Chief, Culture Sector, UNESCO New Delhi), some 27 professionals from Goa took part in the lecture-cum practical sessions to discuss how an inventory of ICH for the State of Goa would look like and what could be the working methodologies.

In India, the protection of heritage is the responsibility of both the Union Government and State Governments. In a vast country such as India with diverse cultural traditions, it could be more effective if each State Government takes the responsibility of drawing up the inventory and implementing the safeguarding plan rather than expecting the Central Government’s initiative. Accordingly, UNESCO New Delhi, in partnership with Sangeet Natak Academi has started since last year the sensitization of State level government officers on the UNESCO Convention. Following the workshop in Delhi in December 2014, the Government of Goa is the very first State to have expressed its willingness to move forward in development of the State-level ICH inventory. The two-day workshop was not intended to provide any clear-cut advice on how an ICH inventory of Goa should be, but rather aimed at steering the attention of the participants on those issues that need to be discussed and planned prior to conducting any survey and data collection for the Inventory. These include the size of the inventory and the type of ICH elements to be covered, data to be collected for each of the ICH elements, method of data organization, modalities of data sourcing, intended follow-up action for the ICH elements under the inventory etc.

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Madagascar is one of the French-speaking countries chosen to benefit from the financial support of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Tourism (ADTCA) in the field of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. The mission in which we took part was prepared by the Nairobi multi-country UNESCO office in close contact with the Ministry of Culture of Madagascar. It took place from April 24 to May 3, 2015. The mission was also an opportunity to visit a local PCI to know the traditional know-how related to the production and the craft of silk in the village of Ambohitrabiby, about fifty kilometers from Antananarivo. Madagascar is a large island with 18 socio-cultural groups and a very strong Comorian community with a population of about 23 million. The country is divided into 22 administrative regions, but the Ministry of Culture is deconcentrated in only 11 regions at present.

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The main objective of the mission is working closely with the responsible national cultural institution to identify institutional capacities, perspective, human resource needs of whom are working in the Intangible Culture heritage sector. The outcome of the mission is to develop a realistic project proposal within the local context in the field of ICH safeguarding. Later on the project proposal will be funded by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA).The consultant mission was organized in partnership with the Intangible Cultural Heritage section – UNESCO- HQ, the UNESCO’s Khartoum Office and the Federal Ministry of Culture in Sudan. The mission was conducted by the expert Ms Marina Calvo.

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In 2012, at its seventh session, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) invited UNESCO’s Secretariat ‘to initiate work on a model code of ethics and to report on it to a next session of the Committee’ (Decision 7.COM 6: English|French). In order to initiate this important work, the Secretariat is organizing the present meeting, generously hosted by the Kingdom of Spain and co-funded by Spain and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

The aim of the meeting is to discuss the main lines that should figure into codes of ethics for intangible cultural heritage. This three-day meeting will bring together twelve experts from different UNESCO Member States as well as four members of the Secretariat. The results of the meeting will be presented to the Director-General of UNESCO and subsequently examined by the Committee when it meets for its tenth session in Namibia from 30 November to 4 December 2015.

Debates during the meeting will focus on:

1. The core values of the Convention that should be integrated into codes of ethics for ICH (e.g. values such as primacy of communities, respect for human rights and cultural diversity, limits on access to heritage and possession of heritage);
2. General scope of codes of ethics for ICH. The comparative advantages of being more comprehensive or more focused on specific sectors. The multiple possible addressees (e.g. State agents, civil society, the private sector, the media, tourism operators, tourists, etc.);
3. The specific ethical principles that should be included in codes of ethics for ICH (e.g. sector-specific and/or audience-specific principles, resulting from cross-referencing core values of the Convention against specific sectors or addressees);
4. The possible processes that could be used to elaborate one or more model codes of ethics for ICH and to proceed from a model to specific codes adapted to different contexts at the regional, national and subnational levels (e.g. examples of other model codes and how they were developed, then how they were applied and/or turned into specific codes).

Documents

• Practical information: English|French|Spanish
• Background note and agenda
  ITH/15/EXP/1 Rev.: English|French|Spanish
• Towards codes of ethics for intangible cultural heritage?
  ITH/15/EXP/2: English|French|Spanish
• List of participants
  ITH/15/EXP/3: English/French

Link for direct access 

The National Directorate of Culture of Sao Tome and Principe in cooperation with UNESCO convenes a workshop on the elaboration of community-based inventories of living heritage in the spirit of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The workshop, which will take place from 30 March to 10 April 2015 in the capital of Sao Tome, will introduce the concepts, objectives and methods of inventorying and includes practical field work in the community of Boa Morte.
As part of the capacity-building project to reinforce the safeguarding of living heritage in the Portuguese speaking countries in Africa (PALOP), the workshop will gather some 25 Santomean particpants including stakeholders from local to national levels. With the aim to strengthen regional cooperation among PALOP countries the training will be co-facilitated by a Brazilian and a Mozambican expert who has been previously trained through the same programme. Moreover, a culture officer from Cabo Verde will attend the workshop in view of similar activities planned in the Archipelago off the coast of Western Africa.
This workshop is made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the Government of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Documents

Link for direct access 

As part of the activity “Strengthening National Capacity for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Djibouti: Needs Assessment and Project Proposal Development” led by UNESCO and funded by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Tourism and Culture (ADTCA), expertise was provided between March and May 2015 to assess Djibouti’s capacity building needs for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, with the aim of proposing a future project.

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In the context of UNESCO’s activity “Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Sudan: assessing needs and developing a project proposal” funded by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA), a consultancy service has been delivered from March to May 2015,including a mission to Sudan that was carried out from 3 to 10 April 2015. The mission aimed at identifying, in collaboration with institutions responsible for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Sudan, the needs and keys objectives that can be addressed in the context of UNESCO’s capacity-building strategy for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.
The activity was coordinated by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section of UNESCO and UNESCO Office in Khartoum (Sudan), in cooperation with the Sudanese National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM) and the Ministry of Culture of Sudan.

Link for direct access 

This mission falls within the framework of the National Capacity Building Project for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in eight countries in Africa and the Arab region (Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Madagascar, Palestine, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen): needs assessment and development of project proposals funded by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Tourism and Culture (ADTCA). Within this framework, this 7-day mission took place from February 28 to March 7, 2015 in the Comoros to establish a solid base to support this country in its efforts to safeguard its living heritage, in accordance with the 2003 UNESCO Convention.

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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 of intangible cultural heritage with the primary aim to develop a framework for the inventory of their heritage. The core of the workshop will focus on community participation in the identification and definition of intangible cultural heritage, data collection, organization and management, laying the foundation not only for a 5-day field inventorying exercise to follow in the six respective islands, but for future inventorying and safeguarding work.

Organized by the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean in close cooperation with national partners across the islands, this workshop is a part of a capacity-building project to reinforce the safeguarding of living heritage in the Dutch Caribbean and Suriname, made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the Government of the Netherlands to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Link for direct access 

The workshop had the overall objective of increasing the awareness-raising and improve the understanding of the 2003 Convention for its effective implementation and for the establishment of a sound policy for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage of the communities in North Kivu.

Documents

LIST_DOC:00494

Link for direct access 

Training of trainers workshop on safeguarding in Asia-Pacific

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 approaches in two other thematic areas: policy development and gender.

The International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (CRIHAP) is hosting and generously supporting this training of trainers workshop on safeguarding plans and policy support, which will take place from 19 to 23 January 2015 in Shenzhen, China. Five specialists from China identified by CRIHAP are participating as observers in the training that UNESCO is co-facilitating together with Mr. Rieks Smeets and Ms. Janet Blake, both senior specialists on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Shenzhen training workshop on safeguarding plans and policy support for intangible cultural heritage is addressed to UNESCO-trained facilitators from the Asia-Pacific Region who have substantial experience in providing training and advisory services in the context of UNESCO’s global capacity building strategy for the effective implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003). It will furthermore welcome some additional experts selected to become future facilitators together with colleagues from the Region’s Field Offices and five Chinese experts. In total the workshop will bring together 26 participants.

The focus of the training is on elaborating safeguarding plans, because this theme was identified as a priority need in recent programme review meetings held with facilitators and Field Office colleagues in several regions. Indeed, without mastering the skills and knowledge required to elaborate solid plans for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, safeguarding is not sustainable. Well-conceived, time-bound and budgeted safeguarding plans are furthermore a requirement for obtaining International Assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for safeguarding projects and for preparing nomination files for the Urgent Safeguarding List.

Therefore, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section developed a methodology on this topic, and will invite participating experts to provide feedback in order to finalize the materials. Similarly, UNESCO will share with participants for feedback and advice the progress made in developing training approaches and materials on two other themes: policy development and gender. These topics figured prominently in the recent evaluation of UNESCO’s standard-setting work of the Culture Sector, which concluded that they deserve more attention in the capacity-building programme. The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage endorsed the recommendation in a decision about the follow-up to the Evaluation (DECISION 8.COM 5.c.1).

The purpose of the training workshop is thus two-fold: it intends to upgrade participants’ competencies in the areas of safeguarding, policy development and gender, while at the same time drawing upon experts’ knowledge and experience for advice.

Documents

• Agenda: English
• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

UNESCO in association with Sangeet Natak Akademi Delhi organised a 2.5 day workshop from 2-4 December 2014 on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Participants were familiarised with the fundamentals of the Convention such as the importance of community-based inventory and multiple options for safeguarding measures. The workshop also provided a training session by Ms Shubha Chaudhuri, a UNESCO trained facilitator. The case studies by organizations working with communities at the grassroots elaborated further on community participation in documentation, and culture based livelihoods for rural development. On the last day participants were involved in an engaging role-play exercise of developing the ICH inventory. They were divided into three groups – community, NGO, and government officials. The exercise demonstrated the perspectives of each group about other stakeholders, and challenges of working together. Another enriching aspect of the workshop was a qawaali and sattreya dance performance followed by Q&A; sessions with the performers. UNESCO Delhi now plans to organise such workshops in different regions within India to encourage greater involvement of the state governments.

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A capacity-building workshop for the preparation of community-based inventories of intangible cultural heritage was organized by the UNESCO House for a Culture of Peace in Burundi in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. The workshop, which was held in the Bujumbura Community Centre, has trained 29 participants from the Ministry and representatives of cultural associations engaged in activities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, in the methodology for developing inventories with the participation of communities according to the principles of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The vast majority of participants had benefited in the past from training on the implementation of the Convention at the national level and were therefore already familiar with the key concepts and notions of the Convention. The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Domitien Nizigiyimana, expert of the World Network of UNESCO for the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and included a practical course of carrying out field inventory to apply the theory learned during the previous days.
This training was a real success in many respects. First by the active involvement of participants throughout the workshop, which particularly appreciated the practice through the practical course. The respect for gender equality and the presence of young people has diversified views and mobilize shared interest with regard to the intangible cultural heritage. Another lesson learned is that this kind of exercise helps to reassure communities that are very concerned about the uncertain future of their intangible cultural heritage which, according to them, was abandoned by the youth. Communities expressed great satisfaction of having been contacted prior to the workshop to gather their consent by asking to deliver their knowledge for the sake of the practice course and of having stayed together with the participants during the course which allowed a lot of exchange.

Documents

LIST_DOC:00466

Link for direct access 

A representative of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Leisure of Niger will open 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 capacity-building programme implemented in Niger for the safeguarding of its living heritage. The training will provide participants with knowledge, tools and resources on the principles and mechanisms of the Convention and its Operational Directives. The aim is to help Niger to fulfil its national obligations under the Convention by developing a sufficient level of national capacity, both within public institutions and among the main actors of civil society and communities.
The workshop will be immediately followed by a consultation meeting on the national institutional and legislative framework of cultural heritage in order to discuss, propose and validate specific amendments to the law n  97-022 on national cultural heritage of Niger and the related decree for its application so as to ensure its applicability for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in Niger. This consultation meeting takes place in the framework of the revision process of the law, an effort initiated by the national authorities in 2013.
The next step will be training on the preparation of community-based inventories of the intangible cultural heritage, followed by two pilot inventory projects in the field where the methodologies and tools conveyed during the training will be applied.

Link for direct access 

The Mozambican Institute for Socio-Cultural Research, Arquivo do Património Cultural (ARPAC), in cooperation with UNESCO organizes a workshop from 27 to 31 October 2014 in Manica and Maputo. The event will highlight how inventories of intangible cultural heritage are a key step for further safeguarding measures. It will further review the results of previous project activities to develop a national strategy for the promotion and safeguarding of Mozambique’s intangible cultural heritage. On 1 November, an extra day will be dedicated to the planning of future activities of the framework project serving Lusophone African countries, financed thanks to the generous contribution from Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Documents

• Agenda of 1 November: Portuguese
• Agenda of 27-31 October: Portuguese
• List of participants: Portuguese

Link for direct access 

From 27 October to 3 November 2014, a workshops included in the project for strengthening the capacities of Myanmar for implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took place in Nyaung Shwe (Inle, Southern Shan State) and was dedicated to community-based inventorying. The workshop has been attended by 38 participants from different ministries and institutes including among others the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Transports, Myanmar Historical Commission, the National Library, Yangon University and the University of Culture of Mandalay. Several community members of the region participated also in the workshop as bearers of intangible cultural heritage expressions representative of the country’s cultural diversity.
Facilitated by two members of the network of UNESCO-trained experts, Noriko Aikawa-Faure from Japan and Paritta Koanantakool from Thailand, this training aimed at equipping participants with essential knowledge and skills to enable them to plan and facilitate the elaboration of inventories of intangible cultural heritage adapted to the characteristics of the communities who practise and transmit it. The workshop also included two days of field practice within local communities in Taunggi, Kyauk Tine and Inle Lake areas.

Documents

• Agenda: English
• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

The mission to South Sudan to consult national authorities and other stakeholders on the needs of the country for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in its territory was undertaken from 21st October to 28th October 2014. The mission was part of the ADTCA funded project “Strengthening capacities to safeguard intangible cultural heritage for sustainable development.” The consultations which were held in Juba - the capital city in the Central Equatorial State and which was facilitated by Ms. Ellen Lekka, the Culture Specialist at the UNESCO Juba Office and Mr. Elfatih Atem of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport were with : a Deputy Minister(Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports), two Senior officers(Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports); five cultural officers(Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports); six leaders of non-government organizations; five academics at the University of Juba; three officials of UN agencies(UNESCO, UNEP and UNDP); one media organisation that covers cultural matters and one traditional leader. Ms Ellen Lekka and Mr.Elfatih Atem also facilitated a public Lecture at the French Institute at the University of Juba, jointly presented with Mr.Joseph Abuk on “Benefiting from our living heritage” and a radio interview about the mission on Radio Miraya of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan.

Link for direct access 

At the request of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO is organizing an expert meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, from 29 September to 1 October 2014, generously funded and hosted by the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO. The aim of the meeting is to draw up preliminary recommendations for a possible new chapter of the Operational Directives on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development at the national level.

Documents

• Background note and agenda
  ITH/14/EXP/1: English|French
• Concept note: Intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development
  ITH/14/EXP/2: English|French
• Draft Operational Directives on ‘Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development at the national level’
  ITH/14/EXP/3: English|French
• List of participants
  ITH/14/EXP/4: English/French

Link for direct access 

After three years of implementation, time has come to take stock of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy for strengthening safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Central Asia and Europe. Therefore, the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe is hosting, a review meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 23 to 26 September 2014 co-organized with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section of UNESCO. It will be the fourth review meeting of its kind after one in the Asia-Pacific region (Beijing, November 2012), another for Latin America and the Caribbean region (Cuzco, September 2013) and the third for the Arab region (Kuwait City, 9 to 10 May 2014).

These meetings provide an occasion to review the programme and upgrade knowledge on the most recent developments of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, while also introducing new training and guidance materials developed recently by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section.

A group of 20 participants will come together in Sofia, including UNESCO-trained facilitators involved in delivering the global capacity-building strategy in Europe and Central Asia, UNESCO Programme Specialists from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section and Field Offices and professional staff of the Centre. The important review and training exercise is possible thanks to the generous support of the Bulgarian authorities and funds from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Link for direct access 

Within the scope of a two-year project to strengthen the necessary safeguarding frameworks on the Dutch Caribbean islands and Suriname, the first joint training will take place in Phillipsburg, Sint Maarten from 8 to 12 September 2014, bringing together representatives from across six islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) for training on the implementation of the Convention.

This training will be followed by a second joint training to be held in Curacao in March 2015, covering the processes and framework for community-based inventorying of intangible heritage and subsequent inventory field exercises to be conducted on the six islands. A national training on ratification and implementation of the Convention is also being organized to address the specific needs of Suriname.

As a part of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy and thanks to the contribution from the Government of the Netherlands to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, this project is being implemented by the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean with the support of National Commissions for UNESCO in the various countries, as well as national and local stakeholders.

Link for direct access 

A training workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) took place at the National Museum of Bamako from 5 to 10 September 2014. This workshop is part of the first phase of a project called ‘Inventory of intangible cultural heritage in Mali with a view to its urgent safeguarding’. It is the first project to be funded by the emergency international assistance mechanism of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for a total of more than 300 000 Dollars.

The workshop was organized by the Directorate for Heritage and Culture of Mali (DNPC) in partnership with UNESCO, the opening ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Culture, Ms N’Diaye Ramatoulaye Diallo, Mr Lazare Eloundou of the UNESCO Office in Bamako and representatives of various technical and financial partners, including those of the MINUSMA and the French Embassy in Mali, were in attendance.

The training is the first of a series of workshops on community-based inventorying that will take place at local level. It brought together 20 participants, including members of the local offices in Gao, Kidal, Mopti and Tombouctou and agents from the DNPC. It was facilitated by two experts from the UNESCO network from Burundi and Burkina Faso. Thanks to the logistical support of MINUSMA, participants from the north regions were able to travel to Bamako and take part in the different training module.

Mali’s intangible heritage: a national source of wealth to be preserved

‘Understanding the intangible cultural heritage of different communities contributes to intercultural dialogue and encourages mutual respect for other ways of living. It contributes to social cohesion and helps people to feel a sense of belonging to a community and to society as a whole’ declared Mr Lazare Eloundou, from the UNESCO Office in Bamako, in his welcoming address.
The socio-cultural and security crisis between April 2012 and January 2013 in Mali particularly touched the intangible cultural heritage in the north regions. The urgent safeguarding of that cultural heritage must then remain an absolute priority in this post-crisis context in those regions. This living heritage is made up of secular cultural practices and manifestations which are essential components of the Malian identity and its knowledge and identification are indeed crucial to the return of a harmonious coexistence and a lasting peace between the people.

The ultimate goal for this 10-day workshop was to define the bases for the inventory of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) strategy in the north of the country and raise awareness among the communities about the preservation of the cultural wealth. Indeed, as the international community pointed out in 2003 in the foreword of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, it is the ‘mainspring of cultural diversity and a guarantee of sustainable development’ of our societies and communities.

Training modules adapted to field work

One of the goals of the exercise was to provide necessary technical and training material to the staff that will be in charge of directing the inventory exercise so that they can in turn pass on that knowledge to the investigating team responsible for elaborating this inventory with the communities. The participants have had the opportunity to review various topics such as the type of ICH to inventory in Mali, inventorying techniques and strategies, the current state of ICH resources for each of the represented regions or the language dimension of the documentation process.

‘It will allow the participants to better understand the objectives of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and to master the tools, techniques and inventorying materials. This workshop will above all be an opportunity to understand better why it is necessary for communities to safeguard the resources of intangible cultural heritage in places that have an essentially oral civilization’ added the Minister of Culture, Ms N’Diaye Ramatoulaye Diallo, in her opening address.

‘The training has taught us a lot a new things, because we must admit that our knowledge in the field of intangible heritage is quite superficial. I was very happy with the demonstrations and I would like to congratulate the facilitators for their teaching abilities. I liked the clarity with which they spoke and thanks to their teaching, I will be able to keep on training myself’, noted Mr Boubacar Touré, workshop participant and former Regional Director of Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture of Tombouctou.

The modules taught in the field, especially with the Sogonafing community located in the district III of Bamako, allowed the participants to become familiar with both practical and concrete aspects.

‘It was really interesting, the field practicum taught us a lot. We have gained new knowledge and learned how to proceed and how to address people. We will be able to use this knowledge and to train others in the field’ aslo said Mrs Assitan Samaké, from the Cultural Field of Djimoutou, in the Koulikoro region.

This activity is related to the implementation process of the project for the rehabilitation of the damaged heritage in the north of Mali started by the UNESCO Office in Bamako in March 2014 and is one more step in the move towards of social cohesion and peace building.

‘The objective of preparing inventories is not so much to build a reserve of documents for museum or research purposes but to allow communities to respect and understand the role of their own intangible cultural heritage in the life of the community through its identification and definition, whether at health, education or environment level or to resolve conflicts’ reminded Cecile Duvelle, Secretary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The next step of the project is for the regional offices to organize training for the teams that will prepare the inventory of the circles and districts for which each four regions are responsible.

Documents

Link for direct access 

The current report results from the needs-assessment survey that was carried out in September-November 2014 on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Albania. The survey was guided by the intention to explore the legislative and policy documents in the sphere of ICH in Albania, to analyze the institutional and administrative framework for the implementation of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention, and to study the situation of awareness-raising activities, inventorying procedures, and educational and training programs on ICH issues in the country. The goal was to outline the major challenges encountered in the implementation of the 2003 Convention on the national level, to identify the main needs in the field of ICH safeguarding, and to propose recommendations for improvement, with a special attention to aspects of urgency, sustainability, and long-terms effects. In accordance with the formulated expectations, the needs assessment pursued the development of a multi-year action plan, which includes practical proposals for capacity-building and for enhancing the safeguarding policies in the country. The current needs assessment will enable to tailor the efforts of UNESCO within the framework of its global capacity-building strategy for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage

Link for direct access 

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 we create synergies with the policy work undertaken under the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005)? These are 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 its own staff and colleagues working on the diversity of cultural expressions. Development experts from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UNESCO’s Education Sector and the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) are guest speakers. The work of conceptualizing appropriate approaches and formats to support countries in developing relevant legislation and policies for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage benefits from the support of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and is urgently needed, as confirmed by the recent evaluation by the Internal Oversight Service of UNESCO’s standard-setting work of the Culture Sector.

• : English
• List of participants: English
• Programme: English

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Organized by The Curacao National Commission for UNESCO in collaboration with the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean, a national consultation meeting was held on 24 and 25 June 2014 at the Jeugd Centrale Curacao (JCC), Curacao. The meeting brought together some 15 participants representing the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, National Archaeological-Anthropological Museum (NAAM), Museum Tula, The Curacao Museum, culture experts, crafts persons and practitioners from Curacao. The objective of the national consultation was to sensitize stakeholders on the upcoming project ‘Strengthening the capacities of Suriname and Dutch Caribbean islands for implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,’ funded by an earmarked contribution from the Government of the Netherlands to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Link for direct access 

The meeting will be an excellent opportunity for the participants to take stock of the recent developments in the life of the Convention and the larger trends underway at UNESCO concerning category 2 centres. It will also facilitate joint efforts for the integration of the Organization’s medium-term strategy (37 C/4) and programme and budget for the coming quadrennium (37 C/5) into the medium-term and short-term planning of the respective centres, enabling them to continue to contribute effectively to UNESCO’s work.

Documents

• 37 C/5 MP IV Expected Result 6: National capacities strengthened and utilised to safeguard intangible cultural heritage, including indigenous and endangered languages, through the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention: English|French
• Agenda: English|French
• Evaluation and renewal process: a case study (presentation): English-French
• Medium-term strategy for UNESCO’s cooperation with category 2 centres in the field of intangible cultural heritage 2014-2021: English|French
• Recent developments in the life of the Convention and the Organization (presentation): English

Reference documents

• Evaluation Report 2008-2014: English|Spanish

• Agreement concerning the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America (CRESPIAL) in Cusco, Peru: English|Spanish

Executive Board/General Conference documents

• Integrated Comprehensive Strategy for Category 2 Institutes and Centres
  37 C/Resolution 93: English|French|Spanish|Russian|Arabic|Chinese

For further information:

• Category 2 centres under the auspices of UNESCO

Link for direct access 

Ethiopia is an ancient country with a remarkable rich linguistic and cultural diversity. This diversity includes tangible and intangible heritage with both traditional and modern cultural expressions, language, and centuries old know how in handicraft production. In fact, Ethiopia’s cultural industry is perhaps one of the oldest in the world and is exceptionally diverse. The other intangible heritage of Ethiopia is equally rich with an exceptional variety including ceremonies, festivals, celebrations, rituals, and other living expressions. Moreover, eight of the Ethiopia’s cultural and natural heritage sites are listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Lists attesting to the outstanding universal value of Ethiopia’s heritage. The rich cultural landscape is further enhanced by the representation of numerous religions including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and other traditional religions. The peaceful coexistence of these religious communities for centuries is a testament to Ethiopia’s social cohesion. Moreover, Ethiopia is a land endowed with immense biodiversity. Safeguarding and harnessing these assets would enable Ethiopia to capitalize on its rich heritage for socio-economic wellbeing of the people of Ethiopia and for sustainable development.

Ethiopia ratified the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2006.Ratification of the Convention was therefore, a landmark achievement for the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. This bold move gave the country an opportunity to conserve, promote, safeguard and develop it’s cultural diversity for sustainable development. Coupled with it’s existing legal and policy frameworks such as the 1995 constitution, the 1997 cultural policy and the 209/2000 proclamation which established the Authority for Research and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH), the country had therefore positioned itself to harness it’s potential in the development of the culture sector and particularly pay special attention to it’s rich intangible cultural heritages of over eighty ethnic groups.
As a signatory to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Ethiopian government was thus bound to observe it’s obligation under the Convention and it’s operational directives. Since 2006 and using it’s existing legal, policy, and institutional frameworks, the Federal Democratic Government of Ethiopia through the Authority for Research in Conservation of Cultural Heritage (ARCCH) began the work of implementing the convention at the national level. A national workshop to sensitize stakeholders on the implementation of the convention was organized. Later on Inventories were developed for the ICH of many Nations, Nationalities, and peoples of Ethiopia with much of the expertise for such undertakings coming from ARCCH. Ethiopia has one element (Meskel) inscribed in the List of Elements in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and a few others such as the Ashura Festival have been lined up for nomination into the lists within the framework of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
UNESCO’s highest priority for implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is a global capacity-building strategy, put in place to strengthen countries’ capacities for the sustainable safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and for harnessing its potential for sustainable development while promoting broad public knowledge and support for the Convention’s concepts and objectives.
The Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism is the relevant Ministry charged with the responsibility of conservation, promotion, development and the safeguarding of culture of the Nations, Nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia for Sustainable Development. Through the ARCCH, much has been done regarding the implementation of the Convention. There is however, a lot that can be achieved if the Government lays a solid foundation for the implementation of the convention.

Link for direct access 

Documents

• Agenda - Réunion : Rapport d’atelier de Ahmed Skounti : French
• List of Participant: French
• Programme: French

Link for direct access 

The workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention provided an overview of the objectives and key safeguarding concepts of the 2003 Convention as well as the national obligations of States Parties and the mechanisms for international cooperation. Thirty-five participants benefitted from the workshop. Most of them took part during the consultation meetings in November 2013. Cultural Officers of seven out of eight States were present. Most of the Ministry officials who participated in the workshop came from the Department of Archaeology and National Museum which has conducted significant researches and documentation of ICH through the network of State Museums and Cultural Officers. The increased number of participants from the Department of Archaeology and National Museum resulted in a more productive discussion and allowed for more state (provincial) level inputs.
This workshop was initially planned to cover both the ratification and implementation of the 2003 Convention. However, Myanmar ratified the 2003 Convention two weeks before the start of the workshop, thus the two expert facilitators, Paritta Koanantakool and Noriko Aikawa-Faure, adjusted their training programme to focus only on the effective implementation of the Convention at the national level. The facilitators included in the workshop agenda a day-long field study visit in locations where the crafts and rituals mentioned below were practiced. The field trip provided the participants to understand the essential role of communities in safeguarding ICH.

• Bronze casting craft in Tamapawaddy, Chanmyathase Township, Mandalay
• Silk weaving craft in Muand Dan Quarter, Amarapura Township, Mandalay
• Nat spirit worship in Mandalay where four spirit mediums/practitioners were interviewed.

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In 2014, the training of trainers on the implementation of the Convention was the first step to build a core group of facilitators from Nordic countries (Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden) who can deliver capacity-building courses for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and for other aspects of the implementation of the ICH Convention.

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About 30 representatives of Ministries of Culture and UNESCO-trained experts from different countries in the Arab region will discuss with UNESCO and ALECSO the needs and challenges of developing conceptual and institutional frameworks for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. The two international Organizations are co-organizing this meeting in collaboration with the Kuwait National Council for Culture, Art and Letters from 7 to 9 May 2014 in Kuwait City thanks to the generous hospitality of the Government of Kuwait.

• Programme: English
• Concept note: English

The expert facilitators and UNESCO staff will stay on in Kuwait for a second meeting to review the progress and challenges of implementing UNESCO’s capacity-building programme for intangible cultural heritage and make recommendation on ways forward in the Arab region (10 to 11 May).

• Provisional timetable: English
• Background note: English

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The Yaoundé Office brought its expertise and collaboration to the training of trainers on inventories of the tangible and intangible heritage that took place in Yaoundé from 5 to 10 May 2014 by addressing the participants on the 2003 Convention, the importance of community-based inventories and the challenges of elaborating nomination files for the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The workshop brought together 55 participants, including representatives from the 10 regions of Cameroon.

Results:

• The participants gained a better knowledge of the 2003 Convention
• The Ministry of Arts and Culture committed to roll out inventories

Perspective:

• Organization of other workshops with the communities with the communities
• Effective launch of inventories
• Support for the preparation of nomination files for the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Link for direct access 

From 31 March 31 to 6 April, the Dominican Republic hosts a workshop on intangible cultural heritage community-based inventories within the framework of a regional project for strengthening national capacities for the effective safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti, with the support of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, thanks to the generous contribution of Norway.

Conducted by two members of the UNESCO network of facilitators, María Ismenia Toledo (Venezuela) and Enrique Pérez López (Mexico), the workshop brings together 30 specialists, students and bearers of intangible cultural heritage for a training on the approach promulgated by the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to inventories and the role played by communities. The theoretical training is complemented with a technical part on data collection and a field exercise with the Chuineros of Cañafístol in Baní, in the province of Peravia, whose improvised songs in couplets are at risk of disappearing.

This activity has been made possible thanks to the support of the Vice Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Cultural Centre of Perelló, located in Baní, which was instrumental in obtaining the Chuineros’ free, prior and informed consent.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

A first national meeting took place in Agadir from 26 to 30 March. This meeting is part of the project for capacity building for the safeguarding of living heritage implemented in the three countries thanks to the generous contribution of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

The workshop was organized by the UNESCO Office in Rabat and brought together not only representatives from the Ministry of Culture and of local communities involved but also representatives from the Ministries of Crafts, Agriculture, Education and Tourism.

The integration of intangible cultural heritage to the multisectorial policies and a good understanding of the key concepts of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by all stakeholders are essential to its effective implementation. These issues were raised during this training workshop that was co-facilitated by Mr. Ahmed Skounti (Morocco) and Mr. Mohamed Ould Mohamed Lemine Beijeu (Mauritania), UNESCO trained facilitators in the field of intangible heritage.

• List of participants : French
• Présentation - Réunion : Rapport d’atelier de M. Ahmed Skounti: French

Link for direct access 

The theme of the international conference 24-26 March in Bergen (Norway) focuses on the UNESCO Conventions on World Heritage (1972), Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) and Diversity of Cultural Expression (2005).
The overall goal of the conference is, to explore synergies between the three conventions, how they can be utilized to realize their related ambitions and how other UNESCO related instruments, regional and national mechanisms and practices can be fruitfully implement as a whole.

The conference will examine the following questions:

• How can synergies between the conventions and other mechanisms and practices be obtained on the ground – what works in practice?
• What is the role of tangible as well as intangible cultural heritage and cultural expressions in contributing to sustainable development?

Target participants include researchers in cultural and natural heritage and sustainable development, practitioners in management of heritage sites and related instruments on the local level and higher levels. The conference will serve as a platform for exchange of ideas. It will provide:

• researchers with feedback on their findings and ideas for their work,
• local heritage managers with inspiration for new solutions,
• UNESCO and national level heritage managers with ideas for strategic developments,

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Within the framework of the UNESCO/Flanders Project on Strengthening sub-regional cooperation and national capacities in seven Southern African countries for implementing the 2003 Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), the UNESCO Harare Multisectoral Regional Office (MSRO) organised a two-day workshop 18 – 20 March 2014 in Harare, Zimbabwe. This workshop brought together twenty-two participants from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The workshop was facilitated by the UNESCO certified trainers in ICH, Mr. Stephen Chifunyise and Mr. Lovemore Mazibuko. Also in attendance and assisting with training was Mr. Marc Jacobs, from the Flemish Interface Centre for Cultural Heritage (FARO).

Workshop Objectives

• Train at least two participants from each beneficiary country on the scope and objectives of the implementation of the 2003 Convention at national level with a focus on inventorying, preparation of international assistance requests and nomination files.
• Define and agree on the specific actions aimed at strengthening policy, legal and institutional frameworks of the beneficiary countries with reference to the provisions of the 2003 Convention and the Operational Directives.
• Create and agree on project activities and timelines which will guide the beneficiary countries in executing set action plans and main project goal of reinforcing the national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention.

List of documents

• Agenda: English
• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

L’atelier vise à former des cadres du Département de la Culture, des chercheurs des représentants des autorités locales, des représentants d’ONG et des membres des communautés sur le travail de l’inventaire participatif conformément aux orientations et à l’esprit de la Convention de 2003 dans le cadre de la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel Cet atelier de 8 jours vise à doter les participants des connaissances et compétences de base pour concevoir et faciliter une démarche d’inventaire fondée sur l’engagement collectif et adaptée à la situation particulière des communautés. Ce processus d’inventaire participatif est le troisième thème que couvre le programme de l’UNESCO élaboré dans le cadre de la stratégie globale de renforcement des capacités de l’Organisation sur la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel à travers la mise en œuvre de la Convention de 2003 L’une des obligations de tout État qui a ratifié la Convention est la préparation d’un ou plusieurs inventaires du patrimoine culturel immatériel (PCI) (selon les articles 11 et 12). En outre, plusieurs articles de la Convention soulignent le rôle prépondérant des communautés dans l’identification, la sauvegarde et la transmission du PCI. La Convention reconnaît, en effet, que le PCI fait partie intégrante de la vie des communautés qui en sont les détentrices et praticiennes

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From 25 February to 4 March 2014, the last of the workshops of the project for strengthening national capacities for the effective safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Central America took place in Guatemala City and is dedicated to community-based inventorying. The workshop was intended for the technical staff of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Guatemala and for community members who bear intangible cultural heritage manifestations representative of the country’s cultural diversity.

Facilitated by two members of the network of UNESCO-trained experts, Eva Martínez from Honduras and Enrique Pérez López from Mexico, this training aimed at equipping participants with essential knowledge and skills to enable them to plan and facilitate the elaboration of inventories of intangible cultural heritage adapted to the characteristics of the communities who practise and transmit it.

The workshop included two days of field practice in the town of Chinautla, 10 km from the capital city, whose indigenous Maya-Pocomam population manufactures with technical precision pots and vases, among other pieces, with mud, straw and clay. This traditional craftsmanship which is passed down from mother to daughter since childhood, was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Nation by the Government of Guatemala in 2013.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

From 11 to 14 February, the Regional Bureau for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean is organizing a capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level in Santiago de Cuba in Eastern Cuba. The workshop will bring together about twenty participants from the eastern provinces and Camagüey. Bearers of intangible cultural heritage from the region, alongside members of provincial councils and national institutions such as the National Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage or the Cuban Institute for Cultural Research, will receive intensive training on the objectives and key concepts of this Convention as well as on the obligations assumed by States that have ratified it and the mechanisms it provides for international cooperation.

Organized as part of the regional capacity-building programme benefiting Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti and funded through the generous contribution of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, the workshop will be facilitated by two UNESCO-trained experts, Adriana Molano Arenas from Colombia and Francisco Javier López Morales from Mexico. It will offer a platform where participants will reflect collectively on experiences and challenges in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage within the broader context of sustainable development.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

Following the national workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage, a pilot activity on community-based inventorying was successfully carried out by the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank (ACIJ/JMB) from February to April 2014. Two training sessions were organized as part of the inventorying exercise. These were followed by two inventorying exercises in Glengoffe, St. Catherine carried out on 19 March and 30 April 2014. Participants collected oral history data from the members of the craft community, which included jippy-jappa straw workers and a wood carver, using the digital recorders and video camera purchased for the project. They also made photographic documentation of the present processes involved in the creation of jippy-jappa straw craft and wood carvings. Following this, participants came together to critically analyze the data collected and created a pilot ICH inventory record of the jippy-jappa straw and woodcarving. This exercise involved the preparation of interview worksheets and inputting data: photographs and video into the ICH Inventory Database. A set of audio-visual equipment was also purchased to facilitate the pilot inventorying project and for use in future inventorying work. An ICH Equipment Release Form was developed and is in use to facilitate loans to the members of the ICH stakeholders’ network, to primarily ensure that communities have access to this equipment to carry out the work for which they have been trained.

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From 3 to 6 December representatives from governmental and non-governmental institutions from Timor-Leste are meeting to receive intensive training on the nomination process, from preparation to evaluation and examination. These sessions are mainly practical and participative and will rely on mock nominations that participants will need to analyse and improve in accordance with the criteria set out in the Operational Directives for the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Conducted by the UNESCO-trained facilitators, Rahul Goswami from India and Suzanne Ogge from Australia, this workshop on the preparation of nominations of intangible cultural heritage elements for inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List and the Representative List will complement the training that Timor-Leste has already received on the implementation of the Convention at the national level and community-based inventorying.

Link for direct access 

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 step in safeguarding the living heritage of Kazakhstan. It focuses on community participation in the identification and inventory of intangible cultural heritage, organization and management of information, and hands-on experience in preparing field work.

Funded by the Government of Norway, the workshop is the third and last in a series of workshops organized in Kazakhstan in the framework of a sub-regional project being implemented in Central Asia within the context of UNESCO’s global strategy on capacity building to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. It is conducted by two experts from the UNESCO facilitators’ network: Ms. Sabira Soltongeldieva and Mr. Illya Fetysov.

For more information, please see the webpage of Almaty Cluster Office for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Link for direct access 

heritage, a pilot activity on community-based inventorying was successfully carried out by the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) from November 2013 to April 2014. During this period, seven cultural celebrations associated with various ethnic communities were inventoried in 13 communities across Belize: Los Finados, Yurumein, Las Posadas, Ox-lajun Ba-aktun Ceremony, Christmas Bram, Carnaval and La Semana Santa.
Inventorying of the cultural celebrations took into account the history of the celebration, identification of various ICH domains, safeguarding practices currently in place, as well as challenges to its viability identified by the cultural practitioners. The documentation process also involved a listing of key cultural words as used in the traditional language(s). The inventorying of these cultural celebrations involved the participants from the established ICH Working Body, as well as community cultural practitioners who are actively involved in the organization of these celebrations. An inventorying tool was developed to serve as a guide for the documentation stages of the project. The tool was piloted from 1-3 November and a planning and training session was later held with the ICH Working Body to develop an inventorying schedule. Throughout the project, the ICH Working Body met at regular intervals to discuss and to share the acquired knowledge. The group also provided feedback and suggestions for subsequent inventorying activities. In January 2014, a mid-term review meeting was held to evaluate the progress of the inventorying exercise and a final meeting was held in April 2014 to assess the results. Audio-visual equipment was also purchased to facilitate the pilot inventorying project and for future documentation of ICH.

Link for direct access 

Following the national workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage, a pilot activity on community-based inventorying was successfully carried out by the Ministry of the Arts and Multiculturalism (MAM), now the Ministry of Community Development, Culture and the Arts, from November 2013 to May 2014. During this period, the Soparee Mai Devotions and the Feast of La Divina Pastora was documented. Prior to this inventorying exercise, a training session was held at the Siparia Boys Roman Catholic Primary School, adjacent to the church where the statue of La Divina Pastora is kept and also part of the devotion grounds. Training was facilitated by media specialists, qualified information technology and audio visual technicians who focused on the methods for proper interviewing, multimedia equipment care and operation, lighting techniques, use of tripods, storyboarding, filming, and shot composition to assist the community members in their self-documentation efforts. Through the acquired training on documentation, community members were able to record the Sopari Mai Devotions in April and May 2014. Audio-visual equipment was purchased with project funds to facilitate the pilot inventorying activity, and an additional four sets of similar equipment were purchased from the fund provided by the Ministry.

Link for direct access 

The UNESCO Office in Rabat is organizing a training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kaédi, Mauritania, from 22-26 October, 2013.

The workshop is part of the project ‘Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage through strengthening national capacities in Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia’ funded by the contribution of the Government of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. It will be facilitated by Mr Ahmed Skounti and Mr Mohamed Ould Mohamed Lemine Beijeu, both members of the UNESCO facilitators network in the field of intangible heritage, and will bring together approximately 20 participants including representatives from the Ministry of Culture, NGO’s and representatives from the local communities involved.

The objective of this first activity is to make sure that the key concepts of the Convention have been well understood and integrated by all the stakeholders involved in the safeguarding of living heritage in Mauritania. It will be followed by a series of other specific activities during the next months.

Link for direct access 

This Community-based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop is the 3rd activity hosted by Samoa within the framework of the regional capacity building project in the Asia-Pacific Region and is funded by the Japan Funds-in-Trust for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Workshop will bring together some 50 participants ranging from ICH custodians, traditional leaders, senior officials responsible for ICH safeguarding, NGOs, community-based organisations, to faith-based organisations. The Workshop will provide stakeholders with training in community-based ICH inventorying with hands-on exercise at Gataivai Village in Savaii Island.

Link for direct access 

This workshop on the preparation of nomination files to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists will be held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 21 to 25 October 2013. Conducted by the UNESCO-trained facilitators, Suzanne Ogge from Australia and Rahul Goswani from India, the event is the final of a series of three capacity building events over the last 18 months aimed at the safeguarding of the manifestations of Cambodia’s living heritage. The training workshop, which the UNESCO Phnom Penh Office is organizing in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, will provide training on how to prepare nomination files for the Urgent Safeguarding List and Representative List, as well as proposals for the Register of Best Practices and requests for international assistance. The training strategy will provide the participants with the knowledge of preparing complete nomination files by understanding how they will later be evaluated and examined. The expert trainers will lead around 30 participants from concerned government agencies, members of the academy, ICH practitioners and community members.

Documents

• Agenda: English

Link for direct access 

From 14 to 22 October 2013, capacity-building sessions on preparing nominations to the Lists of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage take place in Argentina, first in Santiago del Estero, in the Gran Chaco Region, and then in Buenos Aires. At their end, about 70 participants, including government officials and members of non-governmental organizations involved in safeguarding cultural heritage from Argentina, but also from Paraguay and Uruguay, will have received theoretical and practical training on the nomination process understood as a planning process of community-based safeguarding measures.

Facilitated by two UNESCO-trained experts, Adriana Molano Arenas from Colombia and Mónica Lacarrieu from Argentina, these workshops bring to a close a capacity-building programme on the Convention supported by UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust which for more than one year has provided to its beneficiaries substantial training on the implementation of the Convention at the national level and community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

From 7 to 11 October, the Regional Bureau for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean is organizing a capacity-building workshop on preparing nominations to the Lists of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The workshop will bring together about twenty participants from Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic who already benefited in their respective countries from an intensive training on the implementation of the Convention at the national level, within the regional project for strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, funded through the generous contribution of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Facilitated by two UNESCO-trained experts, Adriana Molano Arenas from Colombia and Fabián Bedón Samaniego from Ecuador, this workshop is to provide participants with additional training on the preparation of nominations as processes of mobilization of the wide range of stakeholders involved in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage - and first and foremost communities - as well as of design of safeguarding plans tailored to the specific contexts and conditions for practising a given intangible cultural heritage element.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of Participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

Experts from South-East Europe will meet in Belgrade, Serbia, on 5 October, within the framework of the 22nd edition of the International Festival of Ethnological Film, to discuss how documentary films and other audio-visual productions may contribute to the safeguarding and viability of intangible cultural heritage.
The meeting, organized by the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade, in cooperation with the Sofia Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe (Bulgaria) and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Venice (Italy), will include a round table on the realization of a possible regional audiovisual production on intangible cultural heritage in South-East Europe – challenges and opportunities. Participating experts will include representatives of heritage safeguarding agencies, anthropologists, film makers and other individual practitioners. The event is open to the public.

The Belgrade International Festival of Ethnological Film focuses on creative ethnographic documentaries with strong ethnological sensibility. Its concept is to encourage and inspire wide audience, anthropologists and filmmakers to contribute to impact and use of ethnographic film. This year’s edition of the festival will screen from 4-8 October 2013, in Belgrade, documentary films on the subject of ethnology and anthropology, also including a variety of events, meetings with filmmakers and social gatherings.

More information is available here

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A national workshop on Community-based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held in Orange Walk district in Belize from 1 to 9 October 2013. This is organized by The National Institute of Culture and History in collaboration with the Belize National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean.

The 8-day workshop will focus on i) community involvement in identifying and inventorying in accordance with/as advocated by UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage Convention, ii) information gathering with communities, iii) organizing, accessing and updating information in inventories and iv) a hands-on experience in preparing field work. The workshop will be facilitated by UNESCO trained facilitators, Harriet Deacon and Kris Rampersad.

Various stakeholders such as government officials, non-governmental organizations and community practitioners will come together to partake in the workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The official opening ceremony will take place on Tuesday, 1 October 2013 in the presence of invited guests including government officials, diplomatic corps, Heads of UN Agencies and the media.

Funded by the Government of Japan, the workshop is part of a sub-regional project being implemented in Belize, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago within the context of UNESCO’s Global Strategy on capacity building on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.

Link for direct access 

After having had a first community-based inventory workshop (INV) in October 2012 in Goroka, Papua New Guinea will benefit from an additional workshop in another part of the country, the Milne Bay Province. Anthony Parak will facilitate this workshop.

Link for direct access 

The second review meeting on UNESCO’s global strategy for strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage will be convened by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section in Cusco, Peru, from 17 to 19 September 2013, following the first such meeting in Beijing, China, in November 2012.

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 the meeting that aims to assess the implementation of the strategy in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The meeting brings together eleven facilitators from the global network, established two years ago following a cycle of training of trainers workshops all over the world, who have now conducted capacity-building activities in the refion. Colleagues responsible for the Culture Programme in UNESCO’s field offices and CRESPIAL will also participate.

The meeting’s agenda covers the range of conceptual and practical problems encountered along the way. By inviting key actors involved in the implementation of this programme to share their experiences, the challenges they faced and the ways they found to overcome them, the meeting will improve the effectiveness of the capacity-building strategy so it can respond more adequately to the specific needs of States.

Documents

• Participants List: English/Spanish
• Programme: English|Spanish
• Summary records: English|Spanish

Link for direct access 

UNESCO continues its initiative to help safeguard Nepal’s intangible heritage with a workshop on preparing nominations to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in Kathmandu from 16 to 20 September 2013. The workshop is the last of three Japan funded events to build capacity to protect the manifestations of Nepal’s intangible – or living – heritage.

These living traditions in the form of traditions, performing arts, festive events and skills of people to produce traditional crafts are a central part of the country’s collective heritage.
The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage adopted by UNESCO in 2003, and ratified by Nepal in 2010, is an excellent framework to give continuity to these living traditions. However, the national capacity to safeguard this heritage needs to be enhanced.

The forthcoming seminar, which UNESCO Kathmandu organizes jointly with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, will provide knowledge about inscribing elements in the intangible cultural heritage list and enhance skills to prepare a nomination file. It will also train experts, representatives from community and concerned institutions on how to prepare files for the Urgent Safeguarding List and Representative List and proposals for the Register of Best Practices, and how to formulate requests for international assistance.

Conducted by the UNESCO-trained facilitators, Suzanne Ogge from Australia and Shubha Chaudhuri from India, the event is the final of a series of three capacity building events over the last 18 months. The first workshop, held in April 2012 in Kathmandu, addressed the key principles and definitions of intangible cultural heritage; the second workshop, which took place in January 2013 in the Jiri-Sikri valley, focused on the process and guidelines for community-based inventorying of these living traditions.
The national capacity building events are part of the regional capacity building project “Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage through the Strengthening of National Capacities in Asia and the Pacific”, funded by the Government of Japan.

UNESCO expects around 30 participants from communities and groups creating, maintaining and transmitting intangible heritage as well as institution.

For more information: website of UNESCO Office in Kathmandu

Link for direct access 

UNESCO has partnered with the School for African Heritage (EPA) to help Member States by providing them with knowledge about the concepts, mechanisms and measures offered by the Convention. To make the initiative real, a workshop for the training of trainers on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage will take place from 16 to 23 September 2013 in the EPA in Porto Novo, Benin thanks to funding from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. During this training, participants will have the opportunity to become familiar with the materials elaborated by the Secretariat of the Convention.

The workshop will be facilitated by two expert facilitators, Claudine-Augée Angoué (Gabon) and Sidi Traoré (Burkina Faso) in partnership with EPA director, Baba Keita. It will focus on four principal topics: (1) community-based inventorying in the framework of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, (2) a framework of community-based inventorying, ethics and responsibilities, (3) methods and technics to produce information and (4) community-based inventorying projects.

A field exercise is also planned to allow the 30 participants that include officials from the EPA, the International Traditions and Languages Research Centre (CERDETOLA) and experts form Burkina Faso and Senegal to apply community-based techniques in the field. The workshop will benefit from EPA’s rich experience in the field of training for safeguarding of cultural heritage. The workshop will be coordinated by the EPA who will also organize the field work, building on the solid contacts it has with the communities of the Porto Novo region (the provisory program is being prepared).

Link for direct access 

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 and the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean, a national workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage will take place in Kingston from 4 to 13 September 2013.

A significant step in the safeguarding of living heritage in Jamaica, the workshop will focus on community participation in the identification and inventorying of intangible cultural heritage, data collection, organization and management, and hands-on experience in preparing field work. The workshop along with the field exercise will set the stage for a pilot inventory activity to follow in proceeding months.

Funded by the Government of Japan, the workshop is part of a sub-regional project being implemented in Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago within the context of UNESCO’s global strategy on capacity building to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. It will be facilitated by UNESCO trained experts Dr. Harriet Deacon and Dr. Kris Rampersad.

Link for direct access 

This training workshop is aimed at enhancing the national capacities in the field for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH), in particular ICH inventorying under the 2003 Convention including the practical technical skills in inventory-making.

Experts from Kyrgyzstan will be trained in identifying, defining, inventorying and documenting the ICH. They are in charge of implementing concrete safeguarding activities and conducting training in the management and appropriate transmission of ICH, while undertaking and/or coordinating ICH-related scientific, technical, legal, economic and other studies. The purpose of this session is to raise awareness about the value and diversity of the ICH and ensure community participation and consent in all activities concerning their ICH.

Participants will be from governmental and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), communities, institutions and individual experts. The preference will be given to local communities. During the training the participants will be provided with text materials developed by UNESCO. The materials are translated into the Russian language and partially into Kyrgyz.

Link for direct access 

This Report is presented to the authorities of the UNESCO Representation for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, based in San José, in order to report on the activities of the Capacity Building Project for the effective Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, particularly referred to the Fourth Workshop “Ratification of the UNESCO Convention, 2003”, held in the city of San Salvador, El Salvador, between August 21, 22 and 23, 2013 The aforementioned workshop has been possible thanks to the cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain and has had as beneficiary countries Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of the global capacity building strategy for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a workshop will be organized in Mozambique from 12 to 21 August 2013 that aim to reinforce national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.

Through this workshop, officials from ARPAC (the National Institute for Socio-cultural Research), the Ministry of Culture as well as representatives of the local authorities, civil society and community leaders of the Monica District will familiarize themselves with principles and methods of community based inventorying of living heritage (Monica, 12 to 21 August 2013). It is hoped that some of the participants will become facilitators who then will provide further training in Mozambique and in other Portuguese speaking countries in Africa.

This workshop, organized thanks to a generous voluntary supplementary contribution from Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, forms part of a project that targets Portuguese speaking countries in Africa. The same participants will first receive training on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level, (Maputo 5 to 9 August 2013) organized through the project.

Documents

• Agenda: Portuguese

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of the global capacity building strategy for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a workshop will be organized in Mozambique from 5 to 9 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 as representatives of the local authorities, civil society and community leaders of the Monica District (Maputo, 5 to 9 August 2013).

This workshop, organized thanks to a generous voluntary supplementary contribution from Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, forms part of a project that targets Portuguese speaking countries in Africa. The same participants will receive further training on the community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage (Monica, 12 to 21 August 2013), organized through the project.

Documents

• Agenda: Portuguese

Link for direct access 

The project supported the organization of a practical field survey and inventorying of ICH in pilot communities, during which five teams of provincial cultural officers conducted cultural mapping of ICH elements in two districts. The teams used questionnaires using the methodologies developed during the inventorying workshop. The Ministry also arranged for the preparation of mock nomination files on five elements that would be discussed and evaluated during the next workshop on the elaboration of nomination files to the ICH Lists. The five elements were: (i) customs and rituals of Sinhalese puberty rites ; (ii) traditional therapeutic veniculture and cauterization techniques ; (iii) national Sinhalese New Year tradition ; (iv) procession of the Sacred Tooth in Kandy ; and (v) traditional puppetry.

Link for direct access 

The project supported the field inventorying of the following ICH elements organized by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation to test the skills learnt during the community-based inventorying workshop. The teams mobilized to conduct the ICH inventorying made use of a template they developed during the community-based inventorying, which included identification of threats and challenges, transmission and customary practices, viability and safeguarding measures.
• Traditional archery held in the districts of Wangdi, Bumthang and Samtse.
• Nub Zhey traditional singing of the Bji and Saengkyi communities in Central Bhutan
• Traditional pottery practiced by the women of the Maengjibi and Gangzur villages in Lhuentse district

Link for direct access 

From 29 July to 2 August, about thirty participants from governmental and non-governmental institutions from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are meeting in Managua, Nicaragua, to receive intensive training on the nomination process, from preparation to evaluation and examination. These sessions are mainly practical and participative and will rely on mock nominations that participants will need to analyse and improve in accordance with the criteria set out in the Operational Directives for the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Conducted by the UNESCO-trained facilitators, María Ismenia Toledo from Venezuela and Enrique López from Mexico, this is the first workshop on the preparation of nominations of intangible cultural heritage elements for inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List and the Representative List that will take place in Latin America. It complements the training that these same participants have already received on the implementation of the Convention at the national level and community-based inventorying.

These sessions are part of the regional capacity-building project funded by the generous contribution of Spain to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Central America which is being implemented throughout 2013. As such, this activity benefits from the support of the Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination (CECC/SICA) and the Institute of Culture of Nicaragua.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

From 24 to 26 July, UNESCO and the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe will organize a global meeting of category 2 centres active in the field of intangible cultural heritage at Sozopol, a beautiful town situated at Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

The meeting will be an excellent opportunity for the participants to take stock of the recent developments in the life of the Convention and the larger trends underway at UNESCO concerning category 2 centres. It will also facilitate joint efforts for the integration of the Organization’s medium-term strategy (37 C/4) and programme and budget for the coming quadrennium (37 C/5) into the medium-term and short-term planning of the respective centres, enabling them to continue to contribute effectively to UNESCO’s work.

Documents

• Agenda: English
• First annual meeting of category 2 centres active in the field of intangible cultural heritage: Report of the UNESCO Section for Intangible Cultural Heritage: English
• Participant List: English

Reference documents

• Approaches to governance - PowerPoint presentation by Frank Proschan: English
• Context of our cooperation - PowerPoint presentation by Cecile Duvelle: English
• Culture sector strategy for category 2 centres: English
• Draft Medium-term Strategy, 2014-2021
  37 C/4: English
• Excerpt from the draft 37 C/5 revised as of 22 July 2013: English
• Guidelines for the formulation of 36 C/5 (2012‐2013 biennium) regular programme work plans (Activity/Office 5)
  BSP/RBM/2012/2 REV.8: English
• Improving UNESCO’s Category 2 Centre network: English|French
• Presentation of the Sofia centre - PowerPoint presentation by Mila Santova: English
• RBM Monitoring and Reporting guidelines
  BSP/RBM/2012/4 REV.1: English
• Results-Based Management (RBM) approach Presentation for Intangible Cultural Heritage Category 2 Institutes - PowerPoint presentation by Othilie du Souich: English
• Results-Based Management (RBM) approach Presentation for Intangible Cultural Heritage Category 2 Institutes - PowerPoint presentation by Othilie du Souich (smaller PDF version): English
• Results‐Based Programming, Management and Monitoring (RBM) approach as applied at UNESCO: Guiding Principles
  BSP/RBM/2008/1.REV.5: English
• Review of the Management Framework for UNESCO Category 2 Institutes/Centres
  IOS/AUD/EVS/2011/14 Rev.: English

Executive Board/General Conference documents

• Category 2 institutes and centres
  190 EX/18 PART I: English
• Category 2 institutes and centres
  190 EX/Decision 18 Part I: English
• Category 2 institutes and centres
  191 EX/14.INF (+ Corr. only in Fre): English
• Category 2 institutes and centres: guidance note on the renewal assessment procedures of category 2 institutes/centres
  190 EX/INF.16: English
• Follow-up to the independent external evaluation of UNESCO, Policy framework for strategic partnerships: a comprehensive partnership strategy; Separate strategies for engagement with individual categories and partners
  191 EX/16.INF.3: English
• Implementation of the guidelines and criteria for category 2 institutes and centres approved in 33 C/Resolution 90
  35 C/Resolution 103: English
• Implementation of the guidelines and criteria for category 2 institutes and centres approved in 33 C/Resolution 90
  35 C/22 + CORR.: English
• Report on the full cost of category 2 institutes and centres
  191 EX/14 Part I: English

For further information:

• Category 2 centres under the auspices of UNESCO

Link for direct access 

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 communities concerned.

More than twenty representatives from government and non-governmental organizations, communities, institutions and individual experts will try to analyse the challenges facing the safeguarding intangible heritage in Bangladesh, and should be equipped with new tools and knowledge to ensure a better dissemination and promotion of such heritage.

The workshop will be conducted by Harriet Deacon and Amareswar Galla, two UNESCO trained experts in the field of intangible cultural heritage.

Link for direct access 

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 and Tobago. It will focus on community participation in the identification and inventory of intangible cultural heritage, organization and management of information, and hands-on experience in preparing field work. The field activity will be reinforced by a pilot inventory activity to follow in proceeding months.

Funded by the Government of Japan, the workshop is part of a sub-regional project being implemented in Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago within the context of UNESCO’s global strategy on capacity building to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. It will be facilitated by UNESCO trained experts Harriet Deacon and Rieks Smeets.

Link for direct access 

Thirty participants from government institutions and civil society organizations as well as community representatives meet in El Salvador from 17 to 25 June to attend the first workshop on inventorying intangible cultural heritage. Following an initial theoretical session in San Salvador aimed to equip participants with essential knowledge and skills to enable them to plan and facilitate this task, the team will move to the town of Conchagua, in the department of La Union on the Pacific coast, about 200 km from the capital.

A field practice will be conducted in Conchagua which will enable participants to gain first-hand experience in inventory-making and put into practice some of the knowledge acquired during the theoretical sessions in areas such as building communication relationships with the community, obtaining their free, prior and informed consent, applying a particular method, preparing questions or generating information for an inventorying framework and testing it.

Conducted by the UNESCO-trained facilitators, María Ismenia Toledo from Venezuela and Enrique López from Mexico, these sessions are part of the regional capacity-building project funded by the generous contribution of Spain to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Central America which is being implemented throughout 2013. As such, this activity not only benefits from the support of the Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination (CECC/SICA) and the Secretariat of Culture of El Salvador but also welcomes the focal points of the project in Honduras and Nicaragua.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

Chengdu International Conference on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Chengdu, China, 14 to 16 June 2013

Practical information
The Conference will be held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Chengdu. It will take place in conjunction with the Fourth International Festival of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Chengdu. Languages of the Conference will be English, French and Chinese.

Ten years have passed since the adoption of the 2003 Convention, including seven years of actual implementation at the international level. This high-level conference will look back on that decade in order to reflect on the Convention’s function, role and value while also looking forward to its future. The aim is to reflect profoundly on the life of the 2003 Convention so far, providing a strategic opportunity to discuss the intentions of its framers, to identify its achievements thus far and to define priorities for the future.

Scientific and legal experts and States Parties officials who took part actively in the preparation of the 2003 Convention will participate in a series of plenary round-table panels seeking to look backward and forward at the same time, focussing particularly on the challenges facing the Convention today:

• Achievements of the Convention: changing the discourse of ICH and implanting new concepts
• Inventorying and listing
• Parallel universes: intellectual property, world heritage and cultural goods and services
• Safeguarding experiences in the States Parties
• Open questions and future directions

Working Documents

• Programme
  ITH/13/EXP/1 Rev.: English|French|Chinese in preparation
• Concept note: the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention: its first decade
  ITH/13/EXP/2: English|French|Chinese
• Round-table 1: Achievements of the Convention: changing the discourse of intangible cultural heritage and implanting new concepts
  ITH/13/EXP/3: English|French|Chinese
• Round-table 2: Inventorying and listing
  ITH/13/EXP/4: English|French|Chinese
• Round-table 3: Parallel universes: intellectual property, world heritage and cultural goods and services
  ITH/13/EXP/5 Rev.: English|French|Chinese
• Round-table 4: Safeguarding experiences in the States Parties
  ITH/13/EXP/6: English|French|Chinese
• Round-table 5: Open questions and future directions
  ITH/13/EXP/7: English|French|Chinese
• Chengdu recommendations
  ITH/13/EXP/8: English|French|Chinese

Information Documents

• List of documents
  ITH/13/EXP/INF.1.1: English|French|Chinese in preparation
• Practical information
  ITH/13/EXP/INF.1.2: English|Chinese
• List of participants
  ITH/13/EXP/INF.1.3: English in preparation|French in preparation|Chinese in preparation

Do you want to learn more about the history of the 2003 Convention?

Please see the following meetings between 1973 and 2003 that led up to the Convention:

• History and precursors 1973-2000
• Drafting the text of the Convention 2001-2003

The Conference will be held under the patronage of the Chinese Ministry of Culture, Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, Chinese National Commission for UNESCO and UNESCO, and will be organized by the Chengdu Municipal People’s Government, China National Centre for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture, International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (CRIHAP) and UNESCO Section for Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Contacts

• Beate Strøm
  Section for Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO
  7, place du Fontenoy
  75352 Paris 07, France
  Tel: +33 (0)1 45 68 47 39
  e-mail: b.strom@unesco.org

• Yuan Jie
  International Training Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the Auspices of UNESCO (CRIHAP)
  Jia 1 Huixin Beili, 100029 Chaoyang District, Beijing, P.R. China
  Tel: +86-10-6496-6526 ; fax: +86-10-6496-9281
  e-mail: benyuanjie@126.com

Link for direct access 

Lao’s national capacities to safeguard its intangible heritage are increasing, thanks to an eight-day workshop organized from 11 to 18 June 2013 within the UNESCO capacity building strategy for the effective safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage. Made possible by a generous contribution from the Republic of Korea, the workshop is part of a project that specifically aims at enhancing the national capacity of Lao PDR, both in government institutions and in civil society to safeguard its intangible cultural heritage through the effective implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on a long-term basis. The workshop will be facilitated by UNESCO trained experts Shubha Chaudhuri and Paritta Koanantakool.

The Heritage Department of the Lao Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, in coordination with the UNESCO Office in Bangkok, has been very active in the organization of the forthcoming workshop in order to maximize the participation of local community members and practitioners. To accomplish this, some key village officials and practitioners will participate in the workshop that will be held in Thalat, Vientiane Province near the Pakkayong Village where also two days of field documentation and inventorying will be conducted.

Link for direct access 

The Ministry initiated a practical field survey and inventorying of ICH elements in the Pahari communities in the villages of Khaopsi (Kavre District), Badikhel (Lalitpur District) and Thokarpa (Sindhupalanchowk District). The UNESCO template developed during the community-based inventorying workshop in Jiri, Dolkha District (January 2013) was used in the inventorying of the following ICH practices in the Pahari communities:
• Traditional carpentry and woodworking
• Maruni/Khyali Naach (dance by men in costume with ornamentation of women)
• Hasa thayagu (traditional bamboo weaving)
• Dhami-jhakri (shamanistic practices covering religious and social aspects of the Paharis)

Link for direct access 

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 of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. They will also learn how to apply for international assistance and how to elaborate proposals for the Register of Best Safeguarding Practices.

Made possible by a generous contribution from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, the workshop is part of a two-year collaboration between UNESCO and Kyrgyzstan aimed at equipping public institutions and civil society with a solid foundation for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage within the country. The workshop is organized by the UNESCO Office in Almaty and the National Commission for UNESCO of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Participants will also discuss current safeguarding measures in all administrative areas of the Republic and will agree on future activities.

The workshop will be facilitated by Mr Ilya Fetisov from Ukraine and Ms Sabira Soltongeldieva from Kyrgyzstan.

Link for direct access 

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).

The regional encounter is a follow-up to the previous meetings (Arbanassi, Bulgaria, June 2007; Safranbolu, Turkey, May 2008; Zagreb, Croatia, April 2009, Râmnicu-Vâlcea, Romania, May 2010; Belgrade, Serbia, May 2011; Athens, Greece, May 2012) which have been organized to enhance a common understanding of opportunities and challenges linked to the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in the region, such as: national inventory policies, the process of revitalization, the management of sustainable cultural tourism, the role and involvement of the local communities, the transnational dimension of intangible cultural heritage, as well as training and capacity-building.

The annual meetings serve as a regional platform for sharing knowledge and good practices, and stimulating a collective reflection on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage as a key asset of South-East European cultural diversity.

The meeting in Sofia will focus its debates on three topics: the status of implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the respective countries of the region; cases and best practices in promoting intangible cultural heritage as a driver for local sustainable development (tourism, private/public partnerships); and proposals for common action in the areas of training and capacity-building. The meeting will also allow experts to discuss, more specifically, the various ways of integrating intangible heritage in tourism and development policies, while fostering the responsible and ethical use of these living assets and forms of expressions.

Documents

• Draft agenda: English
• List of participants: English

For more information, click here.

Link for direct access 

A capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level is being held in Cap Haïtien (Haiti) from 13 to 17 May. These sessions are organized within the framework of a regional capacity-building programme in the Caribbean funded by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund thanks to the generous contributions of Norway and count with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Haitian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO and the National Bureau of Ethnology.

For five days, about twenty participants from the North Department of Haiti will be receiving intensive training on the objectives, key concepts and international mechanisms of the 2003 Convention as well as on the national obligations of States Parties. Conducted by two members of the network of UNESCO-trained experts, Ms Soledad Mujica (Peru) and Ms Claudine Augée Angoué (Gabon), the workshop also aims at stimulating greater coordination of the different stakeholders working in this field, both at the institutional and the civil society level, by emphasizing the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage as a means through which development can find appropriate and sustainable ways.

Documents

• Agenda: French
• List of participants: French

Link for direct access 

A capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level is being organized in Les Cayes (Haiti) from 6 to 10 May. This is the first activity specifically benefiting Haiti within the regional capacity building project in the Caribbean, supported by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund thanks to the generous voluntary contribution of Norway.

For four days, about twenty participants from the South Department of Haiti will be receiving intensive training on the objectives, key concepts and international mechanisms of the 2003 Convention as well as on the national obligations of States Parties. Conducted by two members of the network of UNESCO-trained experts, Ms Soledad Mujica (Peru) and Ms Claudine Augée Angoué (Gabon), the workshop also aims at stimulating greater coordination of the different stakeholders working in this field, both at the institutional and the civil society level, by emphasizing the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage as a means through which development can find appropriate and sustainable ways.

Documents

• Agenda: French
• List of participants: French

Link for direct access 

Results achieved in the field of ICH safeguarding in Southern Africa since 2009, revolve primarily around to specific extrabudgetary programmes financed by Flanders, notably:

• A series of pilot projects in community-based intangible heritage inventorying on a grassroots-level in six selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Swaziland, Zambia and Uganda), completed in 2011; and
• Strengthening national capacities for implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH in 4 selected Southern African countries (Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe) completed in 2012.

Based on the results achieved through these projects as well as the specific ICH component of MDGF Culture and Development Programme implemented in Namibia, the Southern African ICH experts experimented with the development of the specific national ICH “trainers” expertise in a workshop held in Waterberg, Namibia from 8 to 19 April 2013 .

As an immediate follow up, the Southern African ICH experts in cooperation with the UNESCO offices in Harare and Windhoek, agreed on conducting a consultation meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe from 30 April to 2 May. The objective of this meeting is twofold:
1. Develop a sub-regional ICH strategy for Southern Africa;
2. Discuss the concept of national capacity development based on the model of the April workshop held in Namibia and seek the possibility of its replication in all Southern African States Parties to the Convention.

Documents

• List of participants: English

For detailed information on this activity, please click here.

Link for direct access 

This Second Community-based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage Workshop is organized within the framework of the project entitled ‘Strengthening capacity building for the promotion and implementation of intangible cultural heritage in Timor-Leste’. This project is part of the regional capacity building efforts in the Asia-Pacific Region and is funded by the Japan Funds-in-Trust for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The workshop is intended to equip community members and key stakeholders from Timor-Leste with the basic knowledge and skills to design, facilitate and implement a community-based inventorying process tailored to their particular circumstances.

For more info, click here.

Link for direct access 

This meeting was financed by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, via the Museo Arubano. The purpose of that meeting was to bring together all the territories of the Kingdom to assess the needs and possibilities to jointly implement the Convention.

Link for direct access 

A capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level is being organized in Guatemala from 15 to 17 April. This is the first activity specifically benefiting Guatemala within the regional capacity building project in Central America, supported by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund thanks to the generous voluntary contribution of Spain.

For three days, representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Sport and cultural managers from different areas will be receiving intensive training on the objectives, key concepts and international mechanisms of the 2003 Convention as well as on the national obligations of States Parties. Conducted by two members of the network of UNESCO-trained experts, Ms Soledad Mujica (Peru) and Ms Eva Martínez (Honduras), these sessions will provide a comprehensive overview of this international normative instrument and the operational directives for its application which may serve as a framework to reflect on a national strategy for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage which integrates the views and aspirations of the different Guatemalan actors involved in this field.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

Three years after ratifying the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Tajikistan is moving forward to strengthen its capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. Implemented within UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy, a two-year project was launched in 2012 thanks to the generous support of Norway. The aim is to build a critical mass of experience and knowledge, both in government institutions and in civil society, so that Tajikistan will be equipped with an appropriate sustainable framework for safeguarding intangible heritage and implementing the Convention on a long-term basis.

The project entails a long-term, multi-faceted approach including the revision of policies and legislation, the strengthening of institutional infrastructures, the development of inventory frameworks and methods that fully involve the communities concerned, and the reinforcement of technical skills required to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. Its first stage focused on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level, and a five-day workshop held in August 2012 focused on core concepts of the Convention, while providing the participants with a thorough understanding of the obligations of all stakeholders at the national level.

The international mechanisms of the Convention are at the core of the current stage of the project. Governmental, academic and educational institutions, representatives from craft and traditional music communities, and members of civil society have met in a workshop organised by UNESCO Almaty and the Tajik National Commission for UNESCO from 10 to 13 April 2013 in Dushanbe to acquire the knowledge required to elaborate nominations for inscription on the Lists of the Convention, proposals for Best Safeguarding Practices and requests for International Assistance. The workshop was facilitated by Ms Sabira Soltongeldieva and Mr Ilya Fetisov.

Documents

• Agenda: English
• List of participants: English

For more information, please consult the webpage of UNESCO Almaty.

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A seminar entitled ‘UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention’ was organized by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport of Brunei Darussalam and UNESCO on 10 April, 2013. The Forum brought together representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Law, along with district officials, local representatives, academics from the University of Brunei Darussalam, local NGOs, and experts and policy makers in the field of culture, in order to discuss the ways for the safeguarding and promoting of the country’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The forum also provided further information on UNESCO’s implementation strategy for the ICH Convention and efforts to strengthen internal networks amongst different levels of stakeholders.

For more information, click here.

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The implementation of the capacity building strategy for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage 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 (MYNSSC) trained a group of 20 local trainers to ensure sustainability of the ICH inventorying and safeguarding efforts. A national Training of Trainers workshop was held from 8 to 19 April 2013 at Waterberg, Namibia.

20 participants, selected from different parts of the country, focused on specific aspects of ICH identification, inventorying and community interactions. In addition, a component on participatory training methods has been a part of the workshop programme, facilitated by two Southern African intangible cultural heritage training experts, Mr Stephen Chifunyise of Zimbabwe and Mr Lovemore Mazibuko of Malawi.

The experience of this pilot workshop in Namibia and its possible replication within the region will be discussed during the upcoming workshop “Southern African Regional ICH strategy, focus on the national Training of Trainers processes” to be organised by UNESCO Windhoek Office in Harare, Zimbabwe from 30 April to 2 May 2013.

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A Workshop on Community-based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) was held in Phuntsholing, a border town in southern Bhutan, from 2 to 9 April 2013. Funded the Japanese Funds-in-Trust, this Workshop focused on; i) community involvement in inventorying cultural resources, ii) importance of cultural protocol in community-based inventorying, iii) a hands-on experience in preparing field work.

For more information, please click here.

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Following the previous theoretical trainings, a pilot inventorying experience was launched in April 2013 and concluded in November 2013 in the city of Buenos Aires. This field work was aimed at providing first-hand experience in drawing up inventories to a team made of tango bearers, government officials and members of relevant non-governmental organizations.
Guided by the main project facilitator, Ms Mónica Lacarrieu (Argentina), 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 music that carries that same name. According to the inventory team, beyond the worldwide known dance itself, some elements related to tango are exposed to threats and need to be safeguarded. The milongas of Buenos Aires were identified as part of these ‘less healthy’ elements of tango and selected for the pilot inventory exercise. The following milongas were selected according to criteria of age, close ties with their neighbourhoods, liveliness of the gatherings and transmission of the knowledge associated with tango and consent from the milongueros:
• Sunderland (Villa Urquiza, Buenos Aires)
• Sin Rumbo (Villa Urquiza, Buenos Aires)
• Lo de Celia (Constitución-San Cristóbal, Buenos Aires)
• Huracán (Parque Patricios, Buenos Aires)
• La Tierrita (Parque Avellaneda, Buenos Aires)

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An intensive five-day capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level is being held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras from 18 to 22 March. The meeting inaugurates the regional project for strengthening capacities in this field that will be implemented in Central America throughout 2013 by UNESCO’s Offices in San José and Guatemala, thanks to the generous contribution of Spain to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

This first activity, which benefits from the support of the Central American Educational and Cultural Coordination (CECC/SICA), will bring together key Honduran stakeholders involved in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, in particular from the Department of Culture, Arts and Sports as well as representatives of the Nicaraguan Institute of Culture and the Secretariat of Culture of the Salvadoran Presidency. Conducted by two members of the UNESCO-certified experts network, Mr Enrique Pérez López (Mexico) and Ms María Ismenia Toledo (Venezuela), these sessions are designed to provide the focal points of the project in each of the recipient countries with an overview of the objectives, the key concepts and international mechanisms of the 2003 Convention as well as the national obligations of States Parties.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

More than 25 specialists from governmental and non-governmental institutions, universities and community representatives of different regions of the Dominican Republic will participate in the first workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage that will be held in Santo Domingo from 11 to 15 March.

Conducted by the UNESCO-trained facilitators, Ms Adriana Molano from Colombia and Mr Edis Sánchez from Dominican Republic, the workshop intends to provide an overview of the objectives and key safeguarding concepts of the 2003 Convention as well as the national obligations of States Parties and the mechanisms for international cooperation. Its goal is to create a critical mass of both governmental and civil society actors to lay the first foundations of a sustainable framework for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in the long term.

With this activity, the Regional Office for Culture for Latin America and the Caribbean of UNESCO, with the collaboration of the Dominican National Commission for UNESCO, launch in Dominican Republic the regional project for strengthening capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in the Caribbean which will be implemented throughout 2013, with the funding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund thanks to the generous contribution of Norway.

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

SUBREGIONAL PROGRAM FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
LIVESTRONG PROJECT
Workshop I: Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 2003 of Unesco at the national level
March 7 and 8, 2013
Place: Archivo Nacional- Mariscal Estigarribia e / Iturbe.
Asuncion, Paraguay

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En conséquence du contexte politique et des modifications qui en ont découlé, la deuxième phase du projet «Patrimoinevivant» s’est déclinée en trois activités, décidées en accordavec les contreparties gouvernementales argentines (dont il est fait mention dans le rapportI) et conformément aux recommandations de la réunion d’évaluation de Pékin (décembre 2012).D’une part, comme il nous était demandéde séparer la formation des représentants gouvernementaux de la ville autonome de Buenos Aires de celle des représentantsdu gouvernement national,nous avons dû organiser undeuxième atelier (intitulé «Élaboration d’inventaires du patrimoine culturel immatériel avec la participation des communautés») à deux moments différents. Le premier a eu lieu du 25 février au 1ermars de cette année et le second a eu lieu du 4 au 6 mars, tousdeux à Buenos Aires.D’autre part, la demande officielle d’Argentine de réduire la représentation du Paraguay aux représentants de la société civile (demande due à la suspension temporaire de ce paysdu MERCOSUR, marché commun du Sud) nous a obligésà organise en plus un formationà Asunción (Paraguay) à la demande expresse des autorités paraguayennes.Les trois ateliers ont été animés par des formateurs de l’UNESCO, les experts éminents et respectés Francisco López Morales et Mónica Lacarrieu.

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Following the workshop on drawing up inventories of intangible cultural heritage held last November in the province of Matanzas, from 31 January to 3 February a preparatory mission was organized to obtain the consent of the community of Majagua, in the very centre of Cuba, to embark on an inventory exercise.

The manifestation selected by the community to undertake this first field exercise was the rural festivities of Red and Blue bands of Majagua, 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. The exercise will take place from 28 February to 5 March under the supervision of the UNESCO-trained facilitators, María Ismenia Toledo from Venezuela and Enrique López from Mexico. This activity is supported not only by the community of Majagua but also by the provincial authorities in the field of cultural heritage and the Houses of Culture of Ciego de Ávila. The team in charge of the exercise consists of five community members, experts from the provinces of Guantanamo, Camaguey, Ciego de Ávila and Matanzas and two representatives of the National Commission for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It is the first field activity of a UNESCO capacity-building project, made possible with the generous support of Norway through the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Documents

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From 25 February 25 to 1 March 2013, governments and civil society representatives of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will continue the capacity-building programme which was launched in October 2012 with the generous support of the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust. This time, an intensive training will be delivered on drawing up inventories of intangible cultural heritage. Again, Mónica Lacarrieu and Francisco López Morales will be in charge of this training which will emphasize the key role that the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage grants to communities in the identification and definition of their heritage.

These sessions aim to equip participants with the fundamental knowledge and techniques to design and facilitate an inventorying process with the participation of communities and tailored to their particular circumstances. They will lay the groundwork for the field exercise that the tango community in Buenos Aires will carry out during five months.

Documents

• List of participants: Spanish
• Programme: Spanish

Link for direct access 

Organized by UNESCO Almaty in close co-operation with the National Commission for UNESCO and ISESCO and the National Federation of UNESCO Clubs, the workshop was held from 18 to 21 February 2013 in Almaty.
It targeted primarily Kazakh participants, mainly from the National Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Agency for Tourism and Sport, leading universities and museums in the country, as well as NGOs in the field of crafts, traditional music and dance. In order to strengthen sub-regional cooperation, three participants from the neighbouring Central Asian countries (one from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) attended the workshop. The majority of the 21 participants were experts (only two practitioners) between 40 and 60 years of age and almost half of them were women. Six participants participated in a workshop on implementation of the Convention, five of them within the current project (April 2012, Astana).
The workshop provided an opportunity to improve participants’ knowledge on international mechanisms of the Convention. The presence of experts on intangible cultural heritage from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan offered an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences in safeguarding and allowed participants to discuss prospects for possible nominations of elements shared by communities in Central Asian countries.
The most heated debates were raised around the question of if it was appropriate to consider professional performers of traditional music and dance as bearers of intangible cultural heritage. Discussions also involved the administration of intellectual property rights for traditional knowledge and cultural expressions.

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Cambodia is reinforcing a community-based focus in its existing and new efforts to document and inventory living heritage. For this purpose and with generous funding from Japan, over 35 participants came together in Siem Reap from 14 to 21 February this year to build their knowledge and develop this new approach.
UNESCO provided the substantive support through two members of its certified facilitators’ network, Mr Rahul Goswami from India and Ms Suzanne Ogge from Australia. The programme included 8 days of intensive course work and field-based practicum carried out in the rural areas of Siem Reap and the town itself. Fieldwork included a visit to the School of Fine Arts and two local communities, with forms of ICH documented including traditional weaving processes, martial arts skills and techniques, and performing arts. Participants learned, through hands-on training, field-based techniques of interviewing and audio-visual recording. A visit was also conducted to the Eco-Global Museum (supported by UNESCO) located in the Preah Vihear Province, to learn about a concrete inventory project underway which combines audio-visual documentation of living heritage among a local indigenous community with the documentation of associated cultural objects.
So far, Cambodia’s Living Human Treasures programme has included documentation efforts, though its methods have not as yet been extended to community-based approaches recommended by the 2003 Convention. The capacity-building workshop on inventorying with a strong community focus thus provided participants - most of whom are provincial directors – with further skills and knowledge for their field practices. In addition, the training placed much emphasis on developing mutually supportive networks among cultural professionals and communities to support national efforts to document and inventory living heritage.
The participants included those who had attended the first capacity-building workshop on implementation held in 2012 August in Phnom Penh, and new participants. Among them were representatives of civil society organizations. While several mentioned the need for long-term and reliable financial support and stability for safeguarding, all participants confirmed that the training was extremely useful and they would integrate the new approach in their current work and future programmes.

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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 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 will discuss during the meeting on ‘The challenges of capacity building in the field of intangible cultural heritage’ in Doha from 14 to 17 January 2013.
Generously supported by Qatar and co-organized by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar, ALECSO and UNESCO, this meeting will be the occasion to plan increased cooperation within the region for the effective safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage.
The meeting will be co-facilitated by a group of experts from the Region, all members of a network of 77 experts trained to use the UNESCO curricula specifically designed to build capacity on implementing the Convention.

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As the “Mediterranean Living Heritage” (MedLiHer) project, co-funded by the European Union (EU) and UNESCO, is going to be fully implemented by the end of December 2012, the final project evaluation meeting will be organized in Paris on 17 and 18 December 2012 at the “Maison des Cultures du Monde”, which has been a partner since the beginning of this project.

This meeting will be the occasion to review the project in light of its goals in order to draw conclusions from the lessons learnt and explore possible ways to build on project outcomes in the future. The discussions will be based on a final evaluation report. The programme furthermore foresees:

• a public round table on intangible cultural heritage in the region,
• a presentation of examples of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) from the region,
• the projection of the film developed by the MedLiHer project together with the digital photo exhibition.

At the end of the meeting, a second screening of the film and the digital photo exhibition will be organized at UNESCO Headquarters in the evening of 18 December with the participation of UNESCO Delegations.

For further information click here

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A nomination workshop will be held from 10 to 14 December 2012 in Bagamoyo, United Republic of Tanzania. It will be organized by UNESCO Office in Dar es Salaam jointly with the Ministry of Information, Youth, Culture and Sports in Tanzania.

25 participants are expected, selected from the list of people trained on the community-based inventory workshop in February 2012. The participants should be able to identify an element and develop a sample file for nomination, including the strategy for the participation of the community and a safeguarding plan for the identified element.

The workshop will be facilitated by Julius Mwahunga and Silverse Anami, culture experts and UNESCO facilitators. Mr Anami is also member of the Intergovernemental committee for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage.

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Jamaica will host a national workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage from 10 to 14 December 2012. Organized by The African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica, Ministry of Youth and Culture, the Jamaican National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Kingston Cluster Office for the Caribbean, the workshop will bring together government officials, non-governmental organizations and community practitioners to partake in the workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The official opening will take place on 10 December 2012 at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites in Kingston with the presence of H.E. Yasuo Takase, Ambassador of Japan to Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas, along with representatives from government and non-government institutions, universities, the diplomatic corps and the UN Agencies in Jamaica.

This workshop is part of a sub-regional project being implemented in Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago within the context of UNESCO’s Global Strategy on capacity building on intangible cultural heritage. Funded by the government of Japan, this project includes an assessment of the intangible cultural heritage related policy development process in the respective countries and identification of their specific needs for safeguarding their living heritage. As a part of strengthening their safeguarding capacities, countries will also develop and implement a framework for community based inventory of the intangible cultural heritage in their territory, which will include pilot inventories.

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What has been achieved in the ratification, implementation, and capacity building processes related to intangible cultural heritage in your country?

This is the question that is going to be asked to an audience of Directors of Culture during a workshop organized in Nairobi, Kenya, from 25 to 28 November 2012. Burundi, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Djibouti, South Sudan, and Uganda will be represented.

The aim of the workshop is to have the participants understand more deeply the UNESCO 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and its implementation at national level, as well as the role and tasks of the State Party in the implementation of the Convention at national level.

Documents

• Agenda of workshop: English
• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

After its ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2007 and the organization of a national workshop on its implementation in July 2012, Uzbekistan will be hosting a sub-regional workshop on “Elaborating nominations to the UNESCO Intangible Heritage Lists”. The workshop to be held in Samarkand from 21 to 24 November 2012 is organized by the UNESCO Office in Tashkent in close co-operation with the Ministry of Culture and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan and with the support of the authorities of Samarkand Province.

Conducted as part of UNESCO’s global strategy on the enhancement of capacities in the field of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, the workshop aims to provide thorough understanding of the nomination processes and transmit the know-how on how to elaborate nominations files for inscription onto the Intangible Heritage Lists.

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Are you a youth from the Caribbean between 20 to 25 years of age who want to play a more active role in the safeguarding of living heritage?

UNESCO, through its Intangible Cultural Heritage Section, invites nationals of Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, to submit applications to attend the Caribbean Youth Forum on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage to be held in Grenada, 20-24 November 2012.

Thanks to the generous contribution of Bulgaria and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, the Caribbean Youth Forum on Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held in Grenada from the 20 to 24 November 2012. It intends to foster recognition of the significant role of young people in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and respond to the need of strengthening their knowledge and capacities in this area. Organized in the context of UNESCO’s global strategy to strengthen national safeguarding capacities through the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention, it will bring together about 25 participants from youth groups/organizations in the sub-region active in the field of culture. The youth coming from about 16 different Caribbean Small Island and Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) will learn about the core concepts of the Convention and develop substantial understanding of its mechanisms and their role in the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage.

The Forum is structured around a number of sessions: introducing the participants, introducing the 2003 Convention, key concepts in the Convention, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) safeguarding and sustainable development, field trip preparation, field trip visit to ICH community 1 and 2, feedback and discussion on field trip visit, the role of youth in ICH safeguarding, team planning and reporting on an action plan for participants’ engagement in ICH safeguarding, conclusion and evaluation of the Forum. At the conclusion of the session on team planning and reporting, participants will draft a brief report on their experience during the Forum to be submitted to the 7th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

With the exception of candidates from British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Sint Maarten and Suriname who have until 14 September 2012 to submit their applications to their National Commission/counterparts, all other candidates must submit applications to the National Commission of their country by 22 August 2012. Their contact details can be found here.

• Application form: Caribbean Youth Forum English
• Information document English
  

For further information regarding the forum, kindly contact Ritamae Hyde (rm.hyde@unesco.org).

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Central Africa is organizing a forum form 19-23 November 2012 in Brazzaville, Congo to give a sense of responsibility to the young generation. It will bring together young people from Congo, from the Republic of Central Africa and from Chad.

Youth represent the majority of the population in Central Africa, so their role in the revival of culture practices and knowledge systems in the region is important. Intangible cultural heritage is crucial for sustainable development and it has a long-term impact on people’s well-being, their relationships with others and with their natural environment. It gives people a sense of belonging, happiness and perspective. For that reason, intangible heritage has to be safeguarded in the interest of the future generations. Collaboration with youth is therefore essential, notably in a context of restricted access to education, economic opportunities and increasing violence.

This is why UNESCO makes youth a priority within the framework of its global capacity-building strategy for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage through effective implementation of the 2003 Convention. Funded by the UNESCO Emergency Fund; the Youth Forum in Central Africa is organized and coordinated by the UNESCO office in Yaoundé in close partnership with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section at UNESCO headquarters.

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With the support of UNESCO/Japan Fund-in-Trust, Mongolia is going to benefit from a training on the concepts and mechanisms of the 2003 Convention from 19 to 23 November 2012 which will reinforce their capacities to safeguard their living heritage at both national and international levels.

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Following Benin’s recent ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the country is developing a national process for implementation. In support of this process, a training workshop is jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture, Literacy, Craft and Tourism and the School of African Heritage in Porto Novo from 19 to 23 November 2012. It will bring together 23 key actors from Benin, but also 2 students of the University of Abomey-Calavi as observers, to build their knowledge on the basic concepts, mechanisms and state obligations of implementing the Convention at national level. It will also address the specific implications for implementation in Benin.

The workshop is held within the larger framework of UNESCO global strategy to build capacity on safeguarding and will be a milestone in a long-term process of political revision, community-based inventories and participation in the Convention’s international mechanism for cooperation (lists and international assistance).

The workshop is supported by UNESCO’s Regular Programme and Budget. It will be co-facilitated by two staff from the School of African Heritage and Ms. Marie-Thérèse Agueh, a facilitator trained by UNESCO. The closing ceremony will be chaired by the Minister of Culture.

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More than 25 participants from 12 provinces of Cuba, including rural community members, met during 10 days in the province of Matanzas, on the northern shore of Cuba, to undertake an intensive training on the elaboration of inventories of intangible cultural heritage in the spirit of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Facilitated by UNESCO-trained experts, María Ismenia Toledo from Venezuela and Enrique López from Mexico, the workshop focused on the role of communities in inventorying intangible cultural heritage, the requirement of their free, prior and informed consent and their full involvement in identifying and defining those practices and expressions that they recognize as part of their cultural heritage. The workshop also addressed field-based techniques and methods of interviewing and audio-visual recording and ended with a two-day field practice, including a session on organization of data collected.

The inventorying exercise was carried out with the Máximo Gómez rural community of Perico, a municipality of the province of Matanzas, which is considered to be a reference for repentismo (art of improvising poetry) in Cuba and who gave its free, prior and informed consent to inventory its Cucalambé homes. These are family houses in which their members foster indigenous traditions which identify the criollismo of Hispanic roots to the specific progress of contemporary times. Guateques (typical parties), décimas (improvised verses of ten-line stanzas), controversias (forms of declamation), singing and serenades are regularly organized in those houses.

With the support of the National Cultural Heritage Council (CNPC) and the local Houses of Culture, this activity launched in Cuba the regional project for strengthening capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in the Caribbean which will be implemented throughout 2013, with the funding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund thanks to the generous contribution of Norway.

See article

Documents

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

The first international review meeting on UNESCO’s global strategy on strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage will be convened from 7 to 10 November 2012 in Beijing, China. It is organized by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section at UNESCO in partnership with the Training Center for the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the Auspices of UNESCO (CRIHAP) and the generous support from the Government of China.

One year into the global strategy, 42 countries are implementing tailored two-year capacity-building projects and 76 training workshops have so far been held, delivered by facilitators from the network of 75 UNESCO certified experts from all regions. They were trained to use the workshop materials developed by UNESCO in four thematic areas: (i) ratification, (ii) implementation, (iii) community-based inventorying and (iv) nominations.

The review meeting will therefore bring together 17 of these facilitators (English-speaking) and 8 UNESCO culture programme specialists from four field offices and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section, who have all been actively engaged in this Programme. A number of CRIHAP members will participate as observers.

The meeting will take stock of the experiences so far and assess both the operational and substantive aspects of the capacity-building activities. It will review the process from project and workshop preparation to their impact on advancing the implementation of the 2003 Convention in beneficiary countries. The group will consolidate the lessons learnt and share ideas on how to further improve the content and effectiveness of this global strategy.

This meeting is an excellent opportunity of pursuing UNESCO’s objectives in the field of culture, notably to mobilize international and national expertise for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. Following this first review meeting of the global capacity-building strategy, two additional review meetings are foreseen next year in Africa and Latin America with the participation of French- and Spanish-speaking facilitators.

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At the time of growing interest surrounding the development of a national cultural policy in Belize, UNESCO has launched under its global strategy, a two and a half year project that will help the country safeguard its living heritage.

Thanks to funding from Japan, Belize is one of three Caribbean countries, along with Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago that will benefit from this safeguarding initiative. With nation-wide consultations ensuing with the development of its national cultural policy, the project is rather timely for Belize. It will follow the development of the ICH related policy and help to bridge the way forward.

On the 5 to 9 November at the House of Culture in Belize City, community bearers of intangible cultural heritage along with officials of the National Institute of Culture and History, non-governmental representatives and cultural experts will come together to partake in a workshop on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The next step to follow is the development and implementation of a framework for community based inventory of the intangible cultural heritage in Belize, which is slated for 2013.

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With a view to build national capacities of Papua New Guinea in implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), Noriko Aikawa-Faure, one of UNESCO facilitator, prepared and facilitated a workshop entitled “Community-based inventorying ICH workshop (INV)” from 22 to 27 October 2012 in Goroka, organized in close collaboration with the PNG National Cultural Commission.

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A three-day National Workshop on the Community-based Inventory of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) was held on 23-25 October 2012 in Suai sub-district in Cova Lima, Timor-Leste. The workshop was jointly organized by the State Secretariat of Art and Culture of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, the Cova Lima District government and UNESCO with support from the Government of Japan through UNESCO Japanese Funds-In-Trust for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This workshop gathered some 50 participants, including national and district culture officials, governmental officials, Suai sub-district community leaders, teachers, young traditional female dancers, local traditional musicians, and other community members of the Suai sub-district. The twelve sessions of the workshop were intended to help equip participants with basic knowledge and skills to design and facilitate a community-based inventorying process tailored to the current circumstances of Timor-Leste.

During the opening ceremony, Maria Isabel de Jesus Ximenes, the State Secretary of Art and Culture of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, highlighted the importance of joint efforts among governments, civil societies and communities to ensure that Timor-Leste’s precious intangible cultural heritage is safeguarded and passed on to the next generations. She underlined that the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage should play a key role for ensuring mutual respect, sustainable development and peace promotion in Timor-Leste and beyond.

The opening ceremony was followed by a three-day community-based inventorying workshop. This workshop introduced the participants to the key concepts of the Convention, community-based inventorying methods, free-prior-informed consent in the process of inventorying, creative processes and techniques of generating and systematizing information with the community, a community-driven sample inventorying framework and much more. As part of the workshop, participants also completed a fieldtrip to the village of Lia Na’in in Suai in order to apply theoretical knowledge to actual inventorying work.

Through these training sessions, participants acquired a broad understanding of how the Convention works and recognized diversity within a community regarding their ICH, as well as the importance of the inclusion of youth, elders and women as part of multiple voices on ICH. Participants also had an opportunity to exchange views on the diverse opinions concerning the community-based inventorying and to share their knowledge experiences on the ways to record ICH locally.

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From 22 to 23 October 2012 and from 24 to 25 October 2012, Bogota welcomed two successive workshops on the results and the continuity of the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Colombia, discussing its challenges and strengths.

Two UNESCO accredited facilitators, Fabián Bedon and Lucas dos Santos Roque, animated the session in front of an audience of communities representatives, during the first workshop, and an audience of officers of the Ministry of Culture of Colombia during the second workshop. The workshops allowed an advance in knowledge of participants on ICH and on the aspects that constitute the 2003 Convention, the various ways to implement their content and the importance of the establishment of a National Committee to implement these actions.

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From 15 to 19 October 2012, La Paz welcomed three successive workshops on the results and the continuity of the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Bolivia, discussing its challenges and strengths.

Two UNESCO accredited facilitators, Fabián Bedon and Lucas dos Santos Roque, animated the session in front of an audience of officers of the cultural heritage in the Ministry of Cultures of Bolivia. The workshop allowed an advance in knowledge of participants on ICH and on the aspects that constitute the 2003 Convention, the various ways to implement their content and the importance of the establishment of a National Committee to implement these actions.

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Just one month after the ratification by the Netherlands of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (which extends not only to the European part of the Netherlands but also to its Caribbean part and Aruba), UNESCO organized in Oranjestad a workshop on the key concepts of the Convention and the main implications of the ratification. Within the framework of a regional project for strengthening capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in the Caribbean which is supported by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund thanks to the generous contribution of Norway, the meeting was inaugurated by Mr Arthur Dowers, Minister of Education, Ms Ineke Strouken, President of the Dutch Centre of Popular Culture and Intangible Heritage and the Coordinator for Culture of the UNESCO Office in Havana, Mr Fernando Brugman.

The workshop was organized thanks to the excellent work done by the Aruba National Commission for UNESCO with the support of the Department of Cultural Heritage of Aruba and counted with the presence of some 25 representatives of the most significant cultural institutions in the country to whom it provided an opportunity to discuss about the implementation strategy of the 2003 Convention in Aruba. The inclusive nature of the Convention was discussed, understanding that, in the conditions of a rapid globalization, it was a fundamental element of cohesion, mutual recognition and respect.

The workshop was honoured with the visit of Ms Michelle Hooyboer-Winklaar, Minister of Economy, Social Affairs and Culture, who, in an interview with the representative of UNESCO, stressed the vital need for safeguarding of the cultural heritage in Aruba.

See article

Documents

• Agenda: English
• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

The project was launched with the first actions taking place in June this year. A general Coordinator was selected in accordance with the profile set out in the prodoc, and the first informative communications were sent out (Argentine National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO and Japanese Embassy in Argentina), and subsequently to the Secretariat for Culture of the Nation, the Argentine Foreign Office, the Uruguayan National Commission for UNESCO, etc. At the same time, communication was established with Ms. Mónica Lacarrieu member of the UNESCO Trainers network, to confirm her participation as the main resource person for the Project. Mr. Francisco López Morales was also contacted with the same purpose.

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In the context of Phase III of the Mediterranean Living Heritage (MedLiHer) project financed by the Euromed Heritage IV Programme (EU) and implemented by UNESCO, the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture are organizing a workshop on the methodology and procedures of nominating intangible cultural heritage elements to the Representative and Urgent Safeguarding Lists. This workshop will take place in Byblos from 12 to 14 October 2012.

The targeted group in the present training workshop consists of representative of the UNESCO Regional Office, the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture (especially who are directly involved in the administration and the preparation of the documents and deliverables of the project), in addition to the members of the Lebanese MEDLIHER Team and an expert of Zajal.

Two accredited UNESCO facilitators, Prof. Dr. Annie Tabet (Lebanon) and Prof. Dr. Hani Hayajneh (Jordan), will run the workshop.

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Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay are engaging in a capacity-building program for the safeguarding of their living heritage: entitled “Patrimonio Vivo”, the project is led by UNESCO Montevideo Office and financed thanks to the resources of the Japan Funds-in-Trust.

The first workshop, to be organized during the second week of October 2012, will introduce the key concepts and mechanisms of the Convention. It will focus on the challenges of its implementation, not only on a national but on a sub-regional level: indeed, cooperation between the three countries lies at the core of the project.

The workshop will bring together communities, experts and authorities from the North-Eastern Argentinean provinces Catamarca, Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, but also delegations from Uruguay and from Paraguay, including representatives of the Museo del Barro in Asunción in Paraguay.

It will be conducted by two UNESCO-trained facilitators: Mr. Francisco López Morales, Director of the Department of World Heritage at the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INHA) of Mexico, and Mrs. Mónica Lacarrieu, Director of the Cultural Anthropology Programme of the Institute of Anthropological Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).

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In the context of Phase III of “Mediterranean Living Heritage” (MedLiHer) project, co-funded by the European Union (EU) and UNESCO, a workshop on the methodology and procedures of nominating intangible cultural heritage elements to the Representative and Urgent Safeguarding Lists will be held in Amman between 7 and 11 October 2012.

The Amman workshop follows the Madaba one and will focus on the preparation of nomination files for inscription on the Lists of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). It will describe the requirements of the nominations’ process, evaluate sample nominations, and discuss descriptions of the elements from the Madaba Inventory and the participation of communities.

The workshop is intended primarily for members from the Jordan National Commission for Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Culture, and especially the ones that are directly involved in the administration and the preparation of the documents and deliverables of the project. Some of them are connected to the local communities of Madaba.

Two accredited UNESCO facilitators, Prof. Dr. Hani Hayajneh (Jordan) and Prof. Dr. Mustafa Gad (Egypt), will run the workshop. They will use the UNESCO capacity-building workshop materials in training activities, and deal with some nominations predefined by the UNESCO as case studies.

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Sao Tome and Principe’s ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), in 2005, has just been the first step into a much larger reflection on the construction of a national cultural policy. Within the frame of a capacity-building project in selected Portuguese speaking African countries (including also Angola and Mozambique) funded by a generous contribution of the Kingdom of Norway to the ICH Fund, Sao Tome and Principe is now about to welcome a UNESCO training-seminar on strengthening national capacities for an effective safeguarding of its intangible cultural heritage.

The project is timely, since the government is now ready to launch a wide reflection on the issue of culture and to raise awareness about the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage, especially the intangible heritage.

The most urgent need is to build knowledge on the concepts and mechanisms of the 2003 Convention, and to assist Sao Tome and Principe in developing the institutional framework required to effectively implement the Convention in a long term.

The project will therefore focus on strengthening key stakeholders, establishing a national ICH committee and setting basis for the elaboration of a national strategy for safeguarding ICH.

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In order to intensify its collaboration with youth in the implementation of the 2003 Convention, UNESCO launches three sub-regional youth forums in South-Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and Central Africa.

The first one is the youth seminar of Sofia, taking place from 24 to 25 September 2012 and organized by the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe (a category 2 centre under the auspices of UNESCO) in Sofia, Bulgaria. The participants of the forum are students, researchers and representatives of youth organizations in the region, exploring and debating the role of youth in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.

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Following training on strengthening national capacities for implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), Zambia, Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe have recently further benefited from a policy and legal framework review meeting convened in Harare from 3 to 7 September 2012.

These four countries are already motivated to safeguard their intangible heritage with the support of UNESCO/Flanders Fund-in-Trust. Participants from the four countries acknowledged that awareness of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage has been widely raised in recent years and cultural heritage does no longer end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself, but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next. While fragile, intangible cultural heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalisation.

The need to speed up the process of developing policies and legislations was identified within the framework of UNESCO/Flanders FIT project for the Convention to be effectively implemented and domesticated. Some of them do not yet have relevant legislation such as national cultural policies and various Acts of parliament to anchor the implementation of the convention in their respective countries. For those that do have them, the policies are in need of revision to accommodate provisions more related to ICH safeguarding. Thus, consultants have been contracted by UNESCO Harare Office to conduct policy review in each of the four countries with the purpose to facilitate this workshop and the future policy revision process in the long run. Papers presented by Mr Marc Jacobs from Belgium, Mr Lovemore Mazibuko from Malawi and Dr Francis Matambirofa from Zimbabwe during the workshop examined various ways to do with the convention, among topics that included Intellectual Property Rights Protection, Policies and Development of National actions plans.

Currently, challenges remain are mainly funding and coordination to take the capacity building activities to the communities at local levels. The participants hoped that various ministries such as the ministry of sport, arts education and culture will continue with their efforts for fund-raising and other support for this worthwhile cause of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage.

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Using audiovisual as a vector in the promotion of Mediterranean Living heritage is the ambition of the Egyptian, Lebanese and Jordanian filmmakers and photographers, who will gather at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris from 27 to 29 August 2012 in the framework of the Medliher project.

The project, co-funded by the European Union and UNESCO, has indeed a strong regional component devoted to the visibility of intangible cultural heritage of the partner countries. It is in this light that a documentary film and photographic exhibition will be made honoring the heritage of the governorates of Damietta in Egypt, Madaba in Jordan and Lebanon Zajal poetry. Those various elements of cultural heritage are at the heart of the inventory work undertaken as part of Phase III of the project.

The meeting in August aims at:

• developing a common vision of the film project between the coordinator/regional director and the national directors and photographers,
  
• formulating key messages that are going to be broadcasted through the film
  
• defining a methodology taking into account the spirit of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage: its context, deadlines, budget, target audience and
  
• elaborating a work plan defining the roles of each participant and the technical issues to be addressed.

The work of filmmakers and photographers will help to raise public awareness at the international level, as well as that of concerned countries on the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in today’s world. The film will be screened and photographs exhibited at the Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris. Furthermore, it is currently envisaged that the documentary would also be broadcasted by local television stations in participating countries.

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ICH training-seminar in Dushanbe

UNESCO training-seminar «Strengthening national capacities for effective safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in the countries of Central Asia» was conducted in Dushanbe, Tajikistan from August 21 to August 25, 2012.

Part of a series of seminars for local specialist, the training was organized by the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty and supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Tajikistan National Commission for UNESCO.

Participants in the training included staff of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan, the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan, the Tajik National Conservatory, representatives of public and private museums, representatives of NGOs taking part in the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, as well as artisans and musicians.

An Opening speech was given by Ms. Farogat Azizi, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan and Ms. Shahlo Abdurahimova, Secretary General of the National Commission of the Republic of Tajikistan for UNESCO. The closing ceremony was attended by Mr. Mirzoshohruh Asrori, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan. It was emphasized that since the ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (17 August 2010) Tajikistan is paying special attention to the preservation of ICH at the national level. In particular, the programme for the preservation of ICH till 2015 was developed and approved by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tajikistan.

Mr. Yuri Peshkov, UNESCO Almaty Culture Specialist, stated that the 2003 Convention is designed to ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage and to highlight its importance. The Convention obliges States to take necessary measures to ensure the protection of intangible cultural heritage and promote cooperation at regional and international levels.

Ms. Sabira Soltongeldieva, a UNESCO consultant for the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the ICH, stated that the training was aimed at improving the understanding and use of practical mechanisms for implementing the Convention at the national level. These include for example, the creation of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) lists, the inclusion of intangible cultural heritage elements in the Convention’s nomination lists, as well as strengthening international cooperation. The training emphasized the need to enhance the role of the government, NGOs, communities and media in the identification, inventory and preservation of ICH.

In 2013, in Tajikistan, two more training sessions are planned on how to prepare nomination papers for inclusion in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, as well as for the identification, documentation and inventory of intangible cultural heritage.

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Many ICH elements in Cambodia are in danger of disappearing, mainly due to the long-lasting conflicts, the declining number of ICH practitioners and lack of interest from the younger generation. Having ratified the 2003 Convention, the Cambodian Government has expressed its commitment to identify ICH elements still being practiced and to safeguard them for future generations. To this end, UNESCO will assist the Cambodian Government in strengthening its institutional and policy frameworks for safeguarding ICH, and on building the national capacity for the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention.

Since January 2012, five meetings were conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to prepare and finalize a national work plan for the implementation of the 2003 Convention. Translation of the 2003 Convention and its Operational Directives are currently being undertaken, in preparation for the first capacity building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level, which will take place from 13-17 August 2012. The initial workshop will be followed by a workshop on community-based inventory (February 2013) and a workshop on the preparation of nomination files in August 2013. Project activities will also include the documentation, inventorying and transmission of Sbek Thom (Shadow Puppet Theatre) traditions from the masters to the younger generation.

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On 26 and 27 July 2012, UNESCO Quito Office hosted the second capacity building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, for civil servants of the Municipality of Quito, and specifically for staff from the Metropolitan Institute of Heritage.

The main objectives of this workshop were to provide new tools and knowledge regarding the measures to ensure the safeguarding, dissemination and promotion of intangible heritage in the metropolitan area of Quito. It included training materials, presentations and practical exercises.

The training session was in charge of Mr Fabian Bedón and counted with the collaboration of the National Institute of Culture Heritage (INPC) of Ecuador. The institution made a presentation on how the Intangible Culture Heritage is being safeguarded in the country . Presentations on practical cases in Ecuador and the process for nominations for the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO were included.

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Birthplace of Egyptian civilization, the Nile is still a lifeline for many communities living along its banks. The encounter between man and the river’s ecosystem has uncovered a rich and diversified intangible cultural heritage. Over the next six months, between July and December 2012, this heritage will be the focus of a pilot inventorying activity in the governorate of Damietta.

This initiative is part of Phase III of the MedLiHer -Mediterranean Living Heritage – project co-financed by the European Union and UNESCO, which aims at promoting the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.

Community members and others responsible for culture at the national and local level, including researchers and NGOs will benefit from extensive training on the concept of community-based inventorying under the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage; the training will cover the role of different stakeholders in the process and the tools and techniques of participatory documentation.

The workshop is intended primarily for field researchers and communities whose intangible heritage will be inventoried. It will start with a “theoretical” component in which the methodological framework for the inventory will be collectively developed, followed by a field practicum.

This inventory work will concentrate on identifying and involving bearers (individuals, groups or communities) of intangible heritage, focusing significantly on its present social functions and challenges for transmission to future generations.

The workshop will be facilitated jointly by Mr Mostafa Gad and Mr Ismail Ali El Fihail, both belonging to the network of facilitators trained by UNESCO as part of its strategy of capacity building for the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The methodologies developed during this pilot exercise could then be applied on a wider scale to other regions of the Nile.

All data collected will be systematized and digitized. Moreover, a film and a photographic exhibition will make this inventory experience available to the Egyptian and international public.

Link for direct access 

Madaba and its 150,000 inhabitants will soon become the precursors of an experience never seen before in Jordan. Located near the capital, this region will indeed be the focus of a pilot activity of intangible cultural heritage inventorying as part of the “MedLiHer - Mediterranean Living Heritage” project, co-funded by the European Union and UNESCO.

Concretely, what is the pilot inventorying all about? Under the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, each State Party must involve communities, groups and relevant NGOs in identifying and defining elements of this heritage. Identification is the process of describing one or several specific elements of intangible cultural heritage in their context and to distinguish them from others. This process of identification and definition is what the Convention means by “inventory”. It also emphasizes that this should be done “in view of safeguarding” - that is to say that the inventory is not an abstract exercise, but a useful one. The inventory represents the first step in the development of safeguarding plans for those elements.

In order to get familiar with these concepts, those involved in inventory activities within the governorate of Madaba (community members, responsible for culture at the national and local level, researchers) will receive extensive training from 12 to 20 July. It will cover the principles of the inventory under the Convention, the role of the different stakeholders in the process and the tools and techniques of participatory documentation. This “theoretical” part will lead to the development of the methodological framework for the inventory and will be followed by a field practicum.

The workshop will be facilitated jointly by Ms. Annie Tohmé Tabet and Mr. Hani Hayajneh, both members of the network of facilitators trained by UNESCO as part of its capacity- building strategy for the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

During the three months following the training, the research teams will go to meet communities, characterized by great cultural and religious diversity, throughout the governorate. This inventory work will concentrate on identifying and involving bearers (individuals, groups or communities) of intangible heritage, focusing especially on present social functions and challenges for its transmission to future generations, in a context where rapid urbanization is disrupting the traditional socio-cultural fabric. The methodologies developed during this pilot exercise could then be applied on a wider scale to other regions of the country.

All data collected will be systematized and digitized, while a film and a photographic exhibition will make this inventory experience available to the Jordanian and international public.

The workshop and inventory activity are part of Phase III of MedLiHer, which aims at promoting the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.

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The National workshop “Implementing the UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage at the National Level” will be held in Tashkent from 3 to 7 July 2012. The workshop is organized by UNESCO Office in Tashkent in close co-operation with the ministry of Culture and Sport of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is integral part of life and culture of humanity. In this connection it also called as living heritage, transmitted by people within communities, which is ever changing. ICH has important functions for the communities, groups and individuals concerned, and for the understanding and promotion of cultural diversity and human creativity. Uzbekistan ratified the Convention in 2008. As a result, the present workshop is organized for the specialists in the field of IHC from all principal regions of Uzbekistan within the framework of a project ”Strengthening the National Capacity on Safeguarding ICH in Central Asia” launched by UNESCO offices in Tashkent and Almaty with the financial support of the Norwegian Trust-in-Funds in the beginning of 2012.

The main goal of the workshop is to strengthen the national capacity in the field of Implementation of the UNESCO Convention 2003 at national level, in particular provide a broad overview of the Convention and Operational Directives, what obligations States take on when ratifying the Convention and possible ways of implementing the Convention as well as safeguarding the ICH, its identification and inventorying, cooperation with communities, public awareness and international assistance.

The workshop will be conducted by UNESCO certified experts in the field of intangible cultural heritage.

Agenda of the workshop: English Russian
List of participants: English Russian

Link for direct access  A widespread form of poetry in Lebanon, Zajal is chanted in daily practice, different life events and large celebrations. Weddings or funerals, parties and festivals: so many opportunities for Zajal poets (called quâl) to sing or recite texts expressing bravery, pride, love, flattery, pain, joy, conflict, violence or the call for dialogue. It is around this element of intangible cultural heritage that Lebanon has chosen to develop a pilot inventorying methodology, which may then be applied to the safeguarding of other expressions of its living heritage.

From 29 June to 3 July 2012, actors of Zajal will benefit from an extensive training on the concept of inventory and its principles under the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the role of different stakeholders in the process and tools and techniques of participatory documentation. The workshop is intended primarily for field researchers and communities whose cultural heritage will be inventoried. It will start with a “theoretical” component including the joint development of a methodological framework for the inventory, followed by a field practicum. A day of reflection on the lessons learned from the exercise is foreseen on 9 July 2012.

The workshop will be facilitated jointly by Ms Annie Tohmé Tabet and Mr.Mostafa Gad, who form part of the network of facilitators trained by UNESCO as part of its capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

During the three months following the training, the field researchers will go to meet the Zajal communities across the Lebanese territory. This pre-inventorying work will focus on identifying and involving the bearers (individuals, groups or communities) of this element of intangible heritage, focusing particularly on how it is transmitted, and its social functions in Lebanese society today.

All data collected will be systematized and digitized, while a film and photographic exhibition will make this experience available to Lebanese and international audiences.

The workshop and inventorying activity are undertaken as part of the Phase III of the MEDLIHER project supported by the European Union and UNESCO, which aims to promote the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.

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Sri Lanka ratified the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008 and although there are a number of inventories on ICH scattered in various government departments and private institutions, there is still no legislation to safeguard ICH and there is a need to consolidate various efforts at national level. UNESCO has supported the initial stages of developing a web portal on ICH restricted to data gathered by various government bodies and now with the support of UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust, the capacities of concerned stakeholders will be further enhanced in the effective implemention of the 2003 Convention, community-based inventorying, as well as in the preparation of nomination files.

he first capacity building activity, a workshop on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention at the National Level will be organized in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and the Arts from 25-29 June 2012. The workshop will be facilitated by by UNESCO certified trainers, Mr Rahul Goswami and Ms Sajida Vandal. Future capacity building workshops include a Workshop on Community-based Inventory to be held in 2013 and a Workshop on the Preparation of Nomination Files schedueled in 2014.

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As a new vision of cultural heritage is gaining prominence, UNESCO calls upon African universities to revisit their training programmes for future decision-makers and professionals in the field of heritage studies and sustainable development. Indeed, despite international recognition of intangible cultural heritage and its critical importance for sustainable development, the theme has been largely neglected in heritage studies in many parts of the world, notably in Africa. Therefore UNESCO identified the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa (CHDA) to organize a dedicated regional training workshop for teaching faculty from African universities in the field of intangible cultural heritage. It is supported by the Fund for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and will be held at the CHDA premises in Mombasa, Kenya from 18 to 22 June 2012.

The workshop aims at raising the level of knowledge of African university teaching faculty in the field of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding, enabling them to incorporate the issue in their teaching and provide guidance for their future courses and programs on heritage and sustainable development.
It will be co-facilitated by Ms Deirdre Prins-Solani and Ms Harriet Deacon who are both part of the network of 65 facilitators trained by UNESCO to use the workshop materials developed by the Organization on implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Further information on the workshop: (English)

Contact in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Section : Susanne Schnuttgen, Chief, Capacity Building and Heritage Policy Unit, email: s.schnuttgen@unesco.org

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Funded with the UNESCO-Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust, a capacity building workshop on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention at the National Level was organized in partnership with the Heritage Department of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism from 11-15 June 2012 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. Besides government officials, intangible cultural heritage practitioners also participated in this workshop co-facilitated by UNESCO certified trainers, Ms Paritta Chalermpow Koanantakool and Ms Shubha Chaudhuri. Lao PDR is a country with 160 ethnic groups, each of which has preserved much of its own language, customs, culture and traditions. The rich cultural heritage of Lao is also rooted in immense spirituality, as Buddhism has influences extending from lifestyle to arts. The country has adopted a Law on National Heritage in 2005 which provides the legal basis for safeguarding ICH even befort its ratification of the 2003 Convention in 2009. And a Section on ICH was created within the Heritage Department of the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism. UNESCO Bangkok Office has been working closely with the concerned authorities to have identified their need to enhance their ICH safeguarding strategy, reinforce their institutional and policy frameworks and develop their inventorying skills. Following this first capacity building effort, further training workshops on community-based inventory ( planned in 2012) and on preparation of nomination files ( in 2014) will be organized in Lao PDR to sustain the long-term effect of this project implemented within UNESCO strategy of global capacity building.

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A capacity building workshop on preparing nomination files for the lists of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was held 11-15 June 2012 in Harare, which was facilitated by UNESCO certified trainers, Mr. Chifunyise and Mr. Mazibuko. This workshop is a further effort made within the project supported with UNESCO/Flanders FIT following a workshop on implementation of the Convention at the national level organized earlier this year.

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Training local communities in inventorying methods to safeguard their intangible cultural heritage is the objective of a series of workshop kicking off in nine provinces of Gabon starting 4 June 2012.

The UNESCO Cluster Office in Libreville, in association with the Centre for Research and Sociological Studies (CRES), is behind this initiative. The idea is to pursue the capacity-building exercise started in 2010, by providing the communities with the methodological tools and techniques required to inventory their intangible cultural heritage.

Claudine-Augée Angoué, an anthropologist and member of the UNESCO network of facilitators, will facilitate the workshop, the content of which will be adopted from the training materials developed by the Organization as part of its capacity building strategy for the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The four workshops will take place over a period of six weeks in the localities of Lambarene, Koula-Moutou, Mouila and Oyem, and will conclude on 10 August 2012.

Funded by the regular program of UNESCO, the activity will be implemented with the assistance of departmental officers in charge of Culture and with logistical support from the Ministry of Interior in charge of municipalities of Gabon.

Link for direct access 

The National Commission for UNESCO in St. Kitts and Nevis organized a workshop on the ratification of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on May 31, 2012 in Basseterre.

This workshop brought together national policymakers and aimed at providing the participants with knowledge about the 2003 Convention that the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis hopes to ratify soon.

Kris Rampersad, Cultural Consultant for UNESCO, facilitated the exchange between the participants while insisting on the advantages that would come from signing the Convention.

Link for direct access 

Even before it ratified the 2003 Convention in 2005, Mongolia has been very active in safeguarding its intangible cultural heritage. It established a National Centre for ICH in 1997 and had two traditions proclaimed as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

At the same time, despite various efforts already made in safeguarding its ICH, Mongolia needs to meet the increasing impact of social changes, globalization and rampant urbanization affecting traditional nomadic lifestyle of its people. UNESCO/Japan FIT supports this further endeavour with a series of better tailored capacity building activities starting with a two-day workshop organized from 28-29 May 2012 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to consult with primary stakeholders, assess existing government policies relating to ICH, investigate the roles of involved institutions and identify training needs on ICH. UNESCO certified trainer Ms Noriko Aikawa-Faure assisted this process with facilitating the need assessment workshop. Two other capacity building workshops lined up for Mongolia are a Community-Based Inventorying Workshop planned to be organized in October 2012 and a Workshop on the Preparation of Nomination Files in early 2013.

Link for direct access 

A national capacity building workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage will be organized by UNESCO (Venice Office/Sarajevo Antenna Office), in close cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the National Commission for UNESCO of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo from 21 to 27 Mai 2012.

The event will bring together experts, NGOs, community members, local authorities, government officials, and actors at the heart of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The objective is to build capacity of all relevant stakeholders to inventory intangible cultural heritage following a community-based approach.

The workshop will provide participants with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools for effective documentation and inventorying of intangible cultural heritage under the 2003 Convention and will also include a fieldwork practicum at the end of the workshop. The event will be facilitated by Rieks Smeets, linguist and former chief of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage section, and Sasha Sreckovic, Ethnographer from the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade (Serbia).

This workshop is a direct follow-up to the regional training on “Strengthening national capacities for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Europe”, organized by UNESCO in Sofia, Bulgaria (14-18 March 2011). The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was ratified by Bosnia and Herzegovina in February 2009.

Link for direct access 

A capacity building workshop dedicated to the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Ecuador was held on 17 and 18 May 2012 in Quito.

The workshop was organized by UNESCO Quito Office in close cooperation with the National Institute for Cultural Heritage (INPC) with the objective to strengthen capacities of those INPC civil servants who are not specialized or directly involved in intangible cultural heritage activities. The two days seminar provided them with a better understanding of the specificities of ICH, the basic concepts and methods as presented by the 2003 Convention, with the aim to improve coordination with ICH-related activities within the INPC.

The workshop addressed issues such as the differences between the 1972, 2003 and 2005 Conventions, the benefits and obligations and opportunities of the 2003 Convention, safeguarding measures and the roles of the different stakeholders involved in the management of ICH, as well as issues related to sustainable development and the Convention’s lists.

Mr Domingo Carranza, president of the weavers community of Pile, known for his expertise in elaboration of traditional woven straw hats in Montecristi shared the experience in elaborating a nomination file for the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

The training session was facilitated by Mr Fabian Bedón from Ecuador.

Link for direct access 

A capacity building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention was successfully organized in Port Moresby from 14-18 May 2012 by the UNESCO Apia Office in partnership with the National Cultural Commission of Papua New Guinea. Facilitated by Ms Noriko Aikawa-Faure and Mr Setoki Qalubao the five-day workshop was attended by forty-three representatives from concerned national government agencies, provincial government units, academic institutions and key stakeholders. Honorable Benjamin Philip, the Minister for Culture and Tourism welcomed the participants during the opening ceremony on 15 May 2012.

Papua New Guinea, a State Party to the 2003 Convention, is one of the most culturally diverse countries on Earth, with some 850 indigenous languages spoken by different cultural groups having their own sets of cultural expressions in a country with a population of 6 million. To assist in mitigating the negative impact of globalization and social transformations that endanger its rich intangible cultural heritage, Papua New Guinea was selected as one of the eight beneficiary countries under the regional capacity building programme in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage under the UNESCO-Japanese Funds-In-Trust Cooperation.

The next capacity building workshop on the inventory of ICH elements will be held in October 2012 in Goroka, Papua New Guinea which hosts the famous Sing-Sing Festival, a tribal gathering and cultural event held every two years.

Link for direct access 

The first capacity building activity in Bhutan – a training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level – was organized from 14-18 May 2012 in Paro, Bhutan, in partnership with the National Archive and Library of the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs, the government agency responsible for intangible cuiltural heritage. The 28 participants included culture officers from the 12 districts of Bhutan and representatives from the National Library and Archives, the Department of Culture, Folk Heritage Museum, the Institute of language and Cultural Studies and Helvetas, an NGO involved mapping ICH.

After Bhutan ratified the 2003 Convention in 2005, the Dramtse Ngacham (Dance of Drum of Dramtse) was proclaimed as one of UNESCO Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2005 and subsequently included in the Representative List of the 2003 Convention. It is currently preparing a preliminary survey and development of an inventory of ICH in partnership with the Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and Pacific (ICHCAP), the Category II Centre in Korea.

The implementation workshop, facilitated by UNESCO certified trainers, Ms. Shubha Chaudhuri and Ms. Paritta Chalermpow Koanantakool, will be be followed by a training workshop on the ICH inventoring in 2013.

As one of the eight beneficiary countries under the regional capacity building programme funded under UNESCO-Japan Funds In Trust, UNESCO’s intervention in Bhutan aims to strengthen the capacities of Bhutan to meet its national obligation to safeguard its intangible cultural heritage particularly in inventory-making and to enable Bhutan to have a sustainable framework for safeguarding ICH and in implementing the 2003 Convention.

Link for direct access 

The UNESCO Venice Office, in cooperation with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO, organized the sixth edition of the annual regional meeting of experts from South-East Europe on Intangible Cultural Heritage “Promoting a shared vision of intangible cultural heritage in South-East Europe”. This regional meeting has been an opportunity to present and discuss the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention and national measures for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.

The meeting also allowed for a presentation of best practices in the promotion of shared heritage (multinational candidature files, common research projects, etc) and discussed future joint activities in the area of training and capacity-building, to be developed in conjunction with the new Category II Regional Center on intangible cultural heritage, officially inaugurated in Sofia, Bulgaria, in February 2012.

The conference comprised experts from: Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria, Croatia; Cyprus; Greece; Italy; Montenegro; Republic of Moldova; Romania; Serbia; Slovenia; The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey.

• Final Declaration: English
• Final Programme: English
• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

As another step to strengthen its capacity to safeguard its living heritage, community members and representatives from various institutions of Botswana, including university professionals, Departments of Culture, National Arts Councils, National Museums and Monuments and the National ICH Committees came together to participate in a capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 convention, held from the 16th to 20th of April, 2012 in Gaborone.

The major focus of the workshops was on familiarising participants with the Intangible Heritage Convention, its basic concepts, measures and mechanisms, recognizing that effective implementation depends upon profound knowledge and understanding of all the people involved in the safeguarding of living heritage.

The workshop was a part of a series of national workshops rolled out by the UNESCO Harare Cluster Office, organised within the framework of the UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust Project to strengthen national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

It was facilitated by Mr. Stephen Chifunyise and Mr. Lovemore Mazibuko, two of the network of experts trained in UNESCO’s “Training of Trainers Workshop.”

For more information please contact: c.mapfumo@unesco.org

Link for direct access 

With the support of the UNESCO/Japan Fund-in-Trust, UNESCO initiates on 16 April 2012 its efforts on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Nepal, who ratified the Convention in 2010. A series of workshops will be organized to strengthen the national capacities in Nepal to implement the Convention more effectively for over the next 18 months. Among them, the first five-day workshop was held on 16-20 April 2012 in the capital city, Kathmandu, mainly focusing on building capacity for Nepal to meet its obligation as a State Party to the Convention.

UNESCO Office in Kathmandu works in close cooperation with the Ministry of Federal Affairs, Constituant Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture for this first joint initiative, which attracted some 40 participants from government departments, communities and groups that create and transmit the intangible cultural heritages. The other workshops to follow are on Community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage and elaborating nominations to the Lists of the Convention. These series of initiatives is implemented within the framework of a global capacity building strategy that UNESCO put in place since 2011.

Link for direct access 

UNESCO is planning a workshop to introduce to the staff of the School for African Heritage (EPA) in Benin (11 to 17 April) the new pedagogical tools developed by UNESCO to help the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The training material emphasizes the role of the States in taking the necessary measures to ensure the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage on their territories, such as adopting a general policy, designating competent bodies, fostering scientific studies and putting in place appropriate legal, technical, and administrative measures. The role of communities in identifying and transmitting intangible cultural heritage is also highlighted, as the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage for sustainable development and social cohesion.

This training workshop, supported by the International Fund for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, will offer the staff of the School for African Heritage new opportunities to help future heritage managers in African countries.

Documents

• Background document: French
• Agenda: French
• List of participants: French

Link for direct access  A three-day Capacity Building Workshop on the Implementation of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) was held on 10-12 April 2012 at Hotel Timor in Dili, Timor-Leste. The workshop was jointly organised by the State Secretariat of Culture of the Ministry of Education of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and UNESCO with the support from the Government of Japan through UNESCO Japanese Funds-In-Trust for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This workshop followed a previously organised workshop on the ratification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention, which took place in November 2011 in Timor-Leste. This supplementary workshop gathered some 60 participants, including national and district Culture officials, governmental officials from other relevant ministries, academics, NGO representatives and community members. Facilitated by Rahul Gioswami (a member of the Consultative Body of the 2003 ICH Convention), Masanori Nagaoka (Head of Culture unit of UNESCO Office, Jakarta) and Wieske Sapardan (Programme Assistant of UNESCO Office, Jakarta), the fourteen sessions of this workshop was intended to help participants gain a broad understanding of the possible activities involved in implementing UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

During the opening ceremony, H.E. Mr. Virgilio Simith, the Secretary of State for Culture of the Ministry of Education of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and H.E. Mr. Yoshitaka Hanada, the Ambassador of Japan to Timor-Leste highlighted the importance of joint efforts among governments, civil societies and communities to ensure that Timor-Leste’s precious intangible cultural heritage is safeguarded and passed on to the next generations. They underlined that the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage should play a key role for ensuring mutual respect and promoting peace in Timor-Leste and beyond.

The opening ceremony was followed by the launch of a publication entitled ‘the Ai To’os Collection’ which was produced by the State Secretariat of Culture of the Ministry of Education of Timor-Leste. Financially supported through UNESCO’s programme of CapEFA (Capacity Development for Education For All), the publication introduces – in Tetun, Portuguese and English – historical cultural objects in order to raise people’s awareness of their own rich cultural heritage while promoting literacy rates in the country. Mr Anwar Alsaid, Head of Education of UNESCO Office, Jakarta who was present at the launching ceremony emphasised that UNESCO stands ready to assist the government and people of Timor-Leste through an intersectoral approach in the fields of education and culture, ie. in promoting and preserving Timor-Leste’s rich cultural heritage and to ensure that this heritage is documented.

The three day capacity building workshop was followed by a visit to Suai, the capital of Cova Lima District in Timor-Leste which will be a pilot site for the Community-based Inventorying workshop, which shall be held in September 2012. During the visit, the members of the State Secretariat of Culture of the Ministry of Education of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and UNESCO staff met the leaders of the traditional community in Suai and had the opportunity to observe the vernacular architecture settlements, traditional dance, performed by the local community group members, and a tais traditional textile weaving workshop in Cova Lima District.

Link for direct access 

A five-day training workshop on the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level was organized from 6 to 10 April 2012 in Astana, Kazakhstan. It was only a few weeks after Kazakhstan officially became the 142nd State Party to the 2003 Convention.

About 25 representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Agency for Tourism and Sport, representatives of leading universities in Kazakhstan, members of the National Committee for the Safeguarding of ICH, experts from the UNESCO Observatory on Central Asia, as well as ICH bearers - artisans, musicians, storytellers and representatives from youth NGOs - took part in the training.

The workshop is the first of a series of activities aiming at building the know-how and institutional capacity for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in four Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was developed through the generous support of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and organized by the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty in cooperation with the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ISESCO and the Kazakhstan National Federation of UNESCO Clubs.

Link for direct access 

UNESCO’s key partners, steadfast in their support over recent years to the effective implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, met with the Secretariat on 30 March 2012 to take stock of recent achievements and lessons learnt and share information on future priorities and the overall strategy for utilizing available resources.

Thanks to the support of generous donors including Azerbaijan, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, the European Union, Flanders (Belgium), Italy, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain and the United Arab Emirates, more than $US11 million have been mobilized for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage through a global capacity-building effort.
Since 2008 UNESCO has striven to align the programmes funded by voluntary contributions to its Complementary Additional Programme with the priorities and strategies of the Regular Programme funded by the assessed contributions of all UNESCO’s Member States.

In line with these efforts, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section has focused its resource mobilization strategy very strictly during the past three years on a two-pronged approach: i) to support a global capacity-building programme to accompany States in building human and institutional capacities for the successful implementation of the Convention; ii) to enhance its own capacities to respond better to the demands of States and assist the Intergovernmental Committee in fulfilling its work.

The meeting provided an opportunity to consolidate a network of faithful donors to the 2003 Convention, to build synergies and discuss possible avenues for future collaboration to allow the best possible use of the complementary contributions and assets of our donors and partners.

• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

In Zambia, community members and representatives from various institutions including university professionals, Departments of Culture, National Arts Councils, National Museums and Monuments and the National ICH Committees, came together to participate in a capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 convention, held from the 26th to 30th of March, 2012 in Lusaka.

The workshop, which will help to strengthen Zambia’s capacity to safeguard its living heritage, was part of a series of national workshops rolled out by the UNESCO Harare Cluster Office. It was organised within the framework of the UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust Project to strengthen national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In her opening remarks, the Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs, the Honourable Everine Kabanshi, highlighted Zambia’s commitment to the safeguarding of ICH and the importance for the Government to domesticate the convention, fully involving communities and traditional leaders in the process.

The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Stephen Chifunyise and Mr. Lovemore Mazibuko, two of the network of experts trained in UNESCO’s “Training of Trainers Workshop.”

For more information please contact: c.mapfumo@unesco.org

Link for direct access 

What are inventories of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and why are they essential to safeguarding efforts? How to draw up these inventories with the widest participation of communities, considering the specific context of each country? These were the main issues raised at the workshop on upgrading competencies on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage, held from March 23 to 25 in Paris in the framework of the MEDLIHER project with the teams of the three beneficiary countries (Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan).

The meeting enabled participants to gain a thorough understanding of the training materials developed by UNESCO on the theme of community-based inventorying. It was also an opportunity for them to discuss the adaptation of these tools according to the particularities of each country and the focus of their national safeguarding projects. Egypt chose inventorying the intangible cultural heritage of Damietta, which forms part of the river Nile regions; Jordan chose the region of Madaba, which is characterized by great cultural diversity. Lebanon decided to focus on inventorying the specific element of the Zajal, which is a cultural practice to be found all over the country. Planned to be launched in April 2012, these national projects will start with capacity-building workshops, followed by fieldwork.

In addition to significant advances in the planning of the national projects, participants have developed during this workshop a shared vision of the regional MEDLIHER movie, which will increase the visibility of the ICH of partner countries in the Mediterranean world and internationally.

Document

• Agenda and background document: (English)
• Summary: (French)

Link for direct access 

In Zimbabwe, community members and traditional chiefs, representatives from various institutions including university professionals, Departments of Culture, National Arts Councils, National Museums and Monuments and the National ICH Committees, came together to participate in a capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 convention, held from the 19th to 23rd of March, 2012 in Harare.

In his official remarks, the Deputy Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Honourable Lazarus Dokora, emphasised the critical role that traditional leaders can play in implementing the 2003 Convention. The workshop was attended by four traditional chiefs including the President of the Chiefs’ Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira.

According to the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Great Zimbabwe University and member of the National ICH Committee, the workshop has resulted in a trained group of people who will now become pioneers in implementing the 2003 Convention, thus significantly contributing towards the safeguarding of ICH in Zimbabwe.

The workshop was part of a series of national workshops rolled out by the UNESCO Harare Cluster Office, organised within the framework of the UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust Project to strengthen national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was facilitated by Mr. Stephen Chifunyise and Mr. Lovemore Mazibuko, two of the network of experts trained in UNESCO’s “Training of Trainers Workshop.”

For more information please contact: c.mapfumo@unesco.org

Link for direct access 

Malawi opened its doors on March 12 to 16 to host a workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention in order to strengthen its capacity to safeguard its living heritage.

The workshop, attended by community members and representatives from various institutions including university professionals, Departments of Culture, National Arts Councils, National Museums and Monuments and the National ICH Committees, was part of a series of national workshops rolled out by the UNESCO Harare Cluster Office. It was organised within the framework of the UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust Project to strengthen national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In her opening remarks, the Director of Culture, Dr. Elizabeth Gomani-Chindebvu echoed the importance of implementing the Convention and coming up with appropriate policies and legal instruments that provide for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.

The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Stephen Chifunyise and Mr. Lovemore Mazibuko, two of the network of experts trained in UNESCO’s “Training of Trainers Workshop.”

For more information please contact: c.mapfumo@unesco.org

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), UNESCO Addis Ababa is organizing a workshop for 32 participants:

• 12 officials from nine Regional Culture and Tourism Bureaus;
  
• 8 officials from the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism;
  
• 3 scholars from Addis Ababa University;
  
• 3 from NGOs working on related topics and 4 from communities

It will focus on familiarizing participants with the basic concepts, measure and mechanisms of the Intangible Heritage Convention, recognizing that effective implementation depends upon profound knowledge and understanding of all of these. The workshop will be facilitated by Ms Deidre Prins-Solani and Mr Amareswar Galla, two facilitators from a network of 65 experts who participated in a training-of-trainers workshop series on how to use the UNESCO curricula specifically designed to build capacity on implementing the Intangible Heritage Convention.

The global capacity-building strategy put in place with the support of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s regular programme budget, will continue to enjoy highest priority. It currently includes an initial series of workshops addressing the most urgent training needs:

1) ratification
2) implementing the Convention at the national level
3) community-based inventorying
4) elaborating nominations to the Urgent Safeguarding List

The Addis Ababa workshop is part and parcel of this important initiative.

Link for direct access 

As part of UNESCO’s global capacity building strategy to implement Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a two day workshop on Ratification of the Convention was organised in Dili, Timor-Leste from 14 to 15 November 2011. This workshop, organized jointly by the State Secretariat of Culture of the Ministry of Education for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and UNESCO Office in Jakarta, gathered some 40 participants including governmental officials from the relevant ministries, academicians, NGOs, and chief of cultural section in the districts in Timor-Leste.

Capacity building for the implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention more effectively at national level is currently a high priority in UNESCO’s programmes and UNESCO has dedicated great efforts in developing training materials on following topics addressing the most urgent needs of the states: Ratification, Implementation of the Convention, Community-based Inventorying and Preparing Nominations for the Lists of the Convention. The objective of this workshop was therefore to assist participants in acquiring a broad understanding of the Convention, and how and why member states may wish to ratify it. A profound knowledge and understanding of the Convention and its concepts, measures and mechanisms is pivotal for its successful ratification and future implementation.

The workshop consisted of ‘classroom’ style training activities to demonstrate the essential features of the Convention, to acquire a broad understanding of the Convention, to learn best practices of the ratified countries, to guide practically the country’s ratification to the Convention. It is divided into three main topics:

1. Introduction to the Convention and its key concepts;
2. Implementing the Convention at the national level; and
3. Participation of communities and roles of stakeholders in safeguarding.

Link for direct access 

Second capacity-building workshop on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: the role of communities in safeguarding and inventorying ICH
The workshop objectives are as follows:
1. Create awareness among the general public and local communities on the Convention, providing knowledge, tools and empowering them to take safeguarding measures for their own cultural expressions. Provide technical and practical knowledge regarding the interaction with and involvement of NGO’s, universities and the Government in the implementation of the Convention.
2. Generate a space for debate and exchange of experiences, good practices and challenges that can help national and local authorities make better decisions and take steps for implementing the Convention with the participation and consent of the communities involved.

UNESCO is rolling out a comprehensive strategy to contribute to a better understanding of the key concepts of the Convention, the obligations of States Parties and the Convention’s mechanisms of international cooperation and assistance. It is in this context that a national capacity-building workshop on the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention is being organized in Santiago, Chile, on 2-3 of November, 2011.

The workshop will bring together local communities, national and local authorities, non-governmental organizations, academics from universities and research institutions, and the general public.

UNESCO trained facilitator and expert on ICH, Mrs. Soledad Mujica Bayly of Peru will conduct the workshop, in Spanish (there will be no interpretation services).

• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

The first national capacity building workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in Montenegro was organized by the UNESCO Venice Office in close cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro. The workshop held from 24 to 31 October 2011 in Cetinje, Montenegro has brought together experts, NGOs, community members and actors at the heart of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The objective is to strengthen capacities in inventorying intangible cultural heritage on the national level. The 8 days workshop has provided participants with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools for effective documentation and inventorying of intangible cultural heritage under the 2003 Convention and also included a fieldwork practicum. The facilitators, Ms. Chiara Bortolotto from the Université Libre in Brussels and Ms. Sasha SREĆKOVIĆ from the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade were both trained by UNESCO within a special training of trainers program.

Documents

• Agenda: English
• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

UNESCO is rolling out a comprehensive strategy to contribute to a better understanding of the key concepts of the Convention, the obligations of States Parties and the Convention’s mechanisms of international cooperation and assistance. It is in this context that two regional capacity-building workshops on the role of NGOs in implementing the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention are organized in Africa (in Libreville, Gabon, in September) and in Latin America (in Quito, Ecuador, in October).
The workshop for Latin America will be held from 19 to 21 October 2011 in Quito, Ecuador and will bring together eighteen Latin-American NGOs accredited by the General Assembly of States Parties to act in an advisory capacity to the Committee or recommended for accreditation. The objective of the workshop is to provide participants with technical knowledge regarding the role of NGOs in implementing the Convention at both the national and international levels, to create a space for debate and exchange of experiences, good practices and challenges and to reinforce dialogue and cooperation among NGOs at the regional level.
UNESCO trained facilitators, Mr Fabián Bedón Samaniego from the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Ecuador and Mr Francisco Javier López Morales from the National Institute of Anthropology and History in Mexico will conduct the workshop. The workshop will be held in Spanish and Portuguese with simultaneous interpretation.

Documents:

• Agenda: Spanish
• List of participants: Spanish

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of global capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) at national level, the UNESCO multi-country office in Bamako, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, organized a workshop which brought together the directors of the cultural heritage of Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea together with more than twenty representatives of Malian Institutions involved in safeguarding and management of intangible cultural heritage.

The workshop focused on familiarizing participants with the basic concepts, measures and mechanisms of the Convention, recognizing that effective implementation depends upon profound knowledge and understanding of all the people involved in the safeguarding of living heritage. The workshop, which was held from 10 to 14 October 2011 in Bamako was facilitated by Ms Claudine Angoué (Gabon) and M. Ludovic Kibora (Burkina Faso), two members of the network of 65 experts who participated in a training-of-trainers workshop series on how to use the UNESCO curricula specifically designed to build capacity on implementing the Convention. Currently the curriculum includes four themes: (a) ratification, (b) implementing the Convention at the national level, (c) community-based inventorying, (d) elaborating nominations to the Intangible Heritage Convention’s List.

The global UNESCO capacity-building strategy was put in place with the support of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s regular programme budget. Some US$7 million in extra-budgetary resources have been mobilized to implement the capacity-building strategy. This generous support was granted by the Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Flanders (Belgium), Hungary, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. It will continue to enjoy highest priority.

• List of participants: French
• Agenda: French

Link for direct access 

UNESCO is rolling out a comprehensive strategy to contribute to a better understanding of the key concepts of the Convention, the obligations of States Parties and the Convention’s mechanisms of international cooperation and assistance. It is in this context that two regional capacity-building workshops on the role of NGOs in implementing the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention are organized in Africa (in Libreville, Gabon, in September) and in Latin America (in Quito, Ecuador, in October).
The workshop for Africa will be held from 28 to 30 September 2011 in Libreville, Gabon, and will bring together thirteen African NGOs accredited by the General Assembly of States Parties to act in an advisory capacity to the Committee or recommended for accreditation. The objective of the workshop is to provide participants with technical knowledge regarding the role of NGOs in implementing the Convention at both the national and international levels, to create a space for debate and exchange of experiences, good practices and challenges and to reinforce dialogue and cooperation among NGOs at the regional level.
UNESCO trained facilitators, Ms Deidre Prins-Solani from the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa in Kenya and Ms Claudine-Augée Angoue from the Omar Bongo University in Gabon will conduct the workshop. The workshop will be held in French and English with simultaneous interpretation.

Documents

• Agenda: English|French
• List of participants: French

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of the programme activity “Supporting capacities for inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in Central Asia” the Kyrgyz National Commission for UNESCO in cooperation with the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office organized a two-day training-workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention and inventorying of ICH in two regions of the Kyrgyz Republic, from 18 to 19 July 2011 in Talas and from 15 to 16 September 2011 in Osh.

The main aim of the training-workshop was to strengthen national capacities for the inventorying and managing intangible cultural heritage. Presentations highlighted goals of the Convention, obligations of State-Parties, and the Convention’s mechanisms. It provided participants with the necessary knowledge about a methodology concerning inventory making of intangible cultural heritage.

During the training-workshop 20 participants from governmental organizations, scientific institutions, NGOs and local communities discussed the current situation in the field of identification and documentation of elements of intangible cultural heritage and national strategy on safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was ratified by the Kyrgyz Republic in 2006.

• List of participants: English
• Agenda: English

Link for direct access 

The Committee decided (Decision 5.COM 7) to convene before its sixth session an open ended intergovernmental working group to discuss possible measures to improve the treatment of nominations to the Representative List by the Committee, Subsidiary Body and the Secretariat.

Amendment proposals to the Operational Directives
- Albania: English|French
- China: English|French
- France: English|French
- Italy: English|French

This working group met from Monday 12 to Tuesday 13 September 2011 at UNESCO Headquarters, in Paris (Room XI, Fontenoy building), from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Japan has generously offered to bear the costs related to this three-day meeting of the working group. The registration form (English/French) should be returned before 5 September.

The Committee also invited the States Parties to submit to the Secretariat their points of view on the terms of reference of the Subsidiary Body (Decision 5.COM 7 alinea 6) and on possible revisions of the criteria for inscription on the lists of the Convention (Decision 5.COM 10.1 alinea 5), and to circulate them to the States Parties before the meeting of the Working Group. The comments received are available online, in the two working languages of the Committee.

Documents

• Provisional agenda
  ITH/11/6.COM WG/1Rev.: English|French
• Excerpts of the draft summary records of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (15 to 19 November 2010, Nairobi) on the establishment of a Subsidiary Body
  ITH/11/6.COM WG/2: English|French
• Excerpts of the draft summary records of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (15 to 19 November 2010, Nairobi) on the reflection on the criteria for inscription
  ITH/11/6.COM WG/3: English|French
• Decisions 5.COM 7 and 5.COM 10.1
  ITH/11/6.COM WG/4: English|French
• List of participants
  ITH/11/6.COM WG/5: English/French

• Comments of States Parties

Link for direct access 

Organization of an awareness-raising and training workshop of resource persons from the Ministry of Culture and other institutions on the inventory methods of the 2003 Convention, from 12 to 14 September 2011.

This workshop was held as part of the implementation of the recommendations of the sub-regional training of trainers workshop organized in Libreville (January-February 2011) by Headquarters (PCI section) for the capacity building and the establishment a pool of sub-regional trainers.

Link for direct access 

Two workshops were held in Afghanistan in September 2011, one in Kabul and one in Bamiyan. The Kabul workshop was hosted by the Ministry of Information and Culture in the National Museum of Afghanistan. An international exert in intangible heritage safeguarding and a representative of ICOM (Prof A. Galla) were brought in to facilitate both workshops. As the implementation of the Convention and understanding of the concept of ICH is in its infancy in Afghanistan, the agenda followed the introductory aspects of documentation, promotion and safeguarding of ICH. The workshops were both well attended and well received, with participants from various local and national government departments of the Ministry of Information and Culture, both Kabul and Bamiyan Universities and representatives from several NGOs with an interest in ICH.

In Bamiyan in particular, there was a great eagerness to document and promote ICH as another significant component of the World Heritage properties, in this region where a large number of people live within and/or close to the boundaries. In this regard, participants were very interested in seeking UNESCO’s assistance in raising funds for a new museum in Bamiyan, which could become a centre for ICH documentation and implementation of the Convention.

Link for direct access 

A ratifcation workshop was held from 12 to 13 July 2011 in Moroni. It was organized in close collaboration with the Director of Culture in the Ministry of Education, Culture and Arts and Mr. Aboubakar Boina, UNESCO focal point in Comoros.

Thirty five participants from the Union Government, the three Islands of Comoros (Grand Comoros, Anjouan and Moreli) NGOs and private sector attended the workshop.

Link for direct access 

A five day workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention was held in Tanzania. The workshop brought together 30 participants from Tanzania Mainland and Zanzibar. The training was conducted by two facilitators trained by UNESCO. It was organized in close collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the UNESCO national commission.

Link for direct access 

Many states parties are intensifying their efforts to meet their obligations concerning the Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible cultural heritage of 2003. The global capacity-building strategy developed by UNESCO covers the various components of this instrument, including ratification, awareness raising, implementation at the national level, and inventorying and safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage present in the territory of States Parties. The main objective is to assist States parties in implementing the Convention by adopting appropriate measures.

UNESCO Beirut regional Office in Lebanon contributes to these efforts by organizing a workshop on the implementation of the Convention in Broumana, scheduled for July 11 to 15, 2011. This workshop is the first for the countries of the region since the training of trainers, which took place in Abu Dhabi from April 10 to 14, 2011. Participants are from Syria and Lebanon, and come from academia, non- governmental organizations and the public sector.

Facilitators of the workshop are Ahmed Skounti, Professor at the National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage Sciences in Morocco and Annie Tohmé-Tabet, Associate professor of anthropology at Saint Joseph University in Lebanon, both of whom have been accredited and certified by UNESCO.

The workshop takes place at Printania Hotel in Broumana in the Eastern high suburbs of Beirut.

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), a four day training session was held in collaboration with PNCA (Pakistan National Council of the Arts), Islamabad from 2-5 May 2011. A second Training Session was also held on 25th June 2011 at PNCA, which focused on the preparation of the Urgent Safeguarding Lists, Representative List and Best Practices within the framework of the Convention. The details for the related workshops are below.

WORKSHOP 2: 25 JUNE 2011

The second Training Session was held on the 25th of June 2011 at PNCA. The training focused on the preparation of Urgent Safeguarding Lists, Representative List and Best Practices within the framework of the Convention. Sixteen persons, mainly from Lok Virsa and PNCA, attended. The training was done through interactive sessions covering all key aspects of preparing USL dossiers and the form.

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of the programme activity “Supporting capacities for inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in Central Asia” the Kyrgyz National Commission for UNESCO in cooperation with the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office organized a two-day training-workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention and inventorying of ICH in two regions of the Kyrgyz Republic, from 18 to 19 July 2011 in Talas and from 15 to 16 September 2011 in Osh.

The main aim of the training-workshop was to strengthen national capacities for the inventorying and managing intangible cultural heritage. Presentations highlighted goals of the Convention, obligations of State-Parties, and the Convention’s mechanisms. It provided participants with the necessary knowledge about a methodology concerning inventory making of intangible cultural heritage.

During the training-workshop 20 participants from governmental organizations, scientific institutions, NGOs and local communities discussed the current situation in the field of identification and documentation of elements of intangible cultural heritage and national strategy on safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in the Kyrgyz Republic.

The 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was ratified by the Kyrgyz Republic in 2006.

• List of participants: English
• Agenda: English

Link for direct access 

The capacity-building workshop on implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage for representatives of the Ministry of Culture of Cameroon, Cameroon National Commission for UNESCO,
media, university professors and Cameroon traditional community leaders, was held in Kribi from 7 to 10 June 2011.

Two UNESCO experts, benefiting from the training of trainers in Libreville (January 2011), have been selected by the organization to facilitate the workshop in Kribi.

This workshop was designed to develop and strengthen the capacity of participants on issues of safeguarding intangible heritage in the national context specific to Cameroon, in order to enable them to contribute to the implementation of the Convention. The ratification of the Convention by the country followed the workshop.

Link for direct access 

With its 150 million population and some 450 cultural groups, Nigeria has an immense and diverse canvas of intangible cultural heritage in need of safeguarding. The workshop entitled “Domestication of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage” which took place from June 1-3, 2011, in Enugu, aimed at building the capacity of national stakeholders in doing so, through a better understanding of the concepts and institutional mechanisms set up in of this instrument.

The workshop was organized by the UNESCO Country Office in Abuja, with the active support of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), and Enugu State Government. A total of 42 participants were trained on this occasion, including Directors of Culture representing the 6 Geo-political regions of Nigeria, UNESCO accredited cultural and community-based NGOs, personnel from cultural agencies under the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Ministry of Culture officials at the Federal level (national level) and the media.

The workshop was conducted by Mr Silverse Anami from Kenya and Mr Denja Abdullahi from Nigeria, two UNESCO-trained facilitators. They used the modules and training methods contained in the implementation materials developed by UNESCO in strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, while integrating local examples as much as possible to suit the context.

At the end of the workshop, participants released a communiqué (English) which included some resolutions on follow-up measures to be undertaken.

Documents

• Agenda and Timetable : English
• Article: English

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of national capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture in partnership and the UNESCO Office in Bujumbura organized a workshop in Bujumbura from 26 to 28 May 2011. The workshop brought together 40 participants (36 Burundian delegates and two delegations from neighboring countries, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo).

The workshop focused on familiarizing participants with the Intangible Heritage Convention, its basic concepts, measures and mechanisms, recognizing that effective implementation depends upon profound knowledge and understanding of all the people involved in the safeguarding of living heritage. The workshop facilitated by M. Domitien Nizigiyimana and M. Louis Bazubwabo, two members of the network of 65 experts who participated in a training-of-trainers workshop series on how to use the UNESCO curricula specifically designed to build capacity on implementing the Convention. Currently the curriculum includes four themes: (a) ratification, (b) implementing the Convention at the national level, (c) community-based inventorying, (d) elaborating nominations to the Intangible Heritage Convention’s List.

The global capacity-building strategy put in place with the support of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s regular programme budget. Some US$7 million in extra-budgetary resources have been mobilized to implement the capacity-building strategy. This generous support was granted by the Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Flanders (Belgium), Hungary, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. It will l continue to enjoy highest priority. It will continue to enjoy highest priority in UNESCO’s Programme.

The Bujumbura workshop is part and parcel of this important initiative.

• Liste of participants: French

Link for direct access 

The consultative meeting of experts and training “Strengthening national capacities for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage” takes place in Minsk (Belarus) from 18 to 21 May 2011. The event aims to strengthen national capacities in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and the Russian Federation for the Safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage present in their territory. It also aims to raise awareness of the importance of this heritage for sustainable development, taking into account the perspectives of gender and youth.

The training utilizes materials developed by UNESCO and the network of regional facilitators trained as part of the overall strategy of the organization for capacity building in the implementation of the Convention on Intangible Heritage (2003).

The event is organized by the Cluster Office of UNESCO in Moscow in partnership with the Institute of Arts, Ethnography and Folklore, with the participation of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Belarus and the National Commission of the Republic of Belarus for UNESCO.

• Liste of participants: English
• Agenda: English

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), a four day training session was held in collaboration with PNCA (Pakistan National Council of the Arts), Islamabad from 2-5 May 2011. A second Training Session was also held on 25th June 2011 at PNCA, which focused on the preparation of the Urgent Safeguarding Lists, Representative List and Best Practices within the framework of the Convention. The details for the related workshops are below.

WORKSHOP 1: 2-5 MAY 2011
A four day training session was held in collaboration with PNCA from 2-5 May 2011. There were thirteen participants including staff members of PNCA, Lok Virsa (The National Institute of Folk & Traditional Heritage), and two journalists. The training session focused on National Implementation and Community-based inventorying components, which was delivered through lectures and field visits. The presentations for this component of the Training were based on the material generated by UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Section, Paris, which was tailored to the Pakistani situation. Lectures/presentations were made by Sajida Vandal supported by a lecture given by Yawar Ansari on the GIS Cultural database system and a presentation by Abid of the Mardan University, who was earlier the field coordinator for the Cultural Mapping of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan. A presentation was also made by Adnan, Jawad (UNESCO staff) and Abid on the Cultural Mapping template, equipment and sharing of experiences gained through their work in KP.

Link for direct access 

Within the framework of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), and the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), the UNESCO Cluster Office in Accra organizes a workshop on “The Power of Culture in Development”. This workshop brings together 41 representatives from Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture, National Commission on Culture, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana (Legon), Ghana National Commission for UNESCO, Ministry of Education, Environmental Protection Agency of the Ministry of Science and Environment and other key institutions involved in the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage. The Workshop is presided by the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture of Ghana. Such as Ghana and Liberia have not ratified the two conventions, a holistic and multisectoral approach was adopted by the Accra Office in order to create an inclusive understanding and appreciation of the questions tackled by these normative instruments.

The key objectives of the meeting and other follow-up activities aimed:

A. Familiarize all participants with the UNESCO Conventions for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and the Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions

B. Promote the ratification of the conventions by the Parliament and the Government of Ghana

C. Raise awareness all participants about the importance of recognizing the cultural heritage – particularly living heritage - in national policy development and implementation of development programs.

The workshop is facilitated by the Programme Specialist of UNESCO for Culture in Ghana, a traditional chief, academics, practitioners and militants of the culture in Ghana.

The Accra workshop is part of the global strategy of UNESCO capacity building , implemented with the support of the intangible cultural heritage fund and the budget of the regular program.

• List of participants: English

Link for direct access 

The States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage have repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening the capacities of developing countries to effectively implement the Convention. In response, UNESCO has focused its programmes for the 2010-2011 biennium on a global strategy of capacity building among Member States and will continue to do the same in future years. UNESCO is developing a global network of experts who will be well trained in our curricula and methods. This meeting is one in a series of workshops devoted to ‘training of trainers’ in different regions from January to March 2011 to create this network of expert trainers.

The workshop is funded by the UNESCO/Abu Dhabi Authority for Cultural Heritage Funds-in-Trust, and hosted by ADACH. Additional support is provided by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s Regular Programme.

General Documents

• Abu Dhabi workshop outline (strategy, timetable, participants): English|French
• Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: basic texts: English

Link for direct access 

The States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage have repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening the capacities of developing countries to effectively implement the Convention. In response, UNESCO has focused its programmes for the 2010-2011 biennium on a global strategy of capacity building among Member States and will continue to do the same in future years. UNESCO is developing a global network of experts who will be well trained in our curricula and methods. This meeting is one in a series of workshops devoted to ‘training of trainers’ in different regions from January to March 2011 to create this network of expert trainers.

The workshop is funded by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, with additional support from UNESCO’s Regular Programme.

General Documents

• Havana workshop outline (strategy, timetable, overview of materials, list of participants): English|Spanish
• Practical information - Havana workshop: English|Spanish
• Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: basic texts: English

Link for direct access 

The States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage have repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening the capacities of developing countries to effectively implement the Convention. In response, UNESCO has focused its programmes for the 2010-2011 biennium on a global strategy of capacity building among Member States and will continue to do the same in future years. UNESCO is developing a global network of experts who will be well trained in our curricula and methods. This meeting is one in a series of workshops devoted to ‘training of trainers’ in different regions from January to April 2011 to create this network of expert trainers.

The workshop is funded by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, with additional support from UNESCO’s Regular Programme.

General Documents

• Practical information - Sofia meeting: English
• Sofia workshop outline (strategy, timetable, overview of materials): English
• Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: basic texts: English

Link for direct access 

The ICH training workshop was organized from 23-25 February 2011. As trainers served B. Kaldun and a Chinese danceexpertand Vice-Director of the Institute of Dance, Mr. Jiang Dongwho received training under the UNESCO China workshop in January 2011.
The workshop was attended by 40 researchers, academia and government officers involved with ICH. The workshop addressed three main areas, overall commitment under the ICH Convention, safeguarding measures of ICH with focus on inventorying and a brief introduction on the nomination process.

Link for direct access 

The States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage have repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening the capacities of developing countries to effectively implement the Convention. In response, UNESCO has focused its programmes for the 2010-2011 biennium on a global strategy of capacity building among Member States and will continue to do the same in future years. UNESCO is developing a global network of experts who will be well trained in our curricula and methods. This meeting is one in a series of workshops devoted to ‘training of trainers’ in different regions from January to March 2011 to create this network of expert trainers.

The workshop is generously supported by the UNESCO/Government of Bulgaria Funds-in-Trust, with additional funding from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s Regular Programme.

General Documents

• List of participants: French
• Practical information - Libreville workshop: French
• Libreville workshop outline (strategy, timetable): French

Link for direct access 

The States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage have repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening the capacities of developing countries to effectively implement the Convention. In response, UNESCO has focused its programmes for the 2010-2011 biennium on a global strategy of capacity building among Member States and will continue to do the same in future years. UNESCO is developing a global network of experts who will be well trained in our curricula and methods. This meeting is one in a series of workshops devoted to ‘training of trainers’ in different regions from January to March 2011 to create this network of expert trainers.

The meeting is co-hosted by Oral Traditions Association of Zimbabwe (OTAZ). It is funded by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s Regular Programme.

General Documents

• Practical information - Harare meeting: English
• Harare workshop outline (strategy, timetable, overview of materials, participant list): English
• Welcoming remarks by Prof. Luc Rukingama, Director and Representative, UNESCO Office in Harare: English
• Keynote address by H.E. Lazarus D.K. Dokora, Member of Parliament and Deputy Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture: English
• Closing remarks by Mr Josiah J. Mhlanga, Secretary General, Zimbabwe National Commission for UNESCO: English

Link for direct access 

The States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage have repeatedly emphasized the importance of strengthening the capacities of developing countries to effectively implement the Convention. In response, UNESCO has focused its programmes for the 2010-2011 biennium on a global strategy of capacity building among Member States and will continue to do the same in future years. UNESCO is developing a global network of experts who will be well trained in our curricula and methods. This meeting is one in a series of workshops devoted to ‘training of trainers’ in different regions from January to March 2011 to create this network of expert trainers.

The workshop is hosted by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, in cooperation with the International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region, and made possible through the generous support of the Government of China. Additional funding is provided by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s Regular Programme.

General Documents

• General information (from the Chinese hosts): English
• Beijing workshop outline (strategy, timetable, overview of materials, participant list): English