Resources for the global reflection on the listing mechanisms of the 2003 Convention

Interview with a practitioner in the inventory process of traditional games. During the inventory, regional differences in the rules of the game and the techniques of the same games are documented Read more on the element
© National Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic for UNESCO, 2010

Despite initial hesitations expressed by some when preparing for the adoption of the 2003 Convention, Member States of UNESCO opted for an international listing system. It was hoped that such a system would act as a driving force to raise the visibility of the new international legal instrument in favour of the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.

Since the first nomination cycle in 2009, States Parties have repeatedly highlighted the challenges related to the inscription procedure, the criteria and fundamental issues concerning the listing mechanisms. Many of these issues were already extensively debated during the drafting of the Convention and its Operational Directives, including the inscription criteria. In 2017, the Committee clearly expressed the need for a reflection on the listing mechanisms, for the first time.

This resource page contains working and information documents that accompanied those discussions and the resulting Committee decisions and General Assembly resolutions as well as links to the relevant meetings.