…
]]>At its 224th session (8-23 April 2026), UNESCO’s Executive Board approved the establishment of the UNESCO–Sultan Haitham Prize for Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding (Document 224 EX/8.II), following a proposal by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman. This new Prize marks an important milestone …
]]>The UNESCO Living Heritage Entity is looking for a team of experts/evaluators to carry out a renewal evaluation of the International Centre for Capacity-building in Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Arab States (ICCBICH), a UNESCO Category 2 Centre based in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates. Proposals …
]]>The second meeting of the Bureau of the twenty-first session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Spain, Ukraine, Haiti, Zambia and Algeria) was convened as an electronic consultation from 4 to 18 March 2026, under the chairpersonship of H.E. Mr …
]]>The submission deadline is fast approaching for nominations to the Lists of the Convention – including requests for International Assistance combined with nominations to the Urgent Safeguarding List – and proposals for the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices to be examined by the Intergovernmental …
]]>UNESCO invites experts or consortia to develop an ‘overview paper’ and a ‘position paper’ on foodways as living heritage, including a compilation of research bibliography for the ‘International Food Atlas’ project, supported by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Proposals should reach UNESCO (ich-capacity@unesco.org …
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]]>China will host the twenty-first session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the city of Xiamen.…
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]]>The annual symposium of the ICH NGO Forum focused on inclusion with emphasis on persons with disabilities and special needs.…
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]]>As the Twentieth session of the Intergovernmental Committee is soon to begin in New Delhi, explore the diverse side events taking place this week.…
]]>The first batch of working documents for the twentieth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is now available online.…
]]>The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage website has introduced a new accessibility feature to empower persons with disabilities and users with special needs to better navigate and engage with its content.…
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]]>Tanzania is now equipped with strengthened local capacities and has fostered increased awareness among younger generations, ensuring a long-term approach to safeguarding its intangible cultural heritage for sustainable development.…
]]>Nine African countries have engaged in capacity-building workshops to prepare nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention and strengthen synergies among culture conventions, as part of the project ‘Building capacities for safeguarding living heritage and preparing nominations to the Lists of the …
]]>On 20 October, multi-sectoral teams from nine Central American countries met online to share results of a capacity-building programme on integrating living heritage into urban planning.…
]]>A total of around US$300,000 is granted from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund to finance three International Assistance projects.…
]]>On 23 October an information and exchange meeting will be held on the twentieth session of the Committee (New Delhi, India 8 to 13 December 2025)…
]]>Renewed engagement of stakeholders and heritage bearers - a constellation of celebrations around the world in support of the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>The project ‘Supporting the resilience of Ukrainian school children through enhancing awareness of their living heritage’ is scaling up at the country level, with its second phase officially launched on 16 September 2025.…
]]>A dedicated poster is now available as part of the campaign launched to feature activities organized by Convention stakeholders in October 2025 for the celebration of the International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>The Category 2 Centres active in the field of intangible cultural heritage gathered online on 16 July 2025 for their thirteenth annual coordination meeting. They shared updates on recent activities and upcoming plans, and reflected, among others, on how to enhance their role in support of the periodic …
]]>A campaign has been launched to feature activities organized by Convention stakeholders in the month of October 2025, in celebration of the International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>The Republic of Sierra Leone is becoming the 185th State to join the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, having deposited its instrument of ratification with UNESCO on 19 June 2025.…
]]>On 16 and 17 June 2025, experts are meeting at UNESCO Headquarters to explore ways to incorporate intangible cultural heritage into urban planning.…
]]>Participants from 16 Caribbean Small Island Developing States and territories gathered online on 12 June 2025 to deepen collaboration, share lessons learned, and explore strategies for preparing nomination files to the Lists of the 2003 Convention.…
]]>A total of nearly US$ 160,000 is granted from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund to an emergency request for International Assistance, and six Preparatory Assistance requests for the elaboration of nomination files.…
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]]>The signing of the new Framework Agreement was marked by a ceremony held at UNESCO Headquarters, in the presence of the Administrator of the Korea Heritage Service.…
]]>The Secretariat is deeply saddened by the passing of Kristin Kuutma, Professor of Cultural Research at the University of Tartu, Estonia, and Head of the UNESCO Chair on Applied Studies of Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>Requests can be submitted until 30 April 2025, with accreditation decision to be made by the General Assembly of the Convention in mid-2026.…
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]]>In March and April 2025, UNESCO will host an online Training of trainers on living heritage safeguarding and sustainable urban development in the framework of the project ‘Communities for Heritage: Latin America and the Caribbean’…
]]>For the 2026 cycle, nominations should be submitted to the Secretariat by Monday 31 March 2025 (17h00 GMT).…
]]>An International Assistance request for US$100,000 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund approved to benefit Honduras…
]]>Qualified experts or organizations are invited to submit proposals to support the development of the ‘Article 18 platform’: an interactive online platform aimed at sharing good experiences of living heritage safeguarding.…
]]>The Republic of South Africa is becoming the 184th State to join the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage having deposited its instrument of ratification with UNESCO in January 2025.…
]]>The deadline for the submission of quadrennial reports of NGOs accredited in 2012, 2016 and 2020 is set on 17 February 2025.…
]]>India has generously proposed to host the twentieth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, from 8 to 13 December 2025 in New Delhi.…
]]>Ten foodways-related intangible cultural heritage elements were inscribed on the Lists by the nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee, which also featured a roundtable exploring bearers’ safeguarding experiences.…
]]>UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists now feature 788 elements corresponding to 150 countries.…
]]>The opening ceremony of the nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took place on Sunday 1 December 2024 at the Cultural Center of the Port of Asunción, Republic of Paraguay, marking the beginning of the session, which will last until …
]]>Over 900 participants will soon convene in Asunción for the nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage…
]]>The working documents for the nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (19.COM) are now online.…
]]>On the first International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on 17 October 2024, a global panel of experts explored the impact of Artificial Intelligence and Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>The 42nd Session of the UNESCO General Conference in 2023 has proclaimed the 17 October as the International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>On the first International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a webinar on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a global panel of experts is organized on 17 October 2024 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (CET)…
]]>Four requests for International Assistance approved by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, receiving a total grant of nearly US$400,000.…
]]>On 1 October an information and exchange meeting will be held for the nineteenth session of the Committee (Asunción, Republic of Paraguay, 2 to 7 December 2024)…
]]>On 13 August 2024, UNESCO organized an online meeting as part of the project ‘Latin America and the Caribbean: Strengthening Capacities for Resilient Communities Through Sustainable Tourism and Heritage Safeguarding’ focusing on the component of living heritage.…
]]>Working sessions with stakeholders from the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) were held in Saudi Arabia to explore inclusive cultural policy making.…
]]>Ghana stepped up its efforts to safeguard living heritage with the creation of the first National Register of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Activities to enhance cross-sector collaboration among communities and national authorities aimed to integrate living heritage into development programmes.…
]]>UNESCO launched a resource kit for teachers bringing together intangible cultural heritage, education, and sciences to teach and learn with living heritage in Ukraine.…
]]>On 19 and 20 June 2024, experts gather in UNESCO Headquarters to explore ways to address the key roles and risks for intangible cultural heritage in the climate emergency.…
]]>Category 2 centres active in the field of intangible cultural heritage gathered on 13 June 2024 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris for their twelfth annual coordination meeting.…
]]>The host country agreement was signed between UNESCO and the Republic of Paraguay for the organization of the nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in December 2024.…
]]>The 183 States Parties will gather at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to discuss important issues for the safeguarding of living heritage around the world and the future of the Convention.…
]]>Every 5 June, marks the World Environment Day is an opportunity to highlight the different ways in which living heritage contributes to the environmental protection and the interdependence between the two.…
]]>Three requests for International Assistance and two requests for preparatory assistance approved by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, receiving a total grant of nearly US$320,000.…
]]>The 10.GA will be held in presentia from 11 to 12 June 2024, at UNESCO Headquarters.…
]]>With a submission rate surpassing 97%, a comprehensive analysis is expected to illuminate the state of living heritage safeguarding across the continent. …
]]>A UNESCO Chair dedicated to Intangible Cultural Heritage in Public and Global Governance launched at the University of Warsaw, Poland.…
]]>International experts convened in a series of workshops to prepare the implementation of a new project to leverage digital technologies for the safeguarding of foodways as living heritage…
]]>Fumiko Ohinata was recently appointed as Secretary of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Chief of UNESCO’s Living Heritage Entity.…
]]>Focal points for periodic reporting from Asia and the Pacific met in Jeonju, Republic of Korea, from 26 February to 1 March 2024.…
]]>For the 2025 cycle, nominations should be submitted to the Secretariat by Tuesday 2 April 2024 (17h00 GMT).…
]]>Stakeholders from both countries explored innovative and transformative methodology of learning with living heritage…
]]>An emergency request and two projects in Africa, among the four International Assistance projects approved by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, receiving a total grant of nearly US$ 400,000.…
]]>Libya became the 182nd State to join the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>Paraguay has generously proposed to host the nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, from 2 to 7 December 2024 in Asunción.…
]]>UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists and Register now feature 730 elements.…
]]>While the plenary sessions are taking place, there is a wide program of side events organized by UNESCO, States Parties, institutional partners, and others.…
]]>The beginning of the eighteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee is postponed by one day to start on Tuesday 5 December 2023.…
]]>The ICH NGO Forum held its annual symposium on the theme ‘Exploring the past, present and future of safeguarding collaborations amongst multiple stakeholders.’…
]]>The opening ceremony of the eighteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took place on Sunday 3 December 2023, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Kazungula Bridge in Kasane, Republic of Botswana. …
]]>More than 700 participants to gather soon in Kasane, Botswana for the eighteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>UNESCO partners showcased their initiatives to teach and learn with living heritage during the Partnerships Hub…
]]>A national level capacity-building workshop was organized in Sri Lanka to further build systems of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and reinforce individual and institutional capacities.…
]]>Community representatives gathered to launch the project aimed at developing an inventory of intangible cultural heritage in South Sudan …
]]>The working documents for the eighteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (18.COM) are now online.…
]]>Recent initiatives among Category 2 Centres in Asia have sought to build knowledge and understanding on the crucial links between living heritage and climate change.…
]]>24 newly trained facilitators from Europe and North America ready to assist communities in their safeguarding efforts…
]]>The host country agreement signed between UNESCO and the Republic of Botswana for the organization of the eighteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>UNESCO organized with UNHCR a training workshop focused on community-based approaches for safeguarding living heritage in situations of conflict and forced displacement.…
]]>Adopted on 17 October 2003, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage celebrates its 20th anniversary today.…
]]>New facilitators from Africa and the Arab States participated in a training of trainers’ workshop under the 2003 Convention’s global capacity-building programme held in September 2023 in United Arab Emirates…
]]>More than 70 participants from the Caribbean followed an online training workshop to better prepare nomination files for the List of the 2003 Convention and strengthen regional cooperation.…
]]>The Bureau of the Committee approved on 2 October 2023 three new International Assistance to support living heritage safeguarding efforts in Cameroon, Mali and Uganda…
]]>On 2 October an information and exchange meeting will be held on the eighteenth session of the Committee (Kasane, Republic of Botswana, 4 to 9 December 2023)…
]]>On 27 and 28 September 2023, experts gather in UNESCO Headquarters to explore ways to maximize the positive effects of economic activities on living heritage safeguarding and sustainable development on communities, groups and individuals, while mitigating their negative impacts…
]]>The report of the conference ‘Conversations about Intangible Cultural Heritage’ in Canada is now available…
]]>Experts met to exchange on planning the response for safeguarding living heritage in Sudan…
]]>Representatives from UNESCO Category 2 Centres active in the field of intangible cultural heritage convened in Bulgaria for their 11th Annual Coordination Meeting…
]]>Special edition stamp ‘20 years… Let’s celebrate living heritage’ launched in September 2023 by La Poste …
]]>The Seoul Global Meeting celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Living Heritage Convention under the theme “Unleashing the power of living heritage for sustainable development and peace” and outlined a vision for the future of the Convention.…
]]>UNESCO Cairo Office release the publication ‘National capacity building on inventorying the intangible cultural heritage in the Arab Republic of Egypt’ …
]]>The UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Bangkok is launching the ‘Asia-Pacific Living Heritage Lesson Plan Contest 2023’.…
]]>This year’s theme for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is “Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination”. …
]]>To support future safeguarding efforts African country focal points met online to share progress and good practices in undertaking the periodic reporting process…
]]>From 25 to 26 July 2023, a Global Meeting marking the anniversary will be hosted by the Republic of Korea with the support of UNESCO…
]]>On 5 July 2023, the Open-ended intergovernmental working group adopted a series of recommendations aiming to broaden the sharing of safeguarding experiences under Article 18 of the Convention.…
]]>UNESCO Regional Office for the Gulf States and Yemen in collaboration with the Heritage Commission held a training on the implementation of the 2003 Convention…
]]>The Open-ended intergovernmental working group on the reflection of Article 18 is taking place from 4 to 6 July in UNESCO Headquarters. States Parties to the 2003 Convention and observers will explore how to share good safeguarding experiences of living heritage more broadly.…
]]>On the International Day of Yoga on 21 June, UNESCO Headquarters welcomed Sadhguru – one of the world’s leading practitioners and teachers of Yoga, a practice inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2016.…
]]>From 15th to 17th May 2023, the UNESCO Capacity Building Workshop for Community Learning Centers in China on Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding within the framework of UNESCO Inter-sectoral platform was successfully held in Ningbo City.…
]]>Nearly 1 million United States dollars have been granted to support the safeguarding of living heritage in nine States Parties: Bahamas, Haiti, Mauritania, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Peru, Rwanda Togo and Uzbekistan. …
]]>Join the 2003 Convention’s 20th anniversary celebration by organising events and activities that showcase the diversity and richness of living heritage and to raise awareness of the importance of living heritage safeguarding. …
]]>UNESCO is bringing together a diversity of voices around crosscutting issues in culture and arts education during a multistakeholder dialogue.…
]]>The Secretariat of the 2003 Convention is looking for a team of researchers and writers to carry out activities for a publication ‘Celebrating the living heritage of indigenous peoples’ as part of the Convention’s twentieth anniversary.…
]]>The Living Heritage Entity organized three information sessions, on 11th, 12th and 14th of April, to present, the modalities and processes for applying to the fund under the International Assistance mechanism of the Convention.…
]]>In a first for the region, country focal points for periodic reporting from 44 countries across Africa are convening in Algiers, Algeria, for a training workshop on periodic reporting …
]]>UNESCO convenes experts in Stockholm, Sweden to reflect on how to share good safeguarding experiences of living heritage more broadly …
]]>The deadline (30 April 2023) is approaching for non-governmental organizations with proven competence in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage to submit accreditation requests.…
]]>‘Teaching and learning with living heritage in Ukraine’ is a pilot project implemented with the support of the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund.…
]]>A pilot project in Kenya is providing training to refugee communities on safeguarding their living heritage as a vector for social cohesion and resilience.…
]]>The deadline for submitting nominations to the 2003 Convention is approaching. Nominations for the 2024 cycle must be submitted by 31 March 2023, using the forms available online. …
]]>By depositing its instrument of ratification on 17 November 2022, San Marino became, three months later, the 181st State to join the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>‘Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in basic education in Namibia and Zimbabwe’ is a project implemented with the support of the Government of Flanders, Belgium.…
]]>The Secretary of the 2003 Convention is joining colleagues from the UNESCO Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme in a panel on the sidelines of the One Forest Summit looking at the links between umbrella species and living heritage.…
]]>In the first half of 2023, UNESCO is carrying out a tailored capacity-building training on periodic reporting in Africa.…
]]>Ms. Aranda was a distinguished lawyer and anthropologist at the London School of Economics in England. She was part of the Expert Council of the Political Participation Programme for Latin America of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.…
]]>The deadline (15 February 2023) is approaching for the 91 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) accredited in 2010, 2014 and 2018.…
]]>French and Spanish versions of the six-week course dedicated to living heritage and sustainable development are now available. The UNESCO MOOC is free and anyone can enroll at any time.…
]]>Following the completion of the global reflection on the listing mechanisms of the Convention by the ninth session of the General Assembly in July 2022, the Secretariat has made available on the website of the 2003 Convention, newly revised forms to be completed by States when submitting:…
]]>2022 marked the 10th anniversary of the inscription of the ‘Traditional weaving of the Ecuadorian toquilla straw hat’ (Ecuador) on the Representative List. For the occasion, UNESCO Quito Office and the Embassy of France in Ecuador have organized many public events to celebrate the inscription. …
]]>UNESCO organized a two-day inception workshop from 22-23 November in Dar es Salaam in the United Republic of Tanzania to launch a new project on strengthening capacities at the national and local levels for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.…
]]>UNESCO, in co-operation with the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the members of Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages, will organize and host a High-level …
]]>The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Saturday ended its 17th session that took place in in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco. The session and the side-events brought together over one thousand people who were able to meet in person for the first time since …
]]>During this year’s session in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed 4 elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and 39 elements on the Representative List of the Intangible …
]]>While the plenary sessions are taking place, there is a wide program of side events organized by UNESCO, States Parties, institutional partners, and others. The ICH NGO Forum has also a program of events. Browse through the list below and find out more information on the dedicated webpage. …
]]>The opening ceremony of the seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took place on Sunday 27 November 2022, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at the Royal Club Equestre Dar Essalam in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco. It marks the beginning of …
]]>The start of the seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is fast approaching. The working documents are online, and the calendar of side-events is available. With over 1000 participants already registered, this will be the first …
]]>UNESCO organized an online training for facilitators in Africa during October and November 2022 to prepare a working group of resource persons to support the roll out of the Convention’s periodic reporting mechanism in the Africa region in 2023.…
]]>The working documents for the seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (17.COM) are now online. …
]]>The second phase of the International Assistance (IA) project “Inventory, safeguarding and promoting knowledge of how to manufacture and play Togo’s traditional musical instruments” recently came to an end. …
]]>The host country agreement signed between UNESCO and the Kingdom of Morocco for the organization of the seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. …
]]>The ICH NGO Forum will hold its symposium on the theme of “Living Heritage, Climate Change and the Environment” during the Seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on Sunday 27th November in Rabat, Morocco. A call for papers has been …
]]>This year, the 16th Annual Meeting of the South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage and the 2022 edition of the Training of trainers’ workshop for the European branch of the global network of facilitators will take place back-to-back in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is generously hosted …
]]>The UNESCO Chair dedicated to living heritage and sustainable development at the Cergy Paris Université, France, is organizing a series of webinars bringing together researchers and academics from various UNESCO Chairs. The first discussion will be held 14th October (2pm - 4pm).…
]]>The Bureau of the Seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recently examined three requests for International Assistance (IA) up to US$100,00. The first multinational IA request, submitted by Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, …
]]>An International Assistance (IA) project achieved encouraging results in the involvement of museums in the safeguarding of Ugandan living heritage.…
]]>The UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022 will be hosted from 28 to 30 September in Mexico City, Mexico. As emphasized during the regional consultations, the 2003 Convention is one of the foundations of cultural policies, and an essential asset to …
]]>This year’s edition of the ‘World Forum for Intangible Cultural Heritage’ is dedicated to traditional knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe. It will take place online from Wednesday 21st to Friday 23rd September. You are now invited to register to join the event.…
]]>Tim Curtis, Secretary of the 2003 Convention, and Eric Falt, Director of UNESCO New Delhi, discovered the intense preparations ahead of the Durga Puja in Kolkata, India, during a mission. Villages of Rajasthan were also visited, as a safeguarding project focus on sustainable tourism is unfolding in the …
]]>Following its successful launch in April 2022, the project ‘Capacity Building for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contribution to Sustainable Development in The Gambia’ has advanced with a second workshop in Serrekunda, the Gambia, over the summer.…
]]>Today marks the opening of the ‘Village International de la Gastronomie’ (International village of gastronomy) in Paris, France from Thursday 1st to Sunday 4th September. Several events are organized to celebrate living heritage from all around the world, with a focus on foodways. The Food and Agriculture …
]]>As UNESCO is entering into a second phase of the EU-funded project ‘Cash for Work: Promoting Livelihood Opportunities for Urban Youth in Yemen’, a practical training for community-based safeguarding of living heritage in Yemen took place in Cairo, Egypt.…
]]>Morocco has generously proposed to host the upcoming session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, from 28 November to 3 December 2022 in Rabat. The Bureau of the Committee approved this offer with enthusiasm in June. …
]]>The ongoing International Assistance (IA) project ‘Inventory of intangible culture of craftsmanship in the core of Historic Cairo’ tackles living heritage practices that lie within the urban and historic areas of Historic Cairo, a World Heritage site. Traditional crafts have notably been identified by …
]]>This year’s theme for the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is “The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge”. Indigenous women are indeed at the forefront of safeguarding living heritage practices and traditional knowledge.…
]]>In Jiquilisco and Tecoluca, two municipalities in Southern El Salvador, several young people participated in a workshop organized by UNESCO, which tackled intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and the various ways it contributes to peacebuilding and conflict resolution.…
]]>The Living Heritage Entity of UNESCO expresses its deep regret at the passing of Dr. Ahmed Morsi, Founder and Director of the Egyptian Society for Fold Traditions (ESFT).…
]]>Ghana launched the Capacity-building for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and contributing to sustainable development project, the event was hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) in Accra.…
]]>UNESCO’s regional office in Beirut wrapped up the project ‘Strengthening capacities for the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention of the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Lebanon’ with a workshop dedicated to policy-making.…
]]>UNESCO is launching a call for expressions of interest to expand the Global Network of Facilitators of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.…
]]>The ninth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, from Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 July 2022. Over three days, 180 States Parties will gather and discuss important topics, …
]]>‘Culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking’ was today inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, composed of representatives of the States Parties to the …
]]>The Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe, a Category 2 centre active in the field of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), recently organized a capacity-building workshop in the Ethnographic Museum of Belgrade, Serbia, called “Developing safeguarding …
]]>Research expeditions, with representatives of local organizations and living heritage experts, were conducted to identify the sacred sites worshipped by communities, as part of the International Assistance (IA) project ‘Supporting natural and cultural sustainability through the revitalization and transmission …
]]>The International Assistance (IA) project ‘Inventorying of Kuyabila of the Tonga ethnic group of Zambia’ begins with two preparatory meetings involving local communities. It aims at supporting the viability of Kuyabila, the poetry of the Tonga people, which is threatens by the ageing of practitioners. …
]]>Held annually on 5 June, World Environment Day is celebrated by millions of people across the world. The celebration of this day is an opportunity to highlight the different ways in which living heritage contributes to the protection of the environment, and the interdependence between the two.…
]]>A new publication emphasizing the strong links between intangible cultural heritage and social inclusion in Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) is being launched. Coordinated by the UNESCO Office in Montevideo, the publication features case studies of activities, projects and programmes implemented by …
]]>Update on the pilot project Recovery of living heritage from the COVID-19 pandemic: Ulos weavers and Gorga sculptors in the Toba region being implemented in Indonesia.…
]]>Community-based needs identification is ongoing for living heritage safeguarding amongst five neighboring countries receiving high number of Ukrainian displaced communities: Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.…
]]>UNESCO, together with 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 support a safeguarding strategy in Central America and the Caribbean.…
]]>Nicaragua and Panama have recently joined the list of the participating countries in the Category 2 institute and centre under the auspices of UNESCO (C2C) Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America (CRESPIAL), which has now reached 18 members in the region. …
]]>UNESCO has published a new brochure titled ‘Living Heritage and Emergencies’, in English|French|Spanish. It outlines UNESCO’s action based on the “Operational principles and modalities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in emergencies”.…
]]>Between the 22nd and the 24th of April, the opening event of the fourth edition of the Italian Youth Forum will take place in Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia. The Forum is organized by the Italian Youth Association for UNESCO. …
]]>On 25 and 26 of April, States Parties to the 2003 Convention and observers are invited to participate in the third part of the Open-ended intergovernmental working group in the framework of the global reflection on the listing mechanisms of the 2003 Convention.…
]]>The beginning of the UNESCO project ‘Capacity Building for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Contribution to Sustainable Development in The Gambia’ was celebrated early April at the National Museum of the Gambia in Banjul. This initiative was made possible by a voluntary …
]]>On 7th and 8th of April, an inter-regional inception workshop took place online to launch a project in five Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific and the Caribbean regions, namely in The Bahamas, Belize, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu. The project is generously funded by the Japanese Funds-in-Trust.…
]]>The Secretariat is happy to announce the inauguration of a new UNESCO Chair dedicated to living heritage and sustainable development at the Cergy Paris Université, France, with the support of the French Ministry of Culture. A conference is taking place on Friday 8th April to celebrate this new addition …
]]>31st March 2022 marks the deadline for submitting nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention, proposals to the Register for Good Safeguarding Practices and Requests for International Assistance for examination by the eighteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee in November/December 2023. …
]]>On 25th March, UNESCO Bangkok and the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP) are organizing an online event ‘Bringing Living Heritage to the Classroom in Asia-Pacific to Promote Transformative Education’, …
]]>The Arab States region is the third region to develop country reports on the implementation of the 2003 Convention under the reformed periodic reporting mechanism. This training course for the periodic reporting is being delivered for the first time in a hybrid format, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates …
]]>Held every year on 21 March, World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expressions. Join UNESCO in celebrating poetry across the globe!…
]]>Interested in requesting International Assistance under the 2003 Convention? Join one of the three information sessions dedicated to the topic on 22nd, 24th and 29th March 2022.…
]]>Following the recommendations for post-pandemic response and recovery provided by the UNESCO report “Living Heritage in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic”, local stakeholders in Bosnia and Herzegovina developed a digital platform compiling local ICH elements.…
]]>Until the 1st of April, a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is being held online, focusing on the ‘Challenges and Perspectives of African Heritage’. An entire chapter is dedicated to African intangible cultural heritage and the 2003 Convention for its safeguarding on the continent. Find out more about …
]]>UNESCO expresses its deep regret at the passing of Abdoul Aziz Guissé, Director of Cultural Heritage of Senegal, in Dakar on 3 February 2022. …
]]>Earlier this month, an International Assistance project in Grenada was officially launched through an online event. It marked the beginning of a project that will unfold until January 2023, and that will strengthen the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in Grenada through inventorying and …
]]>The second evaluation focusing on the 2003 Convention marks the first follow-up exercise to the cycle of Internal Oversight Service (IOS) evaluations of UNESCO’s six culture conventions. The main purpose of this 2021 evaluation was to generate findings, lessons learned, and recommendations regarding …
]]>Through the support of the Interreg Sudoe Programme, the project LIVHES ‘Living heritage for sustainable development’ is now unfolding in 8 South-Western European (SUDOE) regions from three States Parties that ratified the 2003 Convention: France, Portugal and Spain. Actors and key stakeholders are organizing …
]]>Following the recommendations for post-pandemic response and recovery provided by the UNESCO report “Living Heritage in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic”, the UNESCO Office in Quito developed a digital platform addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the living heritage of Andean …
]]>The celebration of International Day of Education coincides with the official opening of a six-weeks course dedicated to living heritage and sustainable development. This new and free UNESCO MOOC will be available online until 31 August 2022 and anyone can enroll at any time.…
]]>UNESCO has published a series of case studies as part of the pilot project to support research and documentation on traditional knowledge systems, recognized as part of communities’ living heritage, for biodiversity conservation, climate change and disaster risk reduction in East Africa. …
]]>The International Centre for Capacity Building in Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Arab States has joined the 2003 Convention family – this Centre is hosted by the Sharjah Institute for Heritage in the United Arab Emirates.…
]]>For the second year in a row, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage met using a fully online modality. Mr Punchi Nilame Meegaswatte, Secretary-General - Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO chaired the session from UNESCO Headquarters. UNESCO wishes …
]]>During this year’s session, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed 4 elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, 39 elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity …
]]>As the items on the agenda are being discussed and examined, there are side events organized by the Secretariat and its partners taking place. Find out more about what’s happening during the Committee and do not hesitate to register!…
]]>The sixteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will begin this coming Monday with an opening ceremony. Find out more about its online modalities and the items of the agenda to be discussed throughout the week.…
]]>The sixteenth session of the Committee will be held fully online from 13 to 18 December 2021, with an adjusted provisional timetable in order to accommodate different time zones, while maintaining all items of the provisional agenda. The Secretariat of the Convention organizes an online information and …
]]>The two-year project, led by the Finnish Heritage Agency, “LIVIND - Creative and living cultural heritage as a resource for the Northern Dimension region” seeks to underpin the role of intangible cultural heritage in local communities as a basis for sustainable development, well-being, and livelihoods. …
]]>The Global Action Plan of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages is presented at UNESCO during the Culture Commission of the 41st session of the General Conference on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th November. Find out how living heritage is being mobilized for the International Decade of Indigenous …
]]>The working documents for the 16th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (16.COM) are now online. They include the recommendations of the Evaluation Body for the 2021 cycle, the Internal Oversight Service (IOS) Evaluation of UNESCO’s action …
]]>The 41st session of General Conference, which is taking place from 9 to 24 November 2021, also marks UNESCO’s 75th anniversary. Learn more on UNESCO’s achievements in regard to safeguarding living heritage on the occasion of its 75th anniversary. …
]]>The project ‘Intangible heritage and creativity for sustainable cities’ aims to promote the role of culture in sustainable urban development, and specifically addresses the role that living heritage and creativity can play in building sustainable cities. After George Town (Malaysia), Harare (Zimbabwe), …
]]>UNESCO has launched a call for volunteers to join a network of experts and knowledge holders in the field of biodiversity and land restoration, environmental management and environmental law. The deadline to apply is 29th October 2021.…
]]>Given worldwide uncertainties due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Committee decided that the next 16th session of the Committee will be held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, from 13 to 18 December 2021.…
]]>On the occasion World Food Day on Saturday 16th October, the 2003 Convention Secretariat would like to draw attention to the importance of foodways amongst the hundreds of elements inscribed on the lists of the Convention and the contribution of living heritage to the sustainable development goals related …
]]>Somalia is the latest State Party to have ratified the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO is encouraged to see that a growing number of activities are taking place on the ground and wishes to highlight these dynamic beginnings. A 6-day workshop has started …
]]>International Assistance (IA) is at the very core of the 2003 Convention as it enables an effective and sustainable safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. State parties are encouraged to request IA to fully benefit from what the 2003 Convention has to offer to their local communities. …
]]>The 2021 edition of the ‘World Forum for Intangible Cultural Heritage’ is a joint initiative bringing together two key institutions based in the Asia-Pacific region. It is hosted by the National Intangible Heritage Center in Seoul and the Category 2 Centre International Information and Networking Centre …
]]>To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Slovak ratification of the 2003 Convention, the Slovak Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre in cooperation with the National Institute of Folk Culture in Strážnice, Czechia will host a webinar for Slovak and Czech-speaking teachers on 24th September 2021 from 9am …
]]>Join us in celebrating the International Day of Peace and discover the wide range of elements related to peacebuilding inscribed on the lists of the 2003 Convention.…
]]>Netflix and UNESCO have recently come together to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of India through a cartooned series titled Mighty Little Bheem. Furthermore, a series of fun short videos called ‘One Country, Incredible Diversity’ will be streamed over the next year to shine a light on India’s cultural …
]]>From 23 to 27 August, the city of León in Nicaragua hosted a capacity-building workshop on inventories methods of intangible cultural heritage. It was held with the assistance of UNESCO’s Participation Programme, which is designed to provide direct assistance to initiatives undertaken by Member …
]]>Given the ongoing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Part II of Open-ended intergovernmental working group on the Listing mechanisms is taking place fully online on 9 and 10 September. The debates can be followed live in the original language with interpretation in English and in French. …
]]>UNESCO’s regional office in Beirut launched in 2017 a capacity-building project funded by the Government of Japan, in collaboration with the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO. The project is aimed at strengthening human and institutional infrastructures for the safeguarding of Lebanese living heritage, …
]]>The night of 22 to 23 August 1791, in Santo Domingo (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) saw the beginning of the uprising that would play a crucial role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. It is against this background that the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade …
]]>The Living Heritage Entity celebrates the yearly International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples by bringing an overview of the exceptional role that indigenous peoples hold in the practice and the transmission of living heritage. This role and its importance have been highlighted by the COVID-19 …
]]>In November 2018, UNESCO approved an international assistance request from Kyrgyzstan to develop an inventory and safeguarding measures. The project finished recently. Its successful implementation of this allows better understanding of the Kyrgyz living heritage, strengthened capacities for the local …
]]>The first global Online training of trainers course on living heritage and education ended recently. The Living Heritage Entity takes this opportunity to highlight the beneficial relationship between living heritage safeguarding and education.…
]]>The project ‘My Heritage, My Region: Strategy for Capacity-building in Social Management’ just wrapped up in Colombia, demonstrating concrete results with support from the International Assistance mechanism through UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.…
]]>Given the ongoing restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Part I (8 and 9 July) of Open-ended intergovernmental working group on the Listing mechanisms is taking place fully online. The debates can be followed live in the original language with interpretation in English and in French. Recordings …
]]>A joint pilot project on safeguarding living heritage in emergency situations is taking place in the Philippines and Honduras between May and July. This series of online workshops aims to strengthen capacities for integrating disaster risk reduction into community-based inventories of ICH, and further …
]]>The working documents for the 8 and 9 July sessions of the Open-ended intergovernmental working group are now available online. These documents are the result of an online survey held in March and April 2021 and also following the intensive work of 35 experts who met virtually throughout May. They discussed …
]]>A webinar on ‘Teaching and learning with living heritage’ will allow European teachers and students to share their experience on 29 June 2021 from 3 to 5 p.m. (Paris time). This event concludes the project ‘Engaging Youth for an Inclusive and Sustainable Europe’ implemented jointly by UNESCO and the …
]]>UNESCO launched a series of six reports revealing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the culture sector: world heritage sites, living heritage, creative industries, museums and cities. This sector-wide approach aims to provide decision-makers and cultural actors with current data, practices, …
]]>As part of a global project focusing on Living Heritage in cities, 7-months of activities conducted in Tbilisi are coming to an end. For the occasion, 20 short videos featuring the Living Heritage stories in Old Tbilisi, presented by the bearers will be screened on 19 June at a public presentation to …
]]>8 June is the World Oceans Day, and 2021 marks the beginning of the decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Discover the various ways the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, of oceans and the environment at large are entangled.…
]]>From 31 May to 4 June 2021, the Global ASPnet meeting will bring together teacher education and training institutions represented by deans, teacher educators and student teachers from the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet). Tomorrow, an online session dedicated to Living heritage as an enabling …
]]>The music contest “Panamá Unidos en Canción” (Panama United in Song) was organized by the artist Patricia Vlieg and the organization Youth United for Education, with the support of the Ministries of Culture and Education of Panama, civil society actors, and the UNESCO Office in San Jose. …
]]>A series of expert meetings organized in the framework of the global reflection on the listing mechanisms of the 2003 Convention ended yesterday. Over the past month, experts were invited to work in breakout groups focusing on themes such as the criteria of inscription on the Lists, the follow-up of …
]]>A workshop dedicated to learning how to develop concrete plans for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Greece is to be held online from 31 May to 4 June 2021. The workshop will provide an occasion for peer learning, networking, and strategic discussions among participants under the framework …
]]>UNESCO is pleased to partner with the General Assembly of the United Nations in organizing a high-level event on the occasion of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, taking place on Friday 21 May. The event aims to highlight the resilient and transformative role of culture …
]]>The Republic of Djibouti has finalized the establishment of a national inventory of its intangible cultural heritage elements with the support of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. This effort is part of a series of awareness-raising workshops on the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of …
]]>On 10 May 2021, a webinar will kick-off a series of capacity-building activities for the development of safeguarding plans for the traditional violin craftmanship in Cremona, Italy. Like many others, this region of Europe was greatly affected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In close cooperation …
]]>On 30 April 2021, a wide range of stakeholders from Eastern Africa will meet online to review research results on the relationship between living heritage and biodiversity, climate change and disaster risk reduction.…
]]>UNESCO welcomes young heritage professionals, students and heritage enthusiasts to join the upcoming open Webinar on European Youth and Heritage being held on 23 April 2021 from 14:00 to 15:30 Paris time, and discover a thriving network of Cultural Heritage Messengers. Online registration here.…
]]>This project dedicated to building capacities for safeguarding Palestinian intangible cultural heritage recently came to an end. Find out more about the project activities through the large number of interactions on community-based pilot-inventorying videos that the UNESCO Ramallah Office posted on …
]]>Join us in celebrating the International of Sport for Development and Peace. For the occasion, discover the diversity of traditional sports and games inscribed on the Lists of the 2003 Convention and find out more about their meanings and benefits to the local communities. …
]]>31 March 2021 marks the deadline for submitting nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention, proposals to the Register for Good Safeguarding Practices and Requests for International Assistance for examination by the seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee in November/December 2022. …
]]>Europe is the second region, after Latin America and the Caribbean in 2020, to undertake the periodic reporting exercise on the implementation of the 2003 Convention under the reformed periodic reporting mechanism. UNESCO facilitators start the online training of country focal points in Europe over the …
]]>Do you know what Nowruz, Nauryz or Nevruz mean? These words signify ‘new day’ for more than 300 million people around the world, and correspond to celebrations in large parts of Asia (Central, West and South) and from Southeast Europe to the Caucasus and Ural Mountain Range. The International Day of …
]]>The 16th session of Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 13 to 18 December 2021. This session will be chaired by Mr Punchi Nilame Meegaswatte, the Secretary General of the Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO. …
]]>Tomorrow marks the deadline for Latin American and Caribbean States to submit their reports on the implementation of the 2003 Convention, and for States having elements inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List in 2012 and 2016 to submit their quadrennial reports.…
]]>On the 8th of March 2021, the Living Heritage Entity joins its voice to that of the entire UN family by celebrating this International Women’s Day. For this occasion, please find an overview of the interactions between intangible cultural heritage and gender, and the different achievements of the 2003 …
]]>The UNESCO Bangkok Field Office and the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICHCAP) have jointly published the results of a recent survey on ‘Teaching and learning with and about intangible cultural heritage in Asia and the Pacific’, which provides an overview …
]]>Thanks to a four-year project which just ended, Sudan has organized many initiatives aimed at supporting communities in the identification, enhancement, transmission and safeguarding of living heritage, despite civil unrest and recent constraints and limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s an …
]]>The third APHEN-ICH International Seminar titled ‘Diversity and Distinctiveness: Looking into Shared ICH in the Asia-Pacific’ will take place on 18th and 19th February 2021 at 3:00 pm Seoul time (7:00 am Paris time). …
]]>For several years, UNESCO has been putting a strong emphasis on bringing education and living heritage safeguarding together. In that regard, a webinar will take place on 26 January 2021, 13.00-14.30, Paris time …
]]>During this year’s session (14 to 19 December, online), the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed three elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and 29 elements on the Representative List of the Intangible …
]]>The warmth of reggae marked the opening on 14 December of the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, chaired by H.E. Ms Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport of Jamaica. More than 800 online participants …
]]>Launched with a virtual kick-off meeting on 25 November 2020, the activity in Tbilisi, Georgia joins successful pilots in George Town, Malaysia, Harare, Zimbabwe, Kingston, Jamaica and Ayacucho, Peru, which have participated in the project Community based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage …
]]>After broad consultations, the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has decided to continue with the organization of the 15th session of the Committee from 14 to 19 December. However, for the first time the session will take place online due …
]]>Despite the reactivation of lockdown measures in some European countries due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, several institutions have proceeded with the organization of online events to enhance dialogue among living heritage specialists and to continue the implementation of safeguarding activities.…
]]>As States Parties to the Convention, these two countries are now part of a worldwide international network committed to supporting communities in the transmission of their living heritage to future generations. These two recent ratifications are expected to further strengthen the implementation of the …
]]>During the last three years, the women from Taroudant in the High Atlas of Morocco, have been working with the association Bhayer Dalya to prepare an inventory of female chants sung by the Chikate (group of women) during social events. Their goal is to revitalize the practice and invite younger generations …
]]>Researchers, governments and museums came together to organize two events for the safeguarding and promotion of living heritage: Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24: CIESPCI virtual (Mexico) Tuesday 20: “Nordic Museums and Intangible Cultural Heritage” (Finland)…
]]>On the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Living Heritage Entity highlights the role that intangible cultural heritage can play in mitigation at every step of the disaster management cycle, from preparedness through to response and recovery. The 2003 Convention’s work in disaster contexts …
]]>The Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund provides assistance to States Parties in their efforts to safeguard their living heritage. Last September, the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage examined International Assistance requests under US$100,000. …
]]>The 4th Sub-regional Training for Trainers in the field of intangible cultural heritage in Central Asia was held online from 24 to 28 August 2020, due to the ongoing lockdown measures in Central Asia. …
]]>With all appropriate sanitary measures due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, 250 delegates representing more than 140 countries gathered for the eighth session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the 2003 Convention that elected H.E. Mr Amara Camara as its Chairperson.…
]]>Under strict sanitary measures, the UNESCO National Office for Palestine, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture (MoC), invited governmental agencies, civil society representatives and community practitioners to attend the fourth round of capacity-building workshops in August 2020. …
]]>The eighth session of the General Assembly will start on 8 September under very particular conditions imposed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With all appropriate sanitary measures in place, as mentioned below, the 178 States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural …
]]>In 2017, the Tooro Youth Platform for Action (Engabu Z Tooro) started working with five communities in Western Uganda to revitalize and document ceremonies and practices associated with the Empaako naming system, inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List in December 2013, with the support of a UNESCO …
]]>Celebrating indigenous peoples’ living heritage on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is an indigenous woman from the Mbororo pastoralist community in Chad. As nomadic cattle herders residing in the far west of the country near Lake Chad, her community have …
]]>The call for participation in the pilot project ‘Community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in the urban context of Ayacucho, Peru’ attracted hundreds of applicants. Of these, 56 selected public officials, archaeologists, anthropologists, communicators, teachers, bearers, practitioners …
]]>The eighth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held at UNESCO Headquarters from 8 to 10 September 2020. All States Parties and participants attending are required to register online. Due to the …
]]>Afar, Arab and Somali communities in the Republic of Djibouti are preparing the country’s first inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the support of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. Read more about this initiative led by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Culture and Charitable Assets …
]]>In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the capacity-building training on periodic reporting in the Latin America and the Caribbean region was adapted to an online modality, comprising weekly 2-hour webinars, combined with recorded videos, readings and online forum discussions. …
]]>UNESCO Office in Beirut is working with governmental institutions, associations, NGOs and communities in Lebanon to further develop their human and institutional capacities to safeguard and transmit living heritage. This project is funded by UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust and aims to support the implementation …
]]>The eighth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (previously foreseen from 25 to 27 August) has been rescheduled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to 8 to 10 September 2020 (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris).…
]]>In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, a planned training workshop was held online during the first week of May 2020, and attended by participants from the heritage department of the Ministry of Culture. Organized within the project “Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding Palestinian intangible …
]]>While we are currently going through extraordinary conditions of lockdown on a global scale due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are also seeing the ways in which the impact of this crisis goes beyond our physical health. Festivals and cultural events are being cancelled or postponed, and cultural …
]]>National focal points for periodic reporting from 32 countries and associated member States of UNESCO across Latin America and the Caribbean took part last Tuesday in the launch of the new online training course for the reformed periodic reporting process, which is being rolled out in the region for …
]]>Living heritage as a source of resilience and recovery during crisis In line with its response to COVID-19, UNESCO is launching a web platform to share and exchange experiences of living heritage in the context of the pandemic, both in terms of its impact and the diverse ways in which communities turn …
]]>While physical distancing and confinement are affecting the way we live, some communities are finding creative ways to adapt to the circumstances and continue practicing their living heritage.…
]]>The workshop ‘Integrating intangible cultural heritage in school-based education. Lessons learnt from the UNESCO-EU pilot project’, was organized from 27 February to 1 March 2020 in Rotterdam in partnership with the UNESCO Associated Schools network (ASPnet)…
]]>Over recent years, the Secretariat of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has developed educational and knowledge management tools to provide online data and resources to all stakeholders involved in the safeguarding of living heritage. Our main resources: Dive into …
]]>Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the eighth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention (originally foreseen from 9 to 11 June 2020) has been rescheduled to take place from 25 to 27 August 2020 (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris). According to these new dates, all working …
]]>The deadline of 31 March is fast approaching for submitting nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention, proposals to the Register for Good Safeguarding Practices and Requests for International Assistance for examination by the Intergovernmental Committee in November/December 2021.…
]]>‘The first time I came to learn about the 2003 Convention was in 2010 during a workshop organized by the UNESCO office in Windhoek.’…
]]>Interview with Tarcila Rivera Zea, Executive Director, Centro de Culturas Indígenas del Perú. She grew up speaking Quechua and only learnt Spanish at the age of 10 when she started attending school. Since a young age, she has defended the rights of indigenous peoples…
]]>While the practice and transmission of living heritage contributes to the vitality, strength and well-being of indigenous communities, language is the principal vehicle through which such living heritage is kept alive.…
]]>The main objective is the creation of a network of Intangible Cultural Heritage safeguarding professionals and NGOs which will draw up community-based inventories of living heritage. …
]]>Between 2015 to 2019, UNESCO granted emergency international assistance of $299,972 dollars to prepare an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage present in Côte d’Ivoire.…
]]>Living heritage actors share with us their experiences in the implementation of the 2003 Convention. Deng Nhial Chioh is a heritage professional who lives and works in South Sudan. Coming from two different communities, he had a strong taste for cultural diversity from an early age.…
]]>The ‘Capacity building project for the safeguarding of Comoros’ intangible cultural heritage for sustainable development’ has been completed with a closing ceremony held in Moroni, Union of Comoros at the end of 2019.…
]]>The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Saturday ended its 14th session which took place in the Colombian capital under the Chair María Claudia López Sorzano. The Committee adopted guidelines for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in emergency …
]]>The 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages is a time to reflect on the importance of safeguarding indigenous peoples’ living heritage by recognizing the vital role that indigenous languages play in ensuring the continued transmission of their heritage to future generations.…
]]>At its fourteenth session, the Intergovernmental Committee endorsed a set of operational principles and modalities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in a wide range of emergency contexts, including conflicts and natural disasters. …
]]>The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting in the Colombian capital inscribed 35 elements on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.…
]]>Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage granted Burkina Faso an International assistance of US$387,770 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund…
]]>The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting in the Colombian capital inscribed five elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.…
]]>President Duque for his part highlighted the fact that the meeting in Bogotá was the first Committee session to take place in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The President pleaded for the democratization of culture, which he defined as “that which is rooted in feelings and principles. … that …
]]>On Monday 9 December, the fourteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will commence in Bogota, Colombia. Chaired by Ms María Claudia López Sorzano, Secretary for Culture, Leisure and Sport of the City of Bogota, this will be the first …
]]>Since the ratification of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by Palestine in December 2011, UNESCO has accompanied national stakeholders in the implementation of the Convention by providing advice for the elaboration of a national strategy on cultural heritage …
]]>The complete set of documents has been published online for the fourteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on 8 November 2019. …
]]>From 4 to 8 November 2019, more than 20 intangible cultural heritage specialists are gathering in Oujda, Morocco, for a training of trainers workshop under the 2003 Convention’s global capacity-building programme. The workshop intends to strengthen and expand the Arab States chapter of the facilitators’ …
]]>The Secretariat is launching an interactive bibliography of research references related to the Convention. Hosted by UNESCO and led by independent researchers, this project intends to enhance the dissemination of ICH-related research for all stakeholders involved in the implementation of the 2003 Convention.…
]]>The introduction of living heritage into schools can make education more exciting, accessible and relevant for both teachers and children. A pilot project entitled the 2018 European Year of Cultural Heritage: Engaging Youth for an Inclusive and Sustainable Europe.…
]]>Through projects aimed at supporting communities in the identification, enhancement and safeguarding of living heritage, Gabon, Kenya and the Seychelles have made major progress in safeguarding the living heritage present in their country.…
]]>Organized by UNESCO and the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe, based in Sofia, Bulgaria, the workshop will take place from 1 to 3 October in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.…
]]>The Colombian Foreign Minister and UNESCO have signed the host country agreement for the organization of the fourteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, due to be held from 9 to 14 December 2019.…
]]>The Conference on Intangible Cultural Heritage: Towards an intersectoral development of public policies, gathering August 2019 in Asunción, Paraguay, highlighted the intersectoral dimensions of intangible cultural heritage and the role of training in contributing to the strengthening of public policies.…
]]>Forty-two participants from government, civil society and communities gathered in Port-au-Prince in July 2019 for two workshops to strengthen Haiti’s national capacities to safeguard its living heritage.The objectives of the two workshops were defined in consultation with the National Bureau of …
]]>The new priority on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in formal and non-formal education is gaining ground thanks to strong collaboration between the Culture and Education Sectors at UNESCO. …
]]>UNESCO’s Living heritage entity is greatly saddened to announce the loss of one of its most dedicated cultural expert and facilitators in Africa, Stephen Chifunyise who passed away on 5th August 2019 in Harare. Stephen Chifunyise played a prominent role in the development of cultural policies in Botswana, …
]]>A wrap-up workshop of the project “Community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage” was organized last July in Kingston, Jamaica five months after its launching. Since March, members from three communities of Kingston were invited to join capacity building workshops on community-based …
]]>Kumar Munieswaran (left on the picture), a young martial art practitioner, member of the Nillaikalakki Silambam Association in George Town, Malaysia is one of the 30 local facilitators trained by UNESCO to inventory their living heritage. Once trained, Kumar interviewed the Grandmasters and members of …
]]>Indigenous peoples hold a rich diversity of living heritage, including practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills that continue to be relevant and provide meaning in everyday life. The practice and transmission of this heritage contributes to the ongoing vitality, strength and wellbeing …
]]>From 22 to 25 July 2019, a four-day workshop on ‘Capacity Building Workshop on Linking 2003 Convention and University ICH programs’ was held in Shanghai, China to reinforce university networking in Asia and the Pacific. Universities that are part of the Asia-Pacific Higher Education Network for Safeguarding …
]]>Since 2018, UNESCO has been working with national stakeholders involved in safeguarding living heritage in Lebanon for the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention at the national level, with the support of the Japan Funds-in-Trust. …
]]>45 individuals from 20 African countries participated in a training of trainers workshop from 9 to 13 July 2019 in Algiers, Algeria. The workshop brought together anthropologists, researchers in the field of culture or social sciences, as well as cultural officials from ministries or organizations working …
]]>The Secretariat has made available, on the website of the 2003 Convention, the updated forms to be completed by States when nominating living heritage elements to the Representative List and Urgent Safeguarding List and when proposing projects, programmes and activities for the Register of Good Safeguarding …
]]>UNESCO Almaty organized this sub-regional meeting for Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from 18 to 19 June 2019, which was hosted by the National Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic for UNESCO.…
]]>“Heritage it is an inherent part of our identity. It is a way to understand each other better” mentioned Victoria Kelly, one of the participants to the European Young Heritage Professionals Forum that gathered young practitioners with a background in both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Participants …
]]>“Heritage it is an inherent part of our identity. It is a way to understand each other better” mentioned Victoria Kelly, one of the participants to the European Young Heritage Professionals Forum that gathered young practitioners with a background in both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Participants …
]]>Twenty-one international experts gathered on 21 and 22 May at UNESCO Headquarters at the request of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (see Decision 13.COM 11) to explore operational modalities of action for the safeguarding of intangible cultural …
]]>The European Young Heritage Professionals Forum is taking place in Zadar, Croatia, from 20 to 24 May 2019. Hosted by the Croatian Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, the Forum is organized in the framework of the UNESCO-EU joint project 2018 European Year of …
]]>From 14 to 23 April 2019, the Abu Dhabi Department of Tourism and Culture is hosting a community-based inventorying workshop for its staff aiming to better integrate the principles of the 2003 Convention in its activities at the local level.…
]]>Accredited NGOs as well as States Parties met on 18 April to discuss the ways in which NGOs can contribute to the work of safeguarding living heritage.…
]]>A new report published by UNESCO shows that safeguarding intangible cultural heritage through technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is a pertinent, yet unexplored, topic.…
]]>This year, the 31 March falls on a weekend, so the Secretariat will accept nominations submitted by the end of the first working day after that. Nominations should be submitted by 6 p.m (Paris time) Monday 1 April 2019.…
]]>The European Young Heritage Professionals Forum will take place from 20 to 24 May 2019 in Zadar, Croatia to explore potential synergies and challenges of working on tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the European context. …
]]>A recent survey of universities in Southern Africa acknowledged that a diversity of disciplines are integrating intangible cultural heritage including culture, heritage, archaeology, tourism, history, indigenous knowledge systems, theatre and African languages.…
]]>On 18 December 2018, UNESCO Beirut, in partnership with the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO, launched a pilot project called ‘Learn with the Intangible Cultural Heritage for a sustainable future’ that targets Lebanese public and private schools.…
]]>The Ministry of Youth, Sports, Professional Integration, Arts and Culture of Comoros and the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa co-organized from 20 to 22 November 2018, in Moroni, a national workshop for the elaboration of a strategic review document to strengthen the legislative framework for …
]]>Following the fieldwork in Accra, Kumasi, Tamale and Cape Coast to identify the needs for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Ghana, the UNESCO office in Accra organized a needs assessment validation workshop on 13 and 14 December 2018…
]]>Under the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018, UNESCO and the European Union teamed up to develop a new project strengthening the connections between heritage, youth and education. …
]]>The next annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place from 9 to 14 December 2019 in Bogotá, Colombia. This decision was taken in Port Louis, Mauritius at the close of the thirteenth session of the Committee, which brings together …
]]>The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting in Mauritius until 1 December, inscribed thirty-one elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Representative List seeks to enhance visibility for the traditions …
]]>Meeting in Mauritius until 1 December, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, inscribed this morning seven elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent …
]]>The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting in Port Louis (Mauritius), has decided to inscribe traditional Korean wrestling, ssirum/ssireum, on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, on the basis of a joint application …
]]>From 26 November to 1 December 2018, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will come together for its thirteenth session in Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius. Nearly 800 participants – representatives of States Parties, non-governmental organizations, …
]]>UNESCO’s facilitators are central to the success of its global capacity-building programme. Since the creation of the network in 2011, UNESCO’s facilitators have provided training and advisory services in more than 100 countries and delivered more than 250 workshops around the world. A roundtable side …
]]>The Ministry of Culture of Senegal and the UNESCO Office in Dakar organized from 15 to 22 October 2018 a capacity-building workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage at the Blaise Senghor Cultural Centre in Dakar. 15 stakeholders including directors and associates of regional …
]]>The UNESCO Office in Nairobi, the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO and the National Museum of Kenya organized a community-based inventorying workshop from 8 to 23 October in Lamu, Kenya. The workshop, facilitated by a UNESCO-trained intangible cultural heritage facilitator, strengthened the capacity …
]]>The project “Strengthening the capacities of Eritrea for implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage” made major strides towards raising safeguarding capacities on a national level. Three capacity-building activities were organized between 2014 and 2018, equipping …
]]>The Secretariat of the 2003 Convention published online the 2018 Edition of the Basic Texts in the six official languages of UNESCO. This new edition contains updates resulting from resolutions of the seventh session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention (June 2018) as …
]]>The complete set of documents has been published online for the thirteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on 29 October 2018. Available in the two working languages of the Committee (English and French), the documents can be downloaded …
]]>A meeting held on 22 and 23 October 2018 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris will kick start the project ‘Community based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in urban contexts’. The project seeks to contribute to the international debate on safeguarding living heritage in urban contexts with links …
]]>From 29 October to 7 November, 2018 the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section and UNESCO-UNEVOC will co-host a virtual conference on ‘Integrating the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in technical and vocational education and training (TVET)’. …
]]>The deadline (19 October 2018) is approaching for the 176 accredited non-governmental organizations and the 178 States Parties to fill out the online questionnaire on the role of accredited NGOs under the Convention. This electronic consultation is organized as a first step in the reflection on the advisory …
]]>At its first meeting, the National Committee of Eritrea adopted an Action Plan for 2018 to 2020, which outlines the main actions to be undertaken for safeguarding Eritrea’s intangible cultural heritage, namely the implementation of safeguarding measures, elaboration of inventories and international cooperation. …
]]>From February 2017 to August 2018, 25 Náhuat youth from El Salvador, aged between 15 to 17 years old, participated in an inventorying exercise to safeguard their oral traditions. The project entitled ‘Titajtakezakan. Speaking across time, oral tradition and use of information and communication technologies’ …
]]>Following the decision of the Intergovernmental Committee last year to hold its thirteenth session in Port Louis, the Republic of Mauritius and UNESCO signed the host country agreement formalizing their cooperation and respective responsibilities for the organization of that session. …
]]>Thanks to the generous support of the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (ICHCAP), a category 2 centre under the auspices of UNESCO, the UNESCO brochures titled Intangible Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development and Intangible …
]]>On 17 to 20 September, 25 facilitators from Europe gathered in Sofia, Bulgaria, for a training of trainers’ workshop on supporting policy development in the field of intangible cultural heritage. The workshop was generously co-organized and supported by the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the …
]]>The Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Elaborating Nomination Files under the Mechanisms of the 2003 UNESCO Convention, organized by the UNESCO Beijing Office, will be held from 26 September to 3 October 2018 in Pyongyang, The Democratic People’s Republic …
]]>Under the framework of the project “Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Egypt for Sustainable Development”, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Sciences in the Arab States in Cairo is surging ahead with the foreseen capacity building interventions, generously …
]]>Following sixty years of armed conflict, peacebuilding activities of the emergency International Assistance kicked off in the municipality of El Conejo, department of La Guajira, within the commitments of the 2016 Peace Agreement between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of …
]]>A sub-regional meeting for ICH safeguarding in Northeast Asia was held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from 28 to 29 August 2018 on ‘ICH in Education: Towards Joint Collaboration for Promoting ICH in Formal and Non-Formal Education’.…
]]>After six years of intense and fruitful collaboration between communities, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, local governments, research institutions (University of Ouagadougou and the Institute of Sciences of Society), civil society organizations and media, …
]]>An international forum on ‘Unlocking the potential of tertiary education for ICH safeguarding’ was held in Seoul, Republic of Korea. UNESCO Bangkok and the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region…
]]>The thirteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place from 26 November to 1 December 2018 at the Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre (SVICC) in Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius.…
]]>The 2016 edition of the Operational Directives for the Implementation of the 2003 Convention are now available in Portuguese, thanks to the translation by the National Commission of Portugal for UNESCO. You may consult this version here. The Secretariat of the 2003 Convention updates the Operational …
]]>From 18 to 21 June 2018, the Ministry of Muslim Affairs, Culture and Waqf assets in Djibouti, with support from the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, convened 40 national and local authorities, experts, NGOs, communities and media representatives to participate in a national workshop on the …
]]>For more than 10 years, the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has been implemented worldwide. Many organizations and institutions have been developing activities at different scales and in multiple domains to address complex situations. How can such experiences …
]]>The UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa organized a national awareness-raising workshop on intangible cultural heritage on 25 - 29 June 2018 in Moroni, the Comoros, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Professional Integration, Arts and Culture. This marks the start of the activities …
]]>The UNESCO Cairo Office has begun the activities of the 24-month project “Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Egypt for sustainable development”, generously supported by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Cultural Authority (ADTCA) of the United Arab Emirates. As …
]]>Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China – The UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Section is organizing a training of trainers workshop (TOT) for the facilitators network of the 2003 Convention in the Asia and the Pacific region in Hangzhou, from 2 to 6 July 2018, collaborating closely with the International …
]]>The Sixth annual meeting of category 2 centers (C2Cs) under the auspices of UNESCO active in the field of the intangible cultural heritage took place on 7 June 2018 in Paris at UNESCO Headquarters. The customary annual meeting witnessed the gathering of the representatives of seven category 2 centres’: • Regional …
]]>UNESCO Headquarters, Paris - Attended by 600 participants hailing from 129 countries, the seventh session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took place from 4 to 6 June 2018 to provide the States Parties an opportunity …
]]>‘It is only through ambitious intersectoral initiatives that we can effectively safeguard intangible cultural heritage, strengthen educational relevance and thereby contribute to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals,’ stated Ernesto Ottone, Assistant-Director General for Culture, when opening …
]]>UNESCO Headquarters, Paris – The central role of community members’ in safeguarding living heritage is a core principle of the 2003 Convention. Its International Assistance mechanism thus attaches major importance to the communities’ participation in ensuring effective and sustainable safeguarding of …
]]>UNESCO Headquarters, Paris – To emphasize the relevance of intangible cultural heritage in contemporary societies and the importance of its inter-generational transmission, UNESCO created a series of audio-visual stories on how young people nowadays engage with their intangible cultural heritage. These …
]]>The Intangible Cultural Heritage website of UNESCO serves as a clearing house and key entry point to all the official information related to the 2003 Convention and its mechanisms. It is essential to make these resources available as broadly as possible, and, today, the key pages of the clearing house …
]]>Within the framework of the Latin American and Caribbean Week which takes place from 29 to 31 May at UNESCO Headquarters, countries from the region come together and celebrate their intangible cultural heritage through different expressions. An exhibition on the intangible cultural heritage of the region …
]]>Ten South Sudanese participants in a two‐week UNESCO workshop in Juba have been trained to lead community‐based inventories and document the expressions and practices, knowledge and skills of the diverse ethnic groups in South Sudan as part of an effort to safeguard the country’s intangible cultural …
]]>The seventh session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place from 4 to 6 June 2018 at UNESCO Headquarters in paris. The General Assembly is the Convention’s sovereign body and meets in ordinary sessions …
]]>UNESCO Dhaka Office in cooperation with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is convening a series of training workshops to strengthen the national institutional capacities of Bangladesh to implement the 2003 Convention under the project ‘Safeguarding Intangible Cultural …
]]>A training workshop on the links between intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development was held in Tunis on 4 and 5 April 2018. the workshop emphasized the role of living traditions in the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. This workshop was followed …
]]>This week concludes the training of the main Guatemalan actors related to ICH: national and municipal officials, as well as bearers and representatives of civil society. From April 25 to 27, the last of six training workshops will be held in Guatemala City in the framework of the project on Strengthening …
]]>The Secretariat has made available, on the website of the 2003 Convention, all the forms to be used for the 2020 cycles for nominations for the Representative List and Urgent Safeguarding List, proposals for the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices as well as different kinds of International Assistance …
]]>The information and exchange session on the overall results framework for the Convention will take place at UNESCO Headquarters on 20 April 2018, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Room II). During this session, the Secretariat will present the overall results framework that has been developed through a consultative …
]]>The Bureau of the thirteen session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage met at UNESCO Headquarters on 22 March 2018. During its meeting, the Bureau approved six International Assistance requests: two from Zimbabwe, one request each from Democratic …
]]>Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - First training workshop for young people interested in safeguarding their living heritage is being organized from 9 to 13 April in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, by the National Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic for UNESCO, the International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage …
]]>The training workshop organized from 20 to 23 March in Helsinki by the Finnish Heritage Agency in cooperation with UNESCO has raised a lot interest among heritage communities in Finland. 40 representatives of local communities, minorities, non-governmental organizations and government offices were selected …
]]>At the opening of the workshop on the preparation of nomination files to the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and International Assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund on 19 February 2018, Ambassador Zemede Tecle – Commissioner for Culture and Sports in Eritrea – mentioned that Eritrea …
]]>UNESCO Headquarters, Paris - The deadline of 31 March for submitting nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention, proposals to the Register for Good Safeguarding Practices and Requests for International Assistance for examination by the Intergovernmental Committee in 2019 is fast approaching. This …
]]>UNESCO Headquarters, Paris - By depositing their instrument of ratification respectively on 2 January and 22 February, Kiribati and Singapore became the 176th and 177th States to join the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. …
]]>UNESCO Headquarters, Paris - The election of the members to the Committee of the 2003 Convention will take place during the seventh session of the General Assembly of the States Parties that will be held at UNESCO Headquarters from 4 to 6 June 2018 (Room II).…
]]>UNESCO Headquarters, Paris - The seventh session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held at UNESCO Headquarters from 4 to 6 June 2018 (Room II). This session will focus on a number of important items for …
]]>UNESCO Headquarters, Paris – Despite the wide outreach and growing impacts of the 2003 Convention among its 176 State Parties, there is still pressing need to raise awareness on the dynamics of intangible cultural heritage and on its relevance to the world today among the public, in particular the youth. …
]]>Jeju (Republic of Korea), 9 December—The next annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place from 26 November to 1st December 2018 in Port-Louis (Republic of Mauritius). This decision was taken today in Jeju at the close of the …
]]>Jeju, Republic of Korea, 8 December—The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting in Jeju (Republic of Korea) from 4 to 9 December has decided to transfer a Vietnamese musical tradition from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent …
]]>Jeju (Republic of Korea), 07 December—The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage meeting in Jeju until 9 December, inscribed thirty-three new elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Representative List includes …
]]>Jeju (Republic of Korea), 6 December — The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting in Jeju until 9 December, today inscribed six new elements from Botswana, Colombia and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Mongolia, Morocco, Turkey and the United …
]]>How can universities integrate intangible cultural heritage in their programmes? How we get young people interested in this topic? These were some of the questions addressed at a roundtable organized on 5 December, as a side event to the 12th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding …
]]>Jeju (Republic of Korea), 03 December—The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage opened its 12th session in Jeju today with a ceremony featuring Korean performances like the traditional Arirang song. “A great deal has been achieved under the 2003 Convention …
]]>The twelfth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is about to start in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, with the opening ceremony planned for on 3 December. More than 700 delegates have already registered. For more information, see the documents …
]]>From 13 to 19 September 2017, a series of consultations were held in Goma (Democratic Republic of the Congo) with local stakeholders, in the framework of the community-based needs identification project for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in North Kivu. The consultations week began …
]]>UNESCO recognizes the important role that tertiary education institutions play in training future decision-makers, planners and administrators to work in the field of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. For this reason, following a Regional Symposium in Asia-Pacific in 2015 on integrating intangible …
]]>The documents of the twelfth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage can now be consulted online at: https://ich.unesco.org/en/12com. The documents are available in the two working languages of the Committee, English and French, and include …
]]>Intangible cultural heritage and disaster risk management are mutually beneficial; this is the finding made by a desk study (English) recently commissioned by UNESCO. The purpose of the study was to take stock of the current state of knowledge regarding the impact disasters caused by natural and human-induced …
]]>On September 5, Suriname became the 175th State to join the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage bringing the convention close to attaining universal ratification. …
]]>In July 2015, the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage approved a grant of US$24,990 for the project “Safeguarding and promotion of Bigwala gourd trumpet music and dance of Busoga Kingdom in Uganda” from the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) …
]]>A series of training workshops on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) finished recently in Amman, Jordan.…
]]>With just under eight weeks to go, preparations are well underway for the start of the twelfth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which will take place in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, from Monday 4 to Saturday 9 December 2017. …
]]>Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is an important tool for social cohesion in situations where tensions exist between social groups that share common cultural heritage. …
]]>On 3 October 2017, the Bureau decided to grant emergency International Assistance to Niger (US$257,819.11) and preparatory assistance to Namibia (US$10,000). …
]]>On 13 September last, in Quito, Ecuador, UNESCO and the Minister of Culture and Heritage of Ecuador, Mr Raul Pérez Torres, launched the publication “Contributions for the Consolidation of the Public Policy on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ecuador”.…
]]>During the process of safeguarding, the traditions and healing knowledge of the Kallawaya Community in Bolivia have been documented in the recently released publication “Tejiendo Los Saberes Kallawayas. Aproximaciones a la historia y medicina Kallawaya”. The launch of this publication was celebrated …
]]>This week, the city of Esquipulas, Chiquimula, is hosting a training workshop on participatory inventory methodology as advocated in the 2003 Convention in the framework of the project ‘Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Guatemala’, and thanks to the generous …
]]>What are the needs and priorities in enhancing capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in the European context? What are the roles of facilitators in supporting the implementation of the Convention at national levels? What are the approaches that best fit when delivering capacity-building …
]]>From 10 – 11 September 2017, the ‘Fifth Annual Coordination Meeting of Category 2 Centres (C2C) active in the field of intangible cultural heritage’ will be held in Shiraz, Islamic Republic of Iran. Hosted by the Regional Research Centre for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in West and Central …
]]>The Seychelles recently began implementing its first International Assistance project, granted within the framework of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Fund. By its Decision 11.COM 3.BUR 5.3, the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage …
]]>Since 2011, Laos has participated in the regional capacity-building programme on intangible cultural heritage (ICH). In 2016, with funding from the Government of Japan and technical assistance from UNESCO, the Department of Heritage, under the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, organized a …
]]>UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture of Uzbekistan are organizing a four-day workshop on developing safeguarding plans for intangible cultural heritage from 14 to 17 July 2017 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan……
]]>Thanks to the generous contribution of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Cultural Authority (ADTCA) in the United Arab Emirates, UNESCO, in collaboration with national partners, will begin implementing multi-year projects to strengthen the national capacity for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Comoros, …
]]>After three years of intense participatory surveys conducted across the country, Mali has initiated a dynamic programme to revitalize the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) affected by the crisis since 2012. Following the occupation of the northern and central-eastern regions by armed groups and extremists, …
]]>The UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Abuja, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture of Nigeria, is organizing a capacity-building workshop on preparing nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, generously …
]]>From 19 to 23 June 2017, Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) is hosting a ‘sub-regional training workshop for facilitators for Central Asia’. UNESCO is organizing the workshop in the framework of its capacity-building programme for the effective implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible …
]]>The capacity-building project to safeguard Guatemala´s intangible cultural heritage e (ICH) continued with a training workshop on community-based inventorying that took place in Guatemala City and in Santa Apolonia from 5 to 11 June……
]]>The growing importance attributed by different stakeholders to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is evident, and its visibility and appeal have grown at an incredible pace in recent years. However, in the absence of a shared framework for monitoring and evaluation …
]]>International Assistance has been granted from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund to help bolster crucial intangible cultural heritage (ICH) safeguarding and inventorying efforts in two countries……
]]>“Safeguarding Indigenous Architecture in Vanuatu” is the final report on the research carried out by the Vanuatu Culture Centre (VCC), as part of a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment following Tropical Cyclone Pam in March 2015. A category 5 cyclone, Pam caused widespread damage across Vanuatu, affecting …
]]>Thanks to a generous contribution to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund of UNESCO from the Government of Catalonia (Spain), the ambitious capacity-building project for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, which started in 2013, has now launched its second phase …
]]>The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was ratified in the Republic of Moldova in 2006: what is the status of its implementation now? How effective are the policies and infrastructure in place for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage? How could the country further …
]]>From 3 to 7 April 2017, representatives from Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius and Sint Maarten met in Kralendijk, Bonaire, to take part in a workshop entitled ‘Mechanisms for International Cooperation under the 2003 Convention.’……
]]>This week concludes the training of the main Guatemalan actors related to ICH: national and municipal officials, as well as bearers and representatives of civil society. From April 25 to 27, the last of six training workshops will be held in Guatemala City in the framework of the project on Strengthening …
]]>The last of three capacity-building workshops for the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center is taking place this week in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, from 16 to 20 April 2017. Under the title ‘Developing Safeguarding Plans in the Emirate of Dubai’, the workshop is organized as part of the Center’s …
]]>On 3 April 2017, the Eritrean Commissioner of Culture and Sports, Ambassador Zemede Tecle, opened a two-week capacity-building workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage. This activity is part of the project “Strengthening the capacities of Eritrea for implementing the Convention …
]]>During its last electronic consultation, the Bureau of the Committee approved a change in venue of the twelfth session of the Intergovernmental Committee. Initially scheduled to take place in Seoul, the Committee will now be held on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea. The Bureau also approved two new International …
]]>A new capacity-building project is being launched, thanks to the generous contribution of the Government of Azerbaijan. The project continues the efforts to implement the main principles of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Guatemala´s institutional structures …
]]>Bigwala, a cultural performance that is recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding by UNESCO is being revived by the members of the Basoga communities through a two-year International Assistance project (September 2015 – August 2017) supported under the Intangible Cultural …
]]>The 2003 Convention’s new Operational Directives related to sustainable development encourage States Parties to safeguard health practices recognized by communities as living heritage and harness their potential to achieve quality health care for all. In parallel, a growing number of voices in the public …
]]>Six thousand young people from southern Togo were keen to discover the traditional musical instruments of their region. This was made possible thanks to a one-year project implemented by the National Commission for Cultural Heritage (CNPC) of Togo to safeguard this element of the intangible cultural …
]]>What is the strategy for the future of the capacity-building programme and its facilitators’ network? What are the new demands and how can we address them? In what ways has the role of facilitators changed since the early days of the programme and what are the implications for the evolving network? These …
]]>The first of a series of capacity-building trainings aiming at strengthening the national institutional capacities of Bangladesh to implement the 2003 Convention is going to take place in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 29 January to 1 February 2017. This workshop is made possible, under the project ‘Safeguarding …
]]>The deadline (15 February 2017) is approaching for 59 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to submit their reports on the contribution and commitment of their organization and their relations with the Committee since 2012. These are the 59 NGOs accredited at the fourth session of the General Assembly …
]]>Co-organized by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Section and the International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa, a roundtable event on ‘Learning with Intangible Cultural Heritage in Education’ took place …
]]>Addis Ababa - The 12th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place from 4 December to 8 December 2017 in Seoul (Republic of Korea) and will be chaired by Ambassador Lee Byong-hyun, Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Korea to …
]]>Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) - Sixteen new elements have been added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage following the decisions adopted by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, taking place until 2 December in Ethiopia. The Representative …
]]>Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) — The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today inscribed elements from Portugal, Uganda and Ukraine on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The Committee will continue reviewing nominations for …
]]>Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) — The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today inscribed the Chapei Dang Veng from Cambodia on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding …
]]>The President of Ethiopia, Mulatu Teshome, on Sunday opened the 11th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at an evening gala that featured examples of the wealth of Ethiopia’s intangible cultural heritage as performed by more than 300 artists …
]]>The eleventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is approaching. It will take place at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Conference Centre in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia from 28 November to 2 December 2016. This session of the …
]]>The Basic Texts of the 2003 Convention is a compilation of the text of the Convention, the Operational Directives, Rules of Procedures and other key reference documents and information. It is revised periodically to reflect the most recent developments of the 2003 Convention. The 2016 Edition of the …
]]>The venue of the eleventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has been changed from the African Union Conference Centre to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Conference Centre in Addis Ababa. The dates of the meeting remain …
]]>The capacity-building programme in Ecuador that the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage has supported for two years concludes with a national meeting in Quito, from 9 to 11 November 2016. Focusing on public policy tools for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, …
]]>Documents of the eleventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage are now available online, in the two working languages (English and French) of the Committee, including the provisional timetable approved by the Bureau of the Committee. The …
]]>Four new International Assistance requests were approved by the Bureau of the Committee on 20 October 2016 to support safeguarding efforts in Botswana, Kenya, El Salvador and Seychelles. This was the first meeting of the Bureau of the Committee to approve International Assistance requests up to US$100,000, …
]]>Thirty-four participants representing officials from the Ministry of Information and Culture, local officials working in the field of culture and the Calabar community have been brought together to share the principles and methodologies of community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage …
]]>In the presence of the Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee, Mr Yonas Desta Tsegaye, an information and exchange session will take place at UNESCO premises, Room XI, on Thursday, 20 October 2016 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The purpose is to present the provisional agenda and timetable, working methods …
]]>Over twenty participants from seven countries in the Southern African region (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe) brainstormed and shared experiences in Lusaka, Zambia, from 2 to 6 October 2016 on how to best provide policy advisory services in the field of intangible …
]]>Everything is ready to receive participants and guests for the second edition of dialogues on the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Northeast Asia sub-region, with a focus this time on media engagement. The meeting to be held this week from 10 to 12 October in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, …
]]>What is policy development for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage? What are the needs of Latin America and the Caribbean in this field? How does the topic fit in UNESCO’s global capacity-building programme for the implementation of the 2003 Convention? These questions will be addressed at a training …
]]>A group of experts will gather in Beijing, China from 7 to 9 September to take the first steps towards an overall results framework for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Generously funded and hosted by the National Commission of the People’s Republic of China …
]]>Before opening an exhibition on traditional crafs of India in UNESCO Headquarters (Paris, 2 September 2016), Ms Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister of Textiles of India, shares her views on crafts and textiles as an intangible cultural heritage to be passed on from generation to generation. She explains how …
]]>Pyongyang is all set to host a four-day training workshop on Community-based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage from 29 August to 1 September 2016. This capacity-building workshop is the outcome of joint efforts of the National Authority for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, the National …
]]>The last of three capacity-building workshops on elaborating public policies to safeguard intangible cultural heritage was held in Puerto López (Manabí province) on 16 June. Organized by UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, and the National Institute of Cultural Heritage (INPC) the workshops, …
]]>International Assistance has been granted on 16 June 2016 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund to two countries, Lesotho and Zambia. Lesotho will receive, for the first time, US$24,998 from the Fund to document and inventory its intangible cultural heritage in nine selected villages of Thaba-Bosiu, …
]]>Jordan is strengthening its capacity for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. The Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with UNESCO, organized a 5-day workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Amman, at the Department …
]]>The agreement concerning the hosting of the eleventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was signed by the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and UNESCO on Thursday 2 June 2016 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The …
]]>The Fourth annual meeting of category 2 centres under the auspices of UNESCO active in the field of the intangible cultural heritage will take place on 3 June 2016 in Paris at UNESCO Headquarters. This customary annual meeting will follow up on the three previous ones that were held since 2013. It will …
]]>More than 500 participants attended the sixth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at UNESCO headquarters. During three highly productive days, the General Assembly debated and adopted substantial resolutions, …
]]>The sixth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held at UNESCO Headquarters on 30 May to 1 June 2016. The session will focus on a number of important issues, such as the revision of the Operational …
]]>The Nairamdal Camp in Ulaanbaatar is all set to host a five-day training workshop on developing safeguarding plans for intangible cultural heritage from 23-27 May 2016. This capacity-building workshop is the outcome of joint efforts by UNESCO Beijing Office, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science …
]]>The States Parties to the 2003 Convention are to report periodically on its implementation in their territories and on the status of elements inscribed on the lists of the Convention. Such reports often describe achievements, challenges and difficulties they face in implementing the Convention and can …
]]>Over twenty participants representing seven countries (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten and Suriname) will gather in Curaçao from 17 to 20 May 2016 for a workshop on developing plans to safeguard their intangible cultural heritage. Reflecting diverse communities and practitioners, …
]]>A dynamic five-country project has strengthened capacities to safeguard intangible cultural heritage in Portuguese-speaking Africa. The project has organized 13 workshops, training over 170 government officials, community members, and other stakeholders in implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding …
]]>The sixth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held at UNESCO Headquarters on 30 May to 1 June 2016. The session will focus on a number of important issues, such as the revision of the Operational …
]]>Participants representing Afro-Surinamese, Javanese, Maroons, Chinese, Jewish, Hindustani and Indigenous communities are joining forces to develop a framework for inventorying their living heritage at a five-day workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage taking place at …
]]>The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is taking active steps in building institutional capacities for safeguarding its living heritage. A workshop on key concepts and implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level is being held …
]]>Just last month, on 7 March 2016, Guinea Bissau submitted the instrument of acceptance of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. During the three months that it takes for the membership to become effective, the latest member state to join the Convention is launching …
]]>The Ministry of Culture and Heritage, the National Institute of Cultural Heritage of Ecuador (INPC) and UNESCO’s Quito Office are organizing a set of three workshops on the formulation of public policy tools for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Loja, Riobamba and Portoviejo… …
]]>The presentation of the project ‘Capacity-building in Niger for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage’ will take place next Wednesday, 9 March, at Niamey University in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure. The presentation …
]]>The National Cultural Heritage Institute of Angola (INPC), in cooperation with UNESCO, organizes a workshop on community-based inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The workshop gathers some 25 participants including technical staff from cultural institutions in the country and representatives …
]]>The deadline is set for 31 March 2016 for the submission of nomination files, proposals on best safeguarding practices and large-scale international assistance requests for the 2017 cycle. The forms can be downloaded from the forms page. The submission may be inspired by a set of past nomination files …
]]>The Intangible Heritage Section has recently welcomed Tim Curtis as its section chief and the third Secretary of the 2003 Convention, following the retirement of Cécile Duvelle at the end of last year. Trained with a PH.D. in cultural anthropology, Tim has worked for UNESCO since 2000, and for more than …
]]>Film-maker Mauricio Oliveira and anthropologist Fernanda Gallo provide viewers with a first-hand account of the connection communities in Cabo Verde and Mozambique have to their living heritage, and of their efforts to safeguard it, in the documentary ‘This culture that leads you to know how to be’. Featuring …
]]>The UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa and the Ministry of Education celebrated the first Eritrean Cultural and Natural Heritage Legislation at a national ceremony on 28 January 2016. The legislation is aimed at protecting national cultural and natural heritage with particular focus on both tangible …
]]>The second of three capacity-building workshops for the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Heritage Center is taking place this week in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, from 24-30 January, 2016. The community-based inventorying workshop, in the context of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural …
]]>From 18 to 22 January, UNESCO and the Cultural Heritage Institute of Cabo Verde (IPC) are organizing a workshop to evaluate the results of three pilot community-based inventories. Following a practical training in July last, 17 community members and 13 culture officers identified and documented 31 elements …
]]>The forms for the elaboration of nominations to the Lists, of proposals to the Register of Best Safeguarding Practices and of requests for International Assistance for 2017 cycle have been published online since November/December last. Deadline for submission is set for 31 March 2016 for possible examination …
]]>Windhoek, 4 December—The next annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place from 28 November to 2 December 2016 in Addis-Abeba (Ethiopia) and will be chaired by Yonas Desta, Director General of the Authority for Research and …
]]>Windhoek, 2 December—The Committee for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage meeting in Namibia until 4 December inscribed today 20 new elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Representative List includes forms of expression that testify to …
]]>Windhoek, 1 December—The Committee for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage meeting in Namibia until 4 December, on Tuesday inscribed five elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and three elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural …
]]>Windhoek, 30 November—The 10th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage chaired by Trudie Amulungu of Namibia, opened on 29 November in Windhoek with the participation of 500 delegates from some 100 countries. Key speakers at the opening ceremony …
]]>The tenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is approaching! It will take place at Windhoek Country Club and Resort in Namibia from 30 November to 4 December 2015. This session of the Committee will be preceded by an opening ceremony that …
]]>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 …
]]>Samoa is getting ready this week to host in its capital Apia another round of capacity-building activities, from 16 to 20 November 2015. This is possible thanks to the continued generous contribution of Japan to implement the second phase of the project Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage through …
]]>From 2 to 6 November 2015, twenty participants from various entities including government representatives from decentralized institutions, as well as civil society, communities and other specialists of intangible cultural heritage gathered in Nabeul in Tunisia. During the five day workshop, they were …
]]>Documents of the tenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage are available online since, Monday 2 November, in the two working languages (English and French) of the Committee, including the provisional timetable approved by the Bureau of the …
]]>Efforts to safeguard intangible cultural heritage 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 …
]]>The first of three capacity-building training 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 …
]]>International Assistance has been granted from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund to three countries on 6 October 2015. Sudan will receive US$174,480 from the Fund to document and inventory its intangible cultural heritage. Capacity-building of community-based inventories, as well as strengthening …
]]>Following the workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention held last July in Praia, 17 community members and 13 culture officers gathered in Ribeira Grande de Santiago’s communities of Centro histórico, Salineiro and Calabaceira for training on community-based inventorying. Organized in close …
]]>The agreement concerning the hosting of the tenth session Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was signed by the Government of the Republic of Namibia and UNESCO on Monday 5 October 2015 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The agreement was signed by Ms Sanet …
]]>Thanks to the continued generous contribution of Japan to implement the project ‘Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage through the Strengthening of National Capacities in Asia and the Pacific’, two countries in the region are successfully moving forward in strengthening their capacities to effectively …
]]>UNESCO is bringing together 24 experts from Africa and UNESCO field offices in Constantine, Algeria, from 28 September to 2 October 2015, to discuss how best support policy development in the field of intangible cultural heritage. Under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural …
]]>Following months of consultation and coordination meetings, Kallawaya community members, as well as representatives of the San Pablo Bolivian Catholic University (SECRAD), has assembled in Charazani, La Paz, from the 13 to 18 September 2015 for a transmission workshop aimed at safeguarding the intangible …
]]>The town of Taunggyi, Shan State, in Myanmar is hosting this week (from 14 to 18 September 2015) a workshop on how to elaborate nomination files for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. This is the final chapter of the capacity-building project, which has been generously supported by the Royal …
]]>Following a needs assessment carried out with UNESCO’s support, Albania is taking new steps in building professional and institutional capacities for safeguarding its living heritage. A workshop on implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level …
]]>The tenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place in Windhoek, Namibia, from 30 November to 4 December 2015. Invitation letters have been sent out and the Provisional Agenda and general information concerning practical arrangements …
]]>Just two months ago, representatives of bearer communities, municipalities, as well as governmental and non-governmental experts gathered in the Ecuadorian province of Manabi with the aim to develop an inventory of intangible heritage. The inventorying continues in Riobamba, Chimborazo province with …
]]>Côte d’Ivoire is being supported with a grant of US$299,972 by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund on an emergency basis to conduct inventory work contributing to peacebuilding and stabilisation efforts following a 10-year political and military crisis. The project aims to draw up the inventory of …
]]>Thirty Cabo Verdean representatives from diverse institutions and backgrounds gathered in Praia last month for a training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at national level. The training programme, held from 27 to 31 …
]]>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 …
]]>On 29 June, during the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, the Chairs of the six UNESCO culture conventions met for the first time to discuss ways to work together more effectively. In the context of the 70th anniversary of UNESCO, this provides a unique opportunity to reflect …
]]>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 extent envisaged when the Convention was drafted, with few requests submitted by States Parties and even fewer of …
]]>Thanks to the generous support from the Government of Japan, UNESCO has just launched the second phase of the Asia-Pacific project to strengthen national capacity in implementing the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The capacity-building programme has been launched …
]]>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 …
]]>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 …
]]>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 Poschiavo (Switzerland), demonstrating …
]]>Morocco is perfecting its knowledge in international mechanisms for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage Having already received two training workshops on the implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention at national level and on participatory inventories, Morocco hosted a workshop …
]]>UNESCO has embarked on the establishment of a follow-up and evaluation mechanism for activities carried out under the Convention’s global capacity-building programme. The programme is part of global and national efforts to attain long-term development goals benefitting more than 65 countries to date. …
]]>The ICH Secretariat has received 56 new files by the 31 March deadline: 7 nominations to the Urgent Safeguarding List, 41 to the Representative List, 6 proposals for the Register of Best Safeguarding Practices and 3 financial assistance requests. 61 States have applied, of which four for the first time …
]]>On 18 and 19 May 2015 a specialised workshop is being held in Ramallah on the final revision of the draft “Palestinian Law on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.” The workshop, which is organized by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture and the UNESCO Ramallah Office, will include participants …
]]>Non-governmental organizations play vital roles in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. At the international level, NGOs having proven competence in safeguarding ICH may be accredited to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural …
]]>Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Madagascar, Palestine, South Sudan and Sudan have successfully completed needs assessments in the field of intangible cultural heritage. Through onsite national consultations, each of these countries identified opportunities and gaps in the institutional and professional environment …
]]>Following an initial training workshop on the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in November 2014 , which marked the launch of a project for capacity building in Niger, the country will host its second training workshop from 21 to 30 April in the Cultural Culturel …
]]>As the first of the five Portuguese speaking African countries (PALOP) to have ratified the Convention, in 2006, Sao Tomé and Principe has launched a workshop on the development of community based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage. From 30 March to 10 April 2015, 25 participants - members …
]]>How can Albania effectively implement the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and benefit from its different provisions? These and many other questions have been recently addressed by a UNESCO Needs Assessment Mission supported by the Italian government, in close cooperation …
]]>What are the core values and ethical principles – drawn from the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage – that ought to guide all safeguarding efforts, whether undertaken by States, communities, civil society or the private sector? How can those core values and principles …
]]>Eight countries in Africa and the Arab Region(Comoros, Djibouti, Madagascar, Egypt, Palestine, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen) are currently benefitting from UNESCO’s support to map out their needs for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage through on site national consultations. These needs, …
]]>A mid-term project meeting of representatives of the ministries of culture of Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia was held from 23 to 25 February 2015 in Casablanca, the purpose of which was to review the half way results of an ongoing capacity building project in the field of intangible cultural heritage …
]]>It is time to review and to plan for the next steps! Chinhoyi (Zimbabwe) welcomes a workshop from 24 to 26 February 2015 in order to take stock of the results of the project implemented in seven countries in southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe).…
]]>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 …
]]>Five African countries, among which Senegal which is now concluding a project to safeguard traditional music, currently receive international financial assistance of nearly one million dollars in total for projects supported by the Intergovernmental Committee. Requests up to 25,000 USD can be submitted …
]]>Thanks to the financial assistance of Japan, the national authorities of Nigeria will be accompanied by UNESCO during the period of three years in order to create an effective institutional and legal environment for the safeguarding of rich intangible cultural heritage that exist in this country. The …
]]>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 (19 to 23 January 2015 - Shenzhen, China) with eleven expert facilitators and …
]]>The deadline approaches (15 January 2015) for the first 97 non-governmental organizations accredited to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to submit their reports on the contribution and the commitment of the organization …
]]>The 9th annual session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage ended today in UNESCO Headquarters with the election of H.E. Ms Trudie Amulungu (Namibia) as chair of the next session. The 10th session will take place in Namibia, from 30 November to 4 …
]]>The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today inscribed sixteen new elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Representative List serves to raise awareness of intangible heritage and provide …
]]>The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today inscribed eighteen new elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Representative List serves to raise awareness of intangible heritage and …
]]>The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today inscribed three new elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding: Isukuti dance of Isukha and Idakho communities of Western Kenya (Kenya) Male-child …
]]>November 24, 2014 - The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee was inaugurated today at UNESCO headquarters. In his opening address, Mr. Alfredo Pérez Armiñán, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Culture, stressed that “The Convention …
]]>An information session for States Parties to the Convention, and particularly for new Committee Members, will take place on Sunday 23 November 2014 (3 to 5 p.m.) in Room IV (Fontenoy) to introduce the provisional agenda and timetable and the working methods of the Committee during its ninth session.…
]]>A representative of the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Leisure of Niger will open today 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 …
]]>Myanmar ratified the Convention in May 2014 and now presses on with fundamental steps in the inventorying of its living heritage. A national workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage has assembled various stakeholders including government officials and community practitioners …
]]>Documents are online, registration is open, and preparations are in full swing for the ninth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, 24 to 28 November 2014). An information and exchange session for States Parties …
]]>The process of review is underway for 97 non-governmental organizations accredited to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Every four years following accreditation of a NGO, the Committee reviews the contribution and the …
]]>Following eight months of conducting a pilot inventory in the Province of Manica in Central Mozambique, the national institute for socio-cultural research, Arquivo do Património Cultural (ARPAC), in cooperation with UNESCO is organizing a closing workshop from 27 to 31 October 2014. The workshop in Manica …
]]>How can the contribution of intangible cultural heritage to sustainable development best be understood and fully recognized? How can intangible heritage take a central place in the efforts to achieve the new post-2015 development goals? How can countries concretely realize this potential? Those are some …
]]>What are the lessons learnt from implementing UNESCO’s capacity-building strategy for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Europe and Central Asia? What do the expert-facilitators need to know to deliver trainings and policy advice effectively? What is their advice to UNESCO for the further improvement …
]]>Community representatives, non-governmental and governmental experts in Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten) are joining efforts to implement a strategy for the safeguarding of their living heritage. A two-year project is officially launched …
]]>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 synergies can be created with the policy work undertaken under the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions …
]]>As highlighted in a recent evaluation of the impact of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the link between culture and sustainable development is increasingly recognized internationally. The Convention, however, is not explicit in this regard, even if the relationship …
]]>More than 600 participants attended the fifth General Assembly which concluded today with subtantial resolutions. Starting from 2015, all nominations will be evaluated by a single Evaluation Body of twelve members appointed by the Committee, six experts representing States Parties non-Members of the …
]]>From 20 to 27 May 2014 the city of Marrakesh is hosting its first training workshop on the preparation of a participative inventory of the intangible cultural heritage. This training is part of a wider capacity-building programme for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage funded thanks to …
]]>The fifth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place from 2 to 4 June 2014 at UNESCO Headquarters. The General Assembly will revise some of the Operational Directives following the recommendations formulated …
]]>The two-year project ‘Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in Central Asia’ concludes with a training workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage from 11 to 17 May 2014 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Since the launching of the …
]]>Where do Arab countries stand with the development of policies and institutional frameworks for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage? How successfully do they involve sectors other than culture, whose policies fundamentally affect the future of intangible cultural heritage, but which are often not …
]]>Guatemala and the Dominican Republic benefitted in March from intensive training in drawing up inventories of intangible cultural heritage with the participation of the communities that practise and experience it. The Guatemala training focussed on the traditional knowledge of ceramic crafts practised …
]]>Following on from Mauritania and Tunisia, Morocco took its turn to host the training workshops on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. From 26 to 30 March, Agadir hosted an initial national meeting as part of the capacity building project …
]]>The activities for the inventory of intangible cultural heritage were officially launched by the Malian Minister of Culture during a ceremony on 7 March in Bamako, in the presence of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and representatives of the diplomatic …
]]>In the framework of the regional capacity building project in the Asia-Pacific Region funded by the UNESCO Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a number of representatives from governmental and non-governmental institutions from Sri Lanka and Bhutan receive …
]]>The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, and the Algerian Minister of Culture, Ms. Khalida Toumi, signed an agreement on 28 February for the creation of a Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Africa under the auspices of UNESCO, which will play a key role …
]]>In celebration of International Mother Language Day, the Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage launches a new ‘Festival Photo Gallery’ showcasing the many cultural experts who shared their language revitalization efforts and cultural traditions as part of the One World, Many Voices: …
]]>For two years Argentina, along with Paraguay and Uruguay were accompanied in a capacity-building process for the effective and sustainable safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. A closing ceremony on Thursday 13 February at the National House of the Bicentenary in Buenos Aires, Argentina, marks …
]]>Please note that the deadline for submission of candidature files, of proposals and requests for assistance for the 2015 cycle, is set for March 31, 2014. The forms have been updated. Kindly note the introduction of new requirements regarding candidatures files for inventories, in conformity with the …
]]>Intangible cultural heritage bearers from six Cuban provinces (Las Tunas, Holguín, Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Camagüey) will join members of the respective provincial councils and national cultural heritage institutions from 11 to 14 February in Santiago de Cuba to participate in a capacity-building …
]]>From 20 to 24 January 2014, a capacity-building session on preparing nominations to the Lists of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took place in Ventiane Province. About 30 participants, including government officials and experts involved in the safeguarding …
]]>The locality of Matmata, Tunisia, is hosting its first training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage from 27 to 31 January 2014. This workshop, organised by the UNESCO Rabat Office thanks to a generous contribution from Norway …
]]>A virtual exhibition illustrating the role Intangible Cultural Heritage plays in sustainable development is now online. Its message is that culture is a fundamental enabler of sustainability, a source of meaning and energy, a wellspring of creativity and innovation, and a resource to address challenges …
]]>The 8th annual session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, marked by the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, ended in Baku today with the election of José Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros, Ambassador and …
]]>The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, holding its 8th session until 7 December, today inscribed 11 elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This marks the end of this year’s inscriptions. The Representative List of the …
]]>On Wednesday 4 December, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage inscribed two new elements on List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding: Mongolian calligraphy (Mongolia) Empaako tradition of the Batooro, Banyoro, Batuku, Batagwenda …
]]>The eighth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage today reviewed the periodic reports of States Parties on their implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. These reports, which show the various measures …
]]>The eighth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was opened today in Baku (Azerbaijan). In his message sent to participants, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, H.E. Mr Ilham Aliyev underlined: “Since its adoption in 2003, the Convention …
]]>Chaired by H. E. Mr Abulfas Garayev (Azerbaijan), the eighth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from Monday 2 to Saturday 7 December 2013 (webcast in English, French, Spanish and Arabic). The Committee will …
]]>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 …
]]>The Bureau of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, meeting at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters, approved an emergency assistance package of $307,307 for the preparation of an inventory of the Mali’s intangible cultural heritage. The project will evaluate the state …
]]>UNESCO continues to assist several countries of the Asia-Pacific region in safeguarding their intangible cultural heritage. Thanks to the generous support of the Government of Japan two different activities have been organized in October 2013. The first one will allow Samoa to strengthen its national …
]]>As part of a larger project concerning Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia, the UNESCO Rabat Office is organizing its first training workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kaédi, Mauritania, from 22 to 26 October 2013. This workshop, …
]]>The cities of Buenos Aires and Santiago del Estero, on the banks of the Dulce River in north-central Argentina, are hosting two training sessions from 14 to 22 October on the preparation of nominations to UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Two members of UNESCO’s …
]]>Community practitioners, members of non-governmental organizations and government officials came together for a national workshop on inventorying of intangible cultural heritage held in Uzbekistan, which is held from 8 to 15 October 2013 in Fergana, Uzbekistan. Organized by the UNESCO Tashkent Office …
]]>Twenty representatives of institutions involved in safeguarding cultural heritage in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti meet in Havana, Cuba, from 7 to 11 October to strengthen their skills in preparing nominations to the Lists of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. …
]]>Having begun the development of its cultural policy and conducted a workshop on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level, Belize presses on with fundamental steps in the inventorying of its living heritage. A national workshop …
]]>Tango bearers, government officials and members of concerned non-governmental organizations have been making steady progress since April 2013 in drawing up intangible heritage inventories, considered a priority safeguarding measure by the tango community in Buenos Aires. Guided by the UNESCO-trained …
]]>After more than two years of implementation, time has come to take stock of UNESCO’s capacity-building strategy for strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural …
]]>The elaboration of community-based inventories is at the heart of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and requires specific skills, which are, however, not always sufficiently mastered in countries that have ratified, including in Africa, a priority region for UNESCO. …
]]>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 …
]]>Senegal is mobilizing local authorities and communities to undertake an inventory of its traditional music situated in the Senegal River Valley in the north-east and in Kédougou region in the south-east. These regions host a large variety of traditions and genres that have social, spiritual and cultural …
]]>Within the framework of the global capacity building strategy for the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, two workshops will be organized in Mozambique in August 2013 that aim to reinforce national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural …
]]>The Institute of African and Asian Studies (IAAS) of the University of Khartoum has finalized a project aiming at assessing the needs to safeguard the important collection of audio visual materials of traditional Sudanese Music housed in the Folklore and Traditional Music Archives of the University of …
]]>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 …
]]>In July 2013, a project has been launched which will enable four local communities to identify their living heritage, as an essential step for its safeguarding. It is financed with an amount of US$216,000 by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund (the contribution from the Government of Uganda amounts …
]]>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 …
]]>Anniversaries are opportunities to reflect on the past and to envision the future. As the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention celebrates its first decade (2003-2013), experts and officials who were involved in its conception and birth came together in Chengdu, China to discuss how it has lived up …
]]>Just nine months after the ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, UNESCO and the Secretariat of Culture of the Presidency of El Salvador join forces in organizing an intensive training in community-based inventorying from 17 to 25 June 2013. Starting …
]]>Lao’s national capacities to safeguard its intangible heritage are increasing, culminating with an eight-day workshop from 11 to 18 June 2013 at Thalat, Vientiane Province. This national safeguarding effort has been made possible thanks to the generous contribution from the Republic of Korea. The workshop …
]]>Thanks to a financial support of US$24,947 from the 2003 Convention’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, eight communities in northern Malawi participated in the inventorying of their intangible cultural heritage. After having received training on documentation and inventory making, twelve young members …
]]>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 …
]]>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 …
]]>Burkina Faso is launching a national project to inventory and promote its intangible cultural heritage, thanks to financial assistance of US$260,000 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. From now until 2015, this major project will enable Burkina Faso to create an inventory and database of the …
]]>For the first time, Southern African countries are joining hands to create the professional and institutional environment required for the effective safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in their countries. Since 2009, the countries have laid the groundwork for this commendable initiative, notably …
]]>Following a needs assessment carried out by UNESCO in February that gathered the viewpoints of a wide range of Haitian actors, a reflection is now launched on how to adapt the principles of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to the Haitian context. Ms Soledad Mujica …
]]>The implementation of the capacity building strategy for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) 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 …
]]>UNESCO’s regional capacity-building programme in Central America – benefitting from the generous contribution of Spain to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and kicked-off some weeks ago in Honduras – now materializes in Guatemala. The programme aims to develop institutional capacities and a national …
]]>Three years after ratifying the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Tajikistan is moving forward to strengthen its safeguarding capacities as a participant in UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy, introduced in the country in 2012 thanks to the generous support …
]]>Building upon a regional study on the existing legislation in the field of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, a new regional capacity-building programme starts. Throughout 2013, the four countries are going to build the professional and institutional …
]]>Representatives of governmental and non-governmental institutions, universities and civil society, drawn from a wide range of Dominican stakeholders involved in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, come together in Santo Domingo from 11 to 15 March for an intensive five-day capacity-building workshop …
]]>Great efforts are underway to reorient Cambodia’s methods of inventorying living heritage. Thanks to the global UNESCO Programme to build capacity for the implementation of the Convention, the Government is reinforcing its existing methods to document and inventory intangible cultural heritage. With …
]]>Nominations for possible inscription in 2014 must be submitted before March 31, 2013. As this date falls on Sunday and April 1 is a public holiday at UNESCO Headquarters, Intangible Cultural Heritage Section will accept the files before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, 2013 at the latest. All nominations …
]]>The rural festivities of the Red and Blue Bands in the small city of Majagua, in the very centre of Cuba, are 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. Five of these …
]]>An expert mission travelled to Haiti from 18 to 24 February to conduct an initial needs assessment and plan future activities for a UNESCO-led capacity-building programme for the effective safeguarding of the country’s intangible cultural heritage. Organized with the support of the Intangible Cultural …
]]>Ten years after the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by the General Conference of UNESCO on 17th October 2003, the international community is celebrating, this year, the 10th anniversary of the Convention. A significant number of activities are planned …
]]>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 and to strengthen the capacities of all concerned stakeholders? What are the best ways to raise people’s awareness and assure the involvement of concerned …
]]>Held in Paris from 3 to 7 December 2012, the seventh session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has completed its work, with more than 800 participants including experts, practitioners and government officials. The sixteen new periodic reports …
]]>Four years of cooperation for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic* will come to an end with the completion of the project MedLiHer - Mediterranean Living Heritage in December 2012. To showcase this experience, a series of activities …
]]>‘We must begin by emphasizing within the community itself upon the importance of safeguarding our most precious heritage our ancestors left us.’ (Ginuervel Roach, Curaçao youth participant). With an increased awareness of the significance of living heritage and the pivotal role of youth in its safeguarding, …
]]>This is the key question to be addressed in the first review of UNESCO’s strategy to build capacity for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage to be completed this year. Already 42 UNESCO Member States are benefitting from tailored capacity-building projects in the fields of policy and legal revision …
]]>What does it mean to speak of an ‘element’ of intangible cultural heritage in the 2003 Convention and its Operational Directives? What are the actual trends, categories and examples of the elements inscribed on the Lists so far? How should similar elements, within and between countries, be treated? How …
]]>For the first time since their ratification of the 2003 Convention in history, Sao Tome and Principe brought together a range of key stakeholders to give a boost to the safeguarding of its living heritage. The representative from governments and civil society discussed the Convention for the Safeguarding …
]]>The 7th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, chaired by Mr Arley Gill of Grenada, will meet at UNESCO Headquarters (Paris, France) from 3 to 7 December 2012 (audiocast in English, French and Spanish). Its agenda includes the examination of …
]]>The diverse cultural communities of Belize, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, will be happy to know that in the context of its Global Strategy, UNESCO has launched a two and a half year project to help their countries safeguard their intangible heritage. Funded by Japan, this timely project includes …
]]>Thanks to the generous contribution of Spain to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua have embarked on a series of activities to strengthen their institutional capacities for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage present in their countries. …
]]>The development of a film scenario and of a photography exhibition around the Mediterranean intangible cultural heritage was at the core of a meeting involving Egyptian, Lebanese and Jordanian producers and photographers on the 27th to 29th august 2012, at UNESCO Paris. The ultimate stage of the MedLiHer …
]]>Young people play a crucial role in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. UNESCO is therefore intensifying its efforts to partner with youth in the implementation of the 2003 Convention. Three sub-regional youth forums in the coming months aim to strengthen youth knowledge and safeguarding …
]]>Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan have just taken another step in safeguarding their intangible cultural heritage. After months of meticulous preparation, the three partner countries of the ‘MedLiHer - Mediterranean Living Heritage’ project have signed partnership agreements with UNESCO, co-financed by the European …
]]>The General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take a number of decisions important for the future of the Convention during its fourth session from 4 to 8 June 2012 at UNESCO Headquarters. The Assembly will be invited in particular …
]]>How to build on the multidimensional aspects of the intangible cultural heritage and stimulate innovative and creative approaches to intangible cultural heritage safeguarding while enhancing sustainable development and dialogue in the region? Several South-East Europe initiatives are seeking ways to …
]]>Expanded interest in safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage is strongly demonstrated by the new files received from forty four States Parties for the cycle that began on 31 March 2012 and will end in November 2013. Among the submitting States, eleven have never before had elements inscribed. …
]]>What is intangible cultural heritage? What are the links with national sustainable development strategies? How can it be identified? Why and how should it be safeguarded? Who are the key players? These are just a few of the questions to be addressed in a major capacity-building project just launched …
]]>The network of 65 trainers set up by UNESCO since 2011 to promote the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and strengthen national capacities for its implementation is enhanced with a new training institution: School of African Heritage (EPA). From …
]]>How does identification and inventorying of intangible cultural heritage work with the widest possible involvement of communities? This critical question is being explored by country teams from Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon in a workshop taking place at UNESCO from 23 to 25 March, 2012. Organized in the …
]]>Good news for communities in Asia and the Pacific who wish to keep their intangible heritage alive! UNESCO, with the generous support of Japan, will be working hand in hand with governments, civil societies and communities to ensure that safeguarding efforts in eight countries of the region (Bhutan, …
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