Prof. dr. Marc Jacobs (1963) from Belgium : Ph D in history (1998), specialist in heritage studies, folklore studies, cultural policy adviser and analist; in 2011 appointed professor in critical heritage studies at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, coordinator and holder of the UNESCO Chair on Critical Heritage Studies and the Safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and since 2008 , director of FARO. Flemish Interface for cultural heritage (www.faronet.be) - specialized in intangible cultural heritage and safeguarding - museums - archives - cultural brokerage - cultural policy - food studies - interdisciplinary research; member of the Flemish UNESCO commission (2008-2016). He participated since 2001 as representative of Belgium in drafting the 2003 convention, in many expert groups about implementation, as an expert representing Belgium on the first Intergovernmental Committee of the ICH convention (2006-2008) and in the Intergovernmental Committee between 2012 and 2016. He works in the accredited organisation FARO and systematically follows ICH-related meetings. He is strongly involved in putting (intangible) heritage policy into practice. He advises many communities, NGOs, cities and other stakeholders in many countries about safeguarding ICH and the 2003 convention. He publishes intensively about the 21st-century heritage paradigm and the 2003 convention. He focusses on (inter)national ICH-policy assessment, case-studies of safeguarding projects and programs, on the role of facilitation and cultural brokerage, on project management and on the importance of reflexivity and ethics.