Side events
Throughout the Committee session, a series of side events on the theme of living heritage safeguarding may be organized outside the plenary meetings, in coordination with the host country (India) and subject to available spaces. These events are meant to enrich and complement the 20.COM session by providing opportunities to discuss, share experiences, celebrate achievements, while exploring collaborations to promote and safeguard cultural diversity. Proposals for side events may be submitted until 10 November 2025. Please submit one completed form per event to: ich@unesco.org.
Calendar of events
Side events
Monday 8 December 1.15 – 2.15 p.m.
Living heritage and sustainability: the role of accredited NGOs in advancing the UN Development Agenda after MONDIACULT 2025
ICH NGO Forum, Ministry of Culture of Spain & UNESCO
Roundtable
Bureau meeting room
—
Update on the development of FLAME, The European Centre for the Safeguarding of Living Heritage
Department of Culture, Youth and Media of the Flemish Community, Belgium
Roundtable
Room 1
Tuesday 9 December 1.15 – 2.15 p.m.
Transforming education through living heritage
UNESCO
Roundtable
Bureau meeting room
—
Heritage Craft: Celebrating 10 Years of the Red List of Endangered Crafts
Department for Culture, Media, and Sport and Heritage Crafts Association, United Kingdom
Roundtable
Room 1
—
“Héritage en partage”: Documenting the Living Heritage of dance in Haiti
Haitian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO
Commented film screening
Room 2
Tuesday 9 December 5.45 – 6.45 p.m.
New inscription celebrations – Three 20-minute presentations (after examination)
Performance area
- (TBC)
- (TBC)
- (TBC)
—
Annual Forum of the UNESCO/UNITWIN Chairs “Democratizing Intangible Cultural Heritage”
Group of UNESCO Chairs
Bureau meeting room
Wednesday 10 December 1.15 – 2.15 p.m.
Certificate ceremony
UNESCO
Coconut stage
—
Secretariat side event (Title forthcoming) - Part I
UNESCO, Brazil, Morocco
Panel discussion
Bureau meeting room
—
The “UNESCO Heritage Route” in Tunisia: heritage as a pathway to development
Ministry of culture Tunisia
Conference
Room 1
—
New inscription celebrations – Three 20-minute presentations (after examination)
Performance area
- The Revival of the Sacred Voice: Kobyz and the Jirau Epic Tradition of Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan)
- (TBC)
- (TBC)
—
Two 30-minute presentations
Room ICH NGO Forum
- Rumi and Konya International Mevlana Foundation accredited NGO – Türkiye
- Bal tamoul, from farming traditions of southern India to a cultural creation on Réunion Island Ankraké accredited NGO – France
Wednesday 10 December 6.00 – 7.30 p.m.
Event organized by the Host Country “Rhythms of heritage: a cultural confluence”
Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, India Live performance
Siri Fort Auditorium, August Kranti Marg Transportation will be provided
Thursday 11 December 1.15 – 2.15 p.m.
Certificate ceremony
UNESCO
Coconut stage
—
Secretariat side event (Title forthcoming) - Part II
UNESCO
Panel discussion
Bureau meeting room
—
Exploring tangible-intangible synergies: The Role of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Safeguarding Cultural Landscapes in the Asia-Pacific Region
International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (C2C) – Japan
Roundtable
Room 1
—
New inscription celebrations – Three 20-minute presentations (after examination)
Performance area
- The Barbados Landship: Navigating Heritage, Identity, and Safeguarding (Barbados)
- (TBC)
- (TBC)
—
Two 30-minute presentations
Room ICH NGO Forum
- “Masters of Türkiye” and “Living Heritage” Inventory Projects Traditional Arts Association - Geleneksel Sanatlar Derneği accredited NGO – Türkiye
- Presentation of Kyrgyz Living Heritage through a Digital Database and Live Performance of a Traditional Wedding Ritual Aigine Cultural Research Center accredited NGO – Kyrgyzstan
—-
Faces and Figures of Tradition: the Art of Indian Masks and Puppetry
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and the Sangeet Natak Akademy, India
Lecture and demonstration
Room 2
—-
Natyashastra – Synthesis of Theory and Praxis
Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and the Sangeet Natak Akademy, India
Roundtable
Room 3
Thursday 11 December 5.45 – 6.45 p.m.
New inscription celebrations – Three 20-minute presentations (after examination)
Performance area
- Amateur theatre acting in Czechia (Czech Republic)
- Yodeling Workshop – Experience and discover a Living Vocal Tradition (Switzerland)
- (TBC)
—
Zapin Malaysia: A Timeless Rhythm of Faith and Grace
Malaysian Craft Council
Presentation & performances
Room 1
—
Living Heritage in Displacement – Good Practices and Regional Cooperation
Ministry of Culture, Slovak Republic; Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology ; Ethnographic Society of Slovakia
Round table
Room 2
Friday 12 December 1.15 – 2.15 p.m.
Certificate ceremony
UNESCO
Coconut stage
—
“Connecting Living Heritage, Cultural Rights and Sustainable Development from Latin America”
Regional Center for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America under the auspices of UNESCO (C2C) – Peru
Roundtable
Room 1
—
New inscription celebrations – Three 20-minute presentations (after examination)
Performance area
- The Soul of the Steppe: The Living Heritage of the Karakalpak Yurt (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan)
- Guruna, a practice of pastoral, socio-cultural and artistic retreats centered on livestock among the Massa (Chad, Cameroon)
- (TBC)
Friday 12 December 5.45 – 6.45 p.m.
New inscription celebrations – Three 20-minute presentations (after examination)
Performance area
- (TBC)
- (TBC)
- (TBC)
Booths, exhibitions, and other events
Sunday 7 December 9.30 – 4.00 p.m.
Annual Symposium 2025: ‘Leaving No-one Behind: Intangible Cultural Heritage and Disability Inclusion’
ICH NGO Forum
Room ICH NGO Forum
Monday 8 December 5.45 – 6.45 p.m.
Meeting with the Global network of facilitators
UNESCO
Room 1
From Monday 8 to Friday 12 December
The many faces of safeguarding living heritage: NGOs contribution to the implementation of the 2003 Convention
ICH NGO Forum
Permanent booth
Exhibition area
Indonesian UNESCO accredited NGO’s exhibition corner
Stuppa Indonesia Foundation, Oral Tradition Association, Toraja Melo Foundation accredited NGOs (and 4 other NGOs) – Indonesia
Exhibition area
Bedouin Looms in Refugee Hands: Craft, Resilience, and Collaboration
AlSadu Society (Handicraft Cooperative Society for Sadu Weaving) accredited NGO - State of Kuwait
Permanent booth
Exhibition area
UNESCO accredited NGO in Republic of Korea - exhibition corner
- Promoting Martial Arts as Living Heritage - World Martial Arts Union (WoMAU) accredited NGO – Republic of Korea
- Promotional Desk for the Jeonju International Awards for Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage (JIAPICH) - Center for Intangible Culture Studies (CICS) & International Mask Arts & Culture Organization (IMACO) accredited NGOs - Republic of Korea
- Introduction to the book “Korean Tightrope Walking, an Intangible Cultural Heritage” - Korea Heritage Agency – Republic of Korea Exhibition area
Exhibition area
Exhition “Hands, Hearts, and Heritage: Living Traditions of West and Central Asia”
Regional Research Centre for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in West and Central Asia under the auspices of UNESCO (C2C) – Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Exhibition area
Exhibition “Interwoven Legacies: Synergies between World Heritage and Living Heritage in India”
UNESCO
Exhibition area
From Thursday lunch time to Friday 12 December
Ayeneh-Kari, the art of mirror-work in Persian architecture (after examination)
Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Iran and Mana Naqsh Heritage Institute for Culture and Art accredited NGO – Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Permanent booth
Exhibition area
Performances
Tuesday 9 December 1.15 – 2.15 p.m.
Kathak Dance
ICCN and Folkland International Centre for Folklore and Culture accredited NGOs – India
Performances
Performance area
Thursday 11 December 1.15 – 2.15 p.m.
Colombia: Living Heritage – Community Inventories for Peacebuilding
Corporación Embodying Reconciliation - Cuerpos para la Reconciliación and Teje Teje Association accredited NGOs – Colombia
Performances & presentations
Performance area