The Living Heritage Entity of the UNESCO Culture Sector is looking for a team of researchers and writers to carry out activities for a publication entitled ‘Celebrating the living heritage of indigenous peoples’.



The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is 5 June 2023 (the expected starting date for the work is mid-June 2023, with all the tasks to be completed by October 2023.

1. Context

The year 2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereinafter ‘the 2003 Convention’), and a series of activities and events are being launched throughout the year as part of the celebrations. Celebrating the twentieth anniversary will provide an important opportunity for the stakeholders of the 2003 Convention to take stock of the achievements made so far and to reflect on the directions that the Convention should follow for the upcoming decades. It will also be an opportunity to further raise awareness of the significance of living heritage on a broad scale.

In this context, the UNESCO Living Heritage Entity, Secretariat of the 2003 Convention, will launch a publication entitled ‘Celebrating the living heritage of indigenous peoples’, showcasing the diversity of living heritage of indigenous peoples around the world.

Indigenous peoples hold a rich diversity of living heritage, including expressions, knowledge and skills, whose practice and transmission contribute to the vitality, strength and wellbeing of bearer communities. This new publication will portray a selection of safeguarding projects and elements inscribed on the Lists of the 2003 Convention in order to bring indigenous peoples’ voices to the forefront and highlight experiences in safeguarding their own living heritage. This will be a renewed opportunity to gather lessons about the relationship of the 2003 Convention and indigenous communities and raise awareness amongst the global audience about their crucial role. The publication is also part of UNESCO’s actions in the context of the International Decade on Indigenous Languages (2023-2033).

This initiative is made possible thanks to a generous contribution by the government of Brazil.

2. Work Assignment

More information on the work assigment here: English|French|Spanish

3. Timetable

4. Qualifications required

The applicants shall have the following qualifications:

• Excellent knowledge about the 2003 Convention and its international cooperation mechanisms (Lists, international assistance);
• Knowledge of the UNESCO policy on engaging with indigenous peoples;
• Knowledge of the Ethical Principles for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage;
• Excellent writing and communication skills in either English, French or Spanish;
• Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to deliver consultancy products and services within deadlines;
• Strong research experience, including knowledge of research methodologies, report writing and data visualization (basic tables, graphs and charts).

How to apply?

Interested candidates should send their expression of interest to carry out the work assignment including the following information:

• A brief letter of intention referred to the above-mentioned work, with a description of the team environment relevant for undertaking the work;
• An indication of expectations regarding the fees to carry out the work;
• All documents must be sent on the letterhead of the applicant’s institution.

• Please send your proposals to Leandro Peredo (l.peredo@unesco.org), UNESCO Living Heritage Entity.

Expressions of interest should reach UNESCO by 5 June 2023.