The Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development (UAE) and the UNESCO Intangible Heritage Section, a Regional Meeting for Arab States was organized on the ‘Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: Inventory-making’ in Abu in Abu Dhabi from 31 March to 4 April 2007. The objectives were to:

• examine different questions relating to the implementation of the 2003 convention;
• exchange of experiences in the field of methodologies for the establishment of national inventories
• discuss of safeguarding approaches of intangible cultural heritage: legal, administrative and safeguarding mechanisms of ICH in the Region

Representatives and experts from the 18 Arab countries took part in the meeting, in addition to UNESCO representatives, and regional organizations: ALECSO (Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization) and ISESCO (Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and three international participants from Japan, Mali and Vietnam.

A Photo Exhibition of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was held at the same dates that the Abu Dhabi Book Fair. The meeting and the exhibition were organized under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al-Nahyan, the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH).

• Agenda (English)
• Recommendations (English)
• Presentations
  • Mr Nguyen Kim Dung: Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding System (English) and inventory making in Viet Nam (English)
  • Mr Abdoulaye Sanogo: Malian Experience in Inventory Making and the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (French)
  • Mr Satoru Hyoki: Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Japan - Systems, Schemes and Activities (English)