Browse the Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Register of good safeguarding practices

The Committee meets annually to evaluate nominations proposed by States Parties to the 2003 Convention and decide whether or not to inscribe those cultural practices and expressions of intangible heritage on the Convention’s Lists.

By clicking on the inscribed elements listed below, you can discover the nominations, photos and videos, together with Committee decisions and evidence of community consent.

You may also experience a conceptual, visual and interactive navigation through ‘Dive into Intangible Cultural Heritage’ interfaces which demonstrate the thematic interconnectedness between all the elements inscribed and their relation to nature or to threats.


The designations employed in the texts and documents of the nomination presented by the submitting State Party or States Parties do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Committee nor UNESCO concerning a) the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, b) the legal status of its authorities or c) the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.







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Results : 237 elements corresponding to 5 regions and 99 countries
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2023

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Mek MulungMalaysia

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

ICH safeguarding practices program for the cultural and ecologic Sea Turtle Festival of ArmilaPanama

2022

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Festivals related to the Journey of the Holy family in EgyptEgypt
Furyu-odori, ritual dances imbued with people’s hopes and prayersJapan
Manual bell ringingSpain
Pehlevanliq culture: traditional zorkhana games, sports and wrestlingAzerbaijan
Raï, popular folk song of AlgeriaAlgeria
Yaldā/ChellaIran (Islamic Republic of) – Afghanistan

2021

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Al-Qudoud al-HalabiyaSyrian Arab Republic
Congolese rumbaDemocratic Republic of the Congo – Congo
FalakTajikistan
L-Għana, a Maltese folksong traditionMalta
Pasillo, song and poetryEcuador

2020

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Aboxan Musik ǀŌb ǂÂns tsî ǁKhasigu, ancestral musical sound knowledge and skillsNamibia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and ZimbabweMalawi – Zimbabwe
ChamaméArgentina
Musical art of horn players, an instrumental technique linked to singing, breath control, vibrato, resonance of place and convivialityFrance – Belgium – Luxembourg – Italy
Pilgrimage to the St. Thaddeus Apostle MonasteryIran (Islamic Republic of) – Armenia

2019

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Sega tambour ChagosMauritius
Spring rite of Juraŭski KarahodBelarus

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

‘Hatajo de Negritos’ and ‘Hatajo de Pallitas’ from the Peruvian south-central coastlinePeru
Cultural Complex of Bumba-meu-boi from MaranhãoBrazil
Holy Week processions in MendrisioSwitzerland
Irish harpingIreland
Khorazm dance, LazgiUzbekistan
Morna, musical practice of Cabo VerdeCabo Verde
Music and dance of Dominican BachataDominican Republic
Practice of traditional music and dance in Setesdal, playing, dancing and singing (stev/stevjing)Norway
Traditional skills of crafting and playing DotārIran (Islamic Republic of)

2018

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Lkhon Khol Wat Svay AndetCambodia
Shadow playSyrian Arab Republic
Traditional hand puppetryEgypt
Yalli (Kochari, Tenzere), traditional group dances of NakhchivanAzerbaijan

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Chidaoba, wrestling in GeorgiaGeorgia
Dondang SayangMalaysia
Festivity of Las Parrandas in the centre of CubaCuba
Heritage of Dede Qorqud/Korkyt Ata/Dede Korkut, epic culture, folk tales and musicAzerbaijan – Kazakhstan – Türkiye
Horse and camel ArdhahOman
Khon, masked dance drama in ThailandThailand
La Romería (the pilgrimage): ritual cycle of 'La llevada' (the carrying) of the Virgin of ZapopanMexico
Međimurska popevka, a folksong from MeđimurjeCroatia
Mooba dance of the Lenje ethnic group of Central Province of ZambiaZambia
Mwinoghe, joyous danceMalawi
Picking of iva grass on Ozren mountainBosnia and Herzegovina
Reggae music of JamaicaJamaica
Rūkada Nātya, traditional string puppet drama in Sri LankaSri Lanka
Singing to the accompaniment of the GusleSerbia
Traditional spring festive rites of the Kazakh horse breedersKazakhstan

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Land-of-Legends programme, for promoting and revitalizing the art of storytelling in Kronoberg RegionSweden

2017

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Mongolian traditional practices of worshipping the sacred sitesMongolia
Taskiwin, martial dance of the western High AtlasMorocco

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Art of crafting and playing with Kamantcheh/Kamancha, a bowed string musical instrumentAzerbaijan – Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Basel CarnivalSwitzerland
Chogān, a horse-riding game accompanied by music and storytellingIran (Islamic Republic of)
Khaen music of the Lao peopleLao People's Democratic Republic
Kochari, traditional group danceArmenia
Kolo, traditional folk danceSerbia
Kumbh MelaIndia
Multipart singing of HorehronieSlovakia
Organ craftsmanship and musicGermany
Sega tambour of Rodrigues IslandMauritius
Spring celebration, HıdrellezNorth Macedonia – Türkiye
Uilleann pipingIreland
Xoan singing of Phú Thọ province, Viet Nam Viet Nam
Zaouli, popular music and dance of the Guro communities in Côte d’IvoireCôte d'Ivoire

2016

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Chapei Dang VengCambodia
Ma'di bowl lyre music and danceUganda

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Bhojpuri folk songs in Mauritius, Geet-GawaiMauritius
Carnival of El Callao, a festive representation of a memory and cultural identityVenezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)
Charrería, equestrian tradition in MexicoMexico
Khidr Elias feast and its vowsIraq
Momoeria, New Year's celebration in eight villages of Kozani area, West Macedonia, GreeceGreece
Music and dance of the merengue in the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
Nawrouz, Novruz, Nowrouz, Nowrouz, Nawrouz, Nauryz, Nooruz, Nowruz, Navruz, Nevruz, Nowruz, NavruzAfghanistan – Azerbaijan – India – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Iraq – Kazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan – Uzbekistan – Pakistan – Tajikistan – Turkmenistan – Türkiye
Oshi Palav, a traditional meal and its social and cultural contexts in TajikistanTajikistan
Palov culture and traditionUzbekistan
Practices related to the Viet beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three RealmsViet Nam
Rumba in Cuba, a festive combination of music and dances and all the practices associatedCuba
Tahteeb, stick gameEgypt
Valencia Fallas festivitySpain
Winegrowers’ Festival in VeveySwitzerland

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Festival of folklore in Koprivshtitsa: a system of practices for heritage presentation and transmissionBulgaria

2015

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Coaxing ritual for camelsMongolia
Koogere oral tradition of the Basongora, Banyabindi and Batooro peoplesUganda
Traditional Vallenato music of the Greater Magdalena regionColombia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Alardah Alnajdiyah, dance, drumming and poetry in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
Bagpipe cultureSlovakia
Lad’s dances in RomaniaRomania
Marimba music, traditional chants and dances from the Colombia South Pacific region and Esmeraldas Province of EcuadorColombia – Ecuador
Three genres of traditional dance in BaliIndonesia

2014

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Isukuti dance of Isukha and Idakho communities of Western KenyaKenya

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Baile ChinoChile
Capoeira circleBrazil
Festivity of Virgen de la Candelaria of PunoPeru
Gwoka: music, song, dance and cultural practice representative of Guadeloupean identityFrance
Kazakh traditional art of Dombra KuyKazakhstan
Nongak, community band music, dance and rituals in the Republic of KoreaRepublic of Korea
Pujllay and Ayarichi, music and dances of the Yampara cultureBolivia (Plurinational State of)
Ritual dance of the royal drumBurundi
Traditional Mauritian SegaMauritius

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Safeguarding the carillon culture: preservation, transmission, exchange and awareness-raisingBelgium

2013

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Chovqan, a traditional Karabakh horse-riding game in the Republic of AzerbaijanAzerbaijan

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Art of Đờn ca tài tử music and song in southern Viet NamViet Nam
Celebrations of big shoulder-borne processional structuresItaly
Feast of the Holy Forty Martyrs in ŠtipNorth Macedonia
Knowledge, skills and rituals related to the annual renewal of the Q’eswachaka bridgePeru
Music of TerchováSlovakia
Practices and knowledge linked to the Imzad of the Tuareg communities of Algeria, Mali and NigerAlgeria – Mali – Niger

2012

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Bigwala, gourd trumpet music and dance of the Busoga Kingdom in UgandaUganda

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Craftsmanship and performance art of the Tar, a long-necked string musical instrumentAzerbaijan
Cultural practices and expressions linked to the balafon of the Senufo communities of Mali, Burkina Faso and Côte d'IvoireMali – Burkina Faso – Côte d'Ivoire
Fest-Noz, festive gathering based on the collective practice of traditional dances of BrittanyFrance
Fiesta of the patios in CordovaSpain
Folk art of the Matyó, embroidery of a traditional communityHungary
Frevo, performing arts of the Carnival of RecifeBrazil
Ichapekene Piesta, the biggest festival of San Ignacio de Moxos Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
Rites and craftsmanship associated with the wedding costume tradition of TlemcenAlgeria
Traditional violin craftsmanship in CremonaItaly
Worship of Hùng kings in Phú ThọViet Nam

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Strategy for training coming generations of Fujian puppetry practitioners China
Xtaxkgakget Makgkaxtlawana: the Centre for Indigenous Arts and its contribution to safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of the Totonac people of Veracruz, MexicoMexico

2011

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Folk long song performance technique of Limbe performances - circular breathingMongolia
Naqqāli, Iranian dramatic story-tellingIran (Islamic Republic of)
Traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian GulfIran (Islamic Republic of)
Yaokwa, the Enawene Nawe people's ritual for the maintenance of social and cosmic orderBrazil

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Bećarac singing and playing from Eastern CroatiaCroatia
Ceremonial Keşkek traditionTürkiye
Chinese shadow puppetryChina
Festivity of ‘la Mare de Déu de la Salut’ of AlgemesíSpain
Jultagi, tightrope walkingRepublic of Korea
Mariachi, string music, song and trumpetMexico
Tsiattista poetic duellingCyprus

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Fandango's Living MuseumBrazil
Táncház method: a Hungarian model for the transmission of intangible cultural heritageHungary

2010

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

MeshrepChina

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Al-Bar’ah, music and dance of Oman Dhofari valleysOman
FlamencoSpain
Gagok, lyric song cycles accompanied by an orchestraRepublic of Korea
Human towersSpain
Indonesian AngklungIndonesia
Kalbelia folk songs and dances of RajasthanIndia
Kırkpınar oil wrestling festivalTürkiye
Kumiodori, traditional Okinawan musical theatreJapan
Mongolian traditional art of KhöömeiMongolia
Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of KeralaIndia
Music of the Bakhshis of KhorasanIran (Islamic Republic of)
Parachicos in the traditional January feast of Chiapa de CorzoMexico
Peking operaChina
Pirekua, traditional song of the P’urhépechaMexico
Ritual dramatic art of Ta‘zīyeIran (Islamic Republic of)
Semah, Alevi-Bektaşi ritualTürkiye
Sutartinės, Lithuanian multipart songsLithuania
Traditional Sohbet meetingsTürkiye

2009

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Ca trù singingViet Nam
Mongol Biyelgee, Mongolian traditional folk danceMongolia
Suiti cultural spaceLatvia
Traditional music of the TsuurMongolia
Traditions and practices associated with the Kayas in the sacred forests of the MijikendaKenya

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Akiu no Taue OdoriJapan
Art of Azerbaijani AshiqAzerbaijan
Âşıklık (minstrelsy) traditionTürkiye
Busó festivities at Mohács: masked end-of-winter carnival customHungary
Candombe and its socio-cultural space: a community practiceUruguay
Dainichido BugakuJapan
DoinaRomania
Dragon Boat festivalChina
Farmers’ dance of China’s Korean ethnic groupChina
GagakuJapan
Grand song of the Dong ethnic groupChina
Ijele masqueradeNigeria
Katta AshulaUzbekistan
MaloyaFrance
Mazu belief and customsChina
Namsadang NoriRepublic of Korea
NanyinChina
Nestinarstvo, messages from the past: the Panagyr of Saints Constantine and Helena in the village of BulgariBulgaria
Quan Họ Bắc Ninh folk songsViet Nam
Radif of Iranian musicIran (Islamic Republic of)
Seto Leelo, Seto polyphonic singing traditionEstonia
Spring procession of Ljelje/Kraljice (queens) from GorjaniCroatia
TangoArgentina – Uruguay
Two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scaleCroatia
Xi’an wind and percussion ensembleChina
Yueju operaChina

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage of Aymara communities in Bolivia, Chile and PeruBolivia (Plurinational State of) – Chile – Peru

2008

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Ahellil of GouraraAlgeria
Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah epicEgypt
Andean cosmovision of the KallawayaBolivia (Plurinational State of)
Azerbaijani MughamAzerbaijan
Baltic song and dance celebrationsEstonia – Latvia – Lithuania
Baul songsBangladesh
Căluş ritualRomania
Carnival of BarranquillaColombia
Carnival of OruroBolivia (Plurinational State of)
Chopi TimbilaMozambique
Cocolo dance drama traditionDominican Republic
Cultural space and oral culture of the SemeiskieRussian Federation
Cultural space of Boysun DistrictUzbekistan
Cultural space of Jemaa el-Fna SquareMorocco
Cultural space of Palenque de San BasilioColombia
Cultural space of Sosso-BalaGuinea
Cultural space of the Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit of the Congos of Villa MellaDominican Republic
Cultural space of the Yaaral and DegalMali
Duduk and its musicArmenia
El GüegüenseNicaragua
Fujara and its musicSlovakia
Gangneung Danoje festivalRepublic of Korea
Gbofe of Afounkaha, the music of the transverse trumps of the Tagbana communityCôte d'Ivoire
Gule WamkuluMalawi – Mozambique – Zambia
Guqin and its musicChina
Hudhud chants of the IfugaoPhilippines
Iraqi MaqamIraq
Kabuki theatreJapan
Kihnu cultural spaceEstonia
La Tumba FrancesaCuba
Lakalaka, dances and sung speeches of TongaTonga
Language, dance and music of the GarifunaBelize – Guatemala – Honduras – Nicaragua
Mak Yong theatreMalaysia
Makishi masqueradeZambia
Maroon heritage of Moore TownJamaica
Moussem of Tan-TanMorocco
Nha Nhac, Vietnamese court musicViet Nam
Ningyo Johruri Bunraku puppet theatreJapan
Nôgaku theatreJapan
Polyphonic singing of the Aka Pygmies of Central AfricaCentral African Republic
Processional giants and dragons in Belgium and FranceBelgium – France
Royal ancestral ritual in the Jongmyo shrine and its musicRepublic of Korea
Samba de Roda of the Recôncavo of BahiaBrazil
Sbek Thom, Khmer shadow theatreCambodia
Shashmaqom musicUzbekistan – Tajikistan
Slovácko Verbuňk, recruit dancesCzechia
Song of Sana’aYemen
Traditional music of the Morin KhuurMongolia
Urtiin Duu, traditional folk long songChina – Mongolia
Uyghur Muqam of XinjiangChina
Vimbuza healing danceMalawi
Wayang puppet theatreIndonesia
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