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 : 144 elements corresponding to 5 regions and 78 countries
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2023

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Ancestral and traditional techniques for the elaboration of the 'Poncho Para'i de 60 Listas', from the city of Piribebuy, Republic of ParaguayParaguay
Traditional Syrian glassblowingSyrian Arab Republic

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Aklan piña handloom weavingPhilippines
Art of Akhal-Teke horse breeding and traditions of horses' decorationTurkmenistan
Art of illumination: Təzhib/Tazhib/Zarhalkori/Tezhip/NaqqoshlikAzerbaijan – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Tajikistan – Türkiye – Uzbekistan
Arts, skills and practices associated with engraving on metals (gold, silver and copper)Iraq – Algeria – Egypt – Mauritania – Morocco – Palestine – Saudi Arabia – Sudan – Tunisia – Yemen
Ceramic arts in UzbekistanUzbekistan
Craftsmanship and performing art of balaban/meyAzerbaijan – Türkiye
Craftsmanship of mother of pearl inlayAzerbaijan – Türkiye
Knowledge, craft and skills of handmade glass productionCzechia – Finland – France – Germany – Hungary – Spain
Malhun, a popular poetic and musical artMorocco
Rickshaws and rickshaw painting in DhakaBangladesh
Traditional knowledge and skills of production of the atlas and adras fabricsTajikistan
Traditional wooden boatbuilding in Carriacou and Petite MartiniqueGrenada

2022

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Quinchamalí and Santa Cruz de Cuca potteryChile
Traditional Ahlat stoneworkTürkiye

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Artisanal know-how and culture of baguette breadFrance
Beekeeping in Slovenia, a way of lifeSlovenia
Crafting and playing the OudIran (Islamic Republic of) – Syrian Arab Republic
Kun Lbokator, traditional martial arts in CambodiaCambodia
Manual bell ringingSpain
Orteke, traditional performing art in Kazakhstan: dance, puppet and musicKazakhstan
Raï, popular folk song of AlgeriaAlgeria
Sericulture and traditional production of silk for weavingAfghanistan – Azerbaijan – Iran (Islamic Republic of) – Türkiye – Tajikistan – Turkmenistan – Uzbekistan
Timber raftingAustria – Czechia – Germany – Latvia – Poland – Spain
Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in ChinaChina

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Strategy for safeguarding traditional crafts: The Bearers of Folk Craft Tradition programmeCzechia

2021

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Building and use of expanded dugout boats in the Soomaa regionEstonia
Carolinian wayfinding and canoe makingMicronesia (Federated States of)

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Arabic calligraphy: knowledge, skills and practicesSaudi Arabia – Algeria – Bahrain – Egypt – Iraq – Jordan – Kuwait – Lebanon – Mauritania – Morocco – Oman – Palestine – Sudan – Tunisia – United Arab Emirates – Yemen
Bakhshi artUzbekistan
Corso culture, flower and fruit parades in the NetherlandsNetherlands
Dutar making craftsmanship and traditional music performing art combined with singingTurkmenistan
FalakTajikistan

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

National programme to safeguard the traditional art of calligraphy in IranIran (Islamic Republic of)

2020

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
Charfia fishing in the Kerkennah IslandsTunisia
Craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanicsSwitzerland – France
Il-Ftira, culinary art and culture of flattened sourdough bread in MaltaMalta
Ong Chun/Wangchuan/Wangkang ceremony, rituals and related practices for maintaining the sustainable connection between man and the oceanChina – Malaysia
Practices and traditional knowledge of Terere in the culture of Pohã Ñana, Guaraní ancestral drink in ParaguayParaguay
TaijiquanChina
The art of glass beadsItaly – France
Traditional intelligence and strategy game: Togyzqumalaq, Toguz Korgool, Mangala/GöçürmeKazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan – Türkiye
Traditional skills, techniques and knowledge for the conservation and transmission of wooden architecture in JapanJapan

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Craft techniques and customary practices of cathedral workshops, or Bauhütten, in Europe, know-how, transmission, development of knowledge and innovationGermany – Austria – France – Norway – Switzerland
The Martinique yole, from construction to sailing practices, a model for heritage safeguardingFrance

2019

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Artisanal talavera of Puebla and Tlaxcala (Mexico) and ceramics of Talavera de la Reina and El Puente del Arzobispo (Spain) making processMexico – Spain
Nuad Thai, traditional Thai massageThailand
SilatMalaysia
Tradition of Kosiv painted ceramicsUkraine
Traditional skills of crafting and playing DotārIran (Islamic Republic of)
Traditions of Pencak SilatIndonesia

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Safeguarding strategy of traditional crafts for peace buildingColombia

2018

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Traditional hand puppetryEgypt

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Art of dry stone walling, knowledge and techniquesCroatia – Cyprus – France – Greece – Italy – Slovenia – Spain – Switzerland

2017

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Whistled languageTürkiye

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Pinisi, art of boatbuilding in South SulawesiIndonesia

2016

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Chapei Dang VengCambodia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Beer culture in BelgiumBelgium
Culture of Jeju Haenyeo (women divers)Republic of Korea
Kuresi in KazakhstanKazakhstan
Oshi Palav, a traditional meal and its social and cultural contexts in TajikistanTajikistan
Palov culture and traditionUzbekistan
Tahteeb, stick gameEgypt
YogaIndia

Register of Good Safeguarding Practices

Oselvar boat - reframing a traditional learning process of building and use to a modern contextNorway
Regional Centres for Craftsmanship: a strategy for safeguarding the cultural heritage of traditional handicraftAustria

2015

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Glasoechko, male two-part singing in Dolni PologNorth Macedonia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Aitysh/Aitys, art of improvisationKazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan
Classical horsemanship and the High School of the Spanish Riding School ViennaAustria
Copper craftsmanship of LahijAzerbaijan
Tinian marble craftsmanshipGreece

2014

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Ebru, Turkish art of marblingTürkiye
Kazakh traditional art of Dombra KuyKazakhstan
Mongolian knuckle-bone shootingMongolia
Ritual dance of the royal drumBurundi
Traditional art and symbolism of Kelaghayi, making and wearing women’s silk headscarvesAzerbaijan
Traditional knowledge and skills in making Kyrgyz and Kazakh yurts (Turkic nomadic dwellings)Kazakhstan – Kyrgyzstan
Traditional Mauritian SegaMauritius
Ví and Giặm folk songs of Nghệ TĩnhViet Nam
Washi, craftsmanship of traditional Japanese hand-made paperJapan

2013

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Mongolian calligraphyMongolia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Art of Đờn ca tài tử music and song in southern Viet NamViet Nam
Traditional art of Jamdani weavingBangladesh

2012

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Noken multifunctional knotted or woven bag, handcraft of the people of PapuaIndonesia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Craftsmanship and performance art of the Tar, a long-necked string musical instrumentAzerbaijan
Craftsmanship of Horezu ceramicsRomania
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
Traditional violin craftsmanship in CremonaItaly

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

Al Sadu, traditional weaving skills in the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates
Esuwa, Harakbut sung prayers of Peru’s Wachiperi peoplePeru
Hezhen Yimakan storytellingChina
Naqqāli, Iranian dramatic story-tellingIran (Islamic Republic of)

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Ceremonial Keşkek traditionTürkiye
Equitation in the French traditionFrance
Jultagi, tightrope walkingRepublic of Korea
Mariachi, string music, song and trumpetMexico
Taekkyeon, a traditional Korean martial artRepublic of Korea

2010

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Watertight-bulkhead technology of Chinese junksChina
Wooden movable-type printing of ChinaChina

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicineChina
Armenian cross-stones art. Symbolism and craftsmanship of KhachkarsArmenia
Chhau danceIndia
Compagnonnage, network for on-the-job transmission of knowledge and identitiesFrance
Craftsmanship of Alençon needle lace-makingFrance
Daemokjang, traditional wooden architectureRepublic of Korea
Gastronomic meal of the FrenchFrance
Kırkpınar oil wrestling festivalTürkiye
Mongolian traditional art of KhöömeiMongolia
Music of the Bakhshis of KhorasanIran (Islamic Republic of)
Peking operaChina
Traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving in the Republic of AzerbaijanAzerbaijan
Traditional skills of carpet weaving in KashanIran (Islamic Republic of)
Yuki-tsumugi, silk fabric production techniqueJapan

2009

List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

Mongol Biyelgee, Mongolian traditional folk danceMongolia
Traditional design and practices for building Chinese wooden arch bridgesChina
Traditional music of the TsuurMongolia

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Âşıklık (minstrelsy) traditionTürkiye
China engraved block printing techniqueChina
Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structuresChina
GagakuJapan
KaragözTürkiye
Katta AshulaUzbekistan
Mazu belief and customsChina
Mongolian art of singing, KhoomeiChina
Radif of Iranian musicIran (Islamic Republic of)
Scribing tradition in French timber framingFrance
Sericulture and silk craftsmanship of ChinaChina
Whistled language of the island of La Gomera (Canary Islands), the Silbo GomeroSpain
Xi’an wind and percussion ensembleChina
Yueju operaChina

2008

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah epicEgypt
Andean cosmovision of the KallawayaBolivia (Plurinational State of)
Art of Akyns, Kyrgyz epic tellersKyrgyzstan
Chopi TimbilaMozambique
Gbofe of Afounkaha, the music of the transverse trumps of the Tagbana communityCôte d'Ivoire
Guqin and its musicChina
Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatreIndia
Pansori epic chantRepublic of Korea
Traditional music of the Morin KhuurMongolia
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