19 March 2026
The second meeting of the Bureau of the twenty-first session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Spain, Ukraine, Haiti, Zambia and Algeria) was convened as an electronic consultation from 4 to 18 March 2026, under the chairpersonship of H.E. Mr GAO Zheng, Vice-Minister of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China. Mr Arnaud Lelion-Lupart (France) served as Rapporteur of the Bureau.
An International Assistance request submitted by Malaysia was examined and approved by the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Committee to support the National Department for Culture and Arts in The Mek Mulung apprenticeship programme. The Bureau granted an overall amount of US$99,952 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund to implement this project, which aims to enhance the element Mek Mulung soon after its inscription in 2023 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
To support the efforts of communities from the village of Wang Tepus, the cradle of this ancestral art, the project entails the development and implementation of training modules, as well as research, documentation and awareness raising. The activities will address key threats to the element, including the declining number of bearers and practitioners, the lack of written documentation and training materials, and reduced interest among youngsters.
The project will focus on hands-on transmission of Mek Mulung artistic knowledge and skills to future generations. Through a seventy-hour apprenticeship programme, traditional masters will train fifty apprentices, and two hundred scholars, in singing, dancing, and traditional music, contributing to the viability of the element. Beyond safeguarding the practice, the project also aims to create the conditions necessary to inspire professional and artistic vocations among young people, enabling them to earn an income from the practice and thus preventing the practice from disappearing. Finally, the village of Wang Tepus will be established as a reference training centre for Mek Mulung, functioning as a ‘Living Heritage Hub’ dedicated to the training and transmission of the practice.
The Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund provides dedicated resources for States Parties to implement a wide range of programmes, projects and activities dedicated to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, such as community-based inventorying, awareness-raising or specific activities such as safeguarding living heritage in emergencies.
Event:
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Second meeting of the 21.COM Bureau (4 March 2026 – 18 March 2026)
