15 December 2020
The warmth of reggae marked the opening on 14 December of the 15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, chaired by H.E. Ms Olivia Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport of Jamaica.
More than 800 online participants in nearly 140 countries are registered to attend six online sessions chaired from Jamaica with the support of UNESCO’s Secretariat in Paris.
During the opening, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay stressed that “intangible heritage is indeed a powerful way of healing the wounds in our societies. This is true for tears in the social fabric; it is also true for the fracture between humanity and nature. (…). Intangible heritage is also a resource that can be used to rise above political disputes, acknowledging the ties between people.” Ms Azoulay ended her address “Because respecting heritage is not only about protecting it; it is also about making it known to future generations. This means ensuring that young people can appropriate heritage, take pride in it, and renew it.”
In this spirit, UNESCO launched a new tool Dive into living heritage and sustainable development that points to the interconnectedness of the elements inscribed on the lists of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the international community for 2030.
Meeting:
-
15th session of the Intergovernmental Committee (14 December 2020 – 19 December 2020)
