Benefitting country(ies): Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Sao Tome and Principe, South Sudan

Overview:

The project aims to safeguard and promote the rich diversity of intangible cultural heritage in Africa with a focus on nine countries that do not yet have any living heritage element inscribed on the Lists and Register of the 2003 Convention (at the end of the nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee in December 2024) – these are Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Sao Tome and Principe and South Sudan.

It aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge of States Parties in the region to prepare nomination files for the Lists and the Register of the 2003 Convention, ensuring that Africa’s living heritage receives greater recognition and representation. Through a combination of capacity-building initiatives, peer learning and experience-sharing opportunities among stakeholders, the project encourages South-South cooperation for intangible cultural heritage safeguarding. By facilitating dialogue between States Parties in Africa, it aims to create a supportive environment where expertise and good practices can be shared to strengthen nomination processes. Furthermore, by encouraging the integration of living heritage into broader culture sector policies, the project seeks to embed intangible cultural heritage into national and regional sustainable development frameworks.

News and activities:

• 2025-03-17 – Building capacities for safeguarding living heritage and preparing nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention in Africa

20/11/2024 - 06/11/2027 – Awareness raising on the importance of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage among traditional leadership and local communities in Zimbabwe02/07/2025 - 01/07/2027 – Enhancing implementation of the 2003 Convention through community-based inventorying and urgent safeguarding measures in the State of Palestine