Grounded in the overarching principles of the 2003 Convention, a series of guidance notes have been developed over the years in the field of living heritage safeguarding to inform policy development, support capacity-building efforts and to contribute to safeguarding initiatives at all levels.
These guidance notes seek to enhance understanding of the Convention’s objectives and to promote the application of good practices, notably in areas such as community-based inventorying, or the integration of intangible cultural heritage into broader policy frameworks, including those related to livelihoods, climate action and urban context, within a sustainable development perspective.
Economic dimensions of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage
This guidance note suggests a context-specific, heritage-sensitive and rights-based approach to responsible and inclusive planning and management of economic dimensions of intangible cultural heritage and its safeguarding. The note intends to support communities seeking ways to maximize the positive effects of economic activities on living heritage safeguarding and sustainable development, while mitigating the potential negative impacts on the viability of living heritage.
Publication year: 2023
| Guidance Note on the economic dimensions of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding under the 2003 Convention |
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| Download in PDF: inglés|francés |
| Download in Word: inglés|francés |
Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and climate change
This guidance note proposes a collective, rights-based and people-centred approach to climate action for living heritage, with reference to climate change adaptation, climate change mitigation and living heritage safeguarding. Adaptation to climate change is a process of adjustment to limit harm from a changing climate as well as a chance to identify and take advantage of new opportunities. In this aim, the note presents three key goals, two transversal concerns, and five potential areas for intervention by the different stakeholders of the 2003 Convention.
Publication year: 2024
| Guidance Note on climate action for living heritage |
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| Download in PDF: inglés|francés |
| Download in Word: inglés|francés |
Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in urban contexts
Forthcoming
| Guidance Note on Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in urban contexts |
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| Download in PDF: forthcoming |
| Download in Word: forthcoming |
Inventorying Intangible Cultural Heritage
The Guidance Note on inventorying intangible cultural heritage has been developed to advise States Parties, non-governmental organizations and communities on the process of inventorying intangible cultural heritage and the preparation of inventories of elements of intangible cultural heritage. It is intended neither as a step-by-step guide nor as a checklist, but rather as a list of issues to be considered prior to and during the inventorying process.
The guiding principles and recommendations contained in this note are meant to inspire States Parties when drawing up new inventories of intangible cultural heritage or revising existing ones. They underline that the process of inventorying is as, if not more, important than the output, i.e. the inventory itself. The Note also seeks to clarify the importance of inventorying as a prerequisite for the nomination of elements to the Lists of the Convention, more specifically in response to a decision of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2015 (Decision 10.COM 10).
Publication year: 2015
| Guidance note for inventorying intangible cultural heritage |
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| Download in PDF: inglés|francés|español |