Climate change poses significant challenges to intangible cultural heritage (ICH), particularly in communities where cultural practices are closely tied to local environments. In response, IRCI launched the project “Intangible Cultural Heritage and Climate Change in the Asia-Pacific Region” (FY 2024–2026) to examine these issues at the community level and to explore practical approaches for safeguarding ICH while enhancing its role in climate adaptation.

Although attention to the impacts of climate change on cultural heritage has grown since the UNESCO–IPCC–ICOMOS meeting in December 2021, research has largely focused on tangible heritage, leaving ICH comparatively underexplored, particularly in the culturally diverse Asia-Pacific region. To address this gap, IRCI has organized case studies in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, and the Solomon Islands to investigate how ICH and indigenous knowledge support the continuity of ICH and its adaptive responses to climate change. Building on these findings as well as the Guidance Note on Climate Action for Living Heritage published in 2024 and other relevant initiatives that have developed in the Asia-Pacific region, the conference aims to critically examine how climate change is reshaping ICH practices and transmission, while highlighting its potential contributions to community-led adaptation and resilience.

By fostering dialogue among practitioners, researchers, and policymakers, it also seeks to advance the integration of ICH into broader climate and heritage frameworks and to strengthen cross-regional exchange within global climate discourse.

The event will consist of case study presentations from selected countries in the Asia-Pacific Region, a public symposium exploring the latest developments in ICH and climate actions, and a workshop (Day 2, in-person only) focused on transmission pathways for ICH as well as the ongoing challenges and future prospects for safeguarding ICH in the context of climate change.

Text as provided by the organiser(s).