Meetings on intangible cultural heritage (co-)organized by UNESCO

Following South Sudan’s ratification of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016, a workshop on the implementation of the Convention and community-based inventorying is held between 3 and 11 May 2018 in Juba. The main objective is to train national experts in safeguarding their intangible cultural heritage through carrying out community-based inventories. Participants in the workshop range from national authorities responsible for Culture in South Sudan to NGOs, foundations and community activists. The workshop is funded and organized by UNESCO Office in Juba in close collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports in South Sudan.

From April 25 to 27, the last of six training workshops will be held in Guatemala City in the framework of the project on Strengthening local capacities for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage of Guatemala. The training focuses on the preparation of safeguarding plans according to the principles of the 2003 Convention.
During the course of 2017, a total of 89 key actors were trained on the basic principles of the 2003 Convention and on the design of community-based methodologies for the preparation of inventories and safeguarding plans. In addition to the theoretical training, two pilot inventories were carried out, for - the techniques of the Pottery of Santa Apolonia and the “Pilgrimage of the Black Christ” of Esquipulas.
These activities are intended to strengthen institutional, technical and human capacities for the effective implementation of the Convention at national and local levels. They also helped to promote the participation of communities in the safeguarding mechanisms of their ICH.

The Secretariat of the Convention organizes an information and exchange session for the Overall results framework for the Convention on Friday, 20 April 2018. This meeting will take place in Room II (Fontenoy) from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The purpose of this meeting is to inform the State Parties to the Convention about the overall results framework and its practical implications for States Parties, as requested by the Committee by its Decision 12.COM 9. This information meeting is also open to interested States not party to the Convention, Accredited non-governmental organizations and category 2 centres.

1. Les Conventions de 1972 et 2003 : Enjeux et défis
2. Bases légales de l’inventaire
3. Consentement préalable, libre et éclairé
4. Les fiches de l’inventaire
5. Les techniques de l’enquête
6. Exercices pratiques

Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage with Young People in Kyrgyzstan

Tunisia’s interest in intangible cultural heritage was illustrated, among other things, in February 2007 on the occasion of the organization by the INP of the First International Meetings of ICH. In 2006, Tunisia ratified the 2003 Convention. To date, it does not count any element inscribed on the Convention lists, but an application has just been submitted on 31 March 2017 for a possible inscription of pottery. Sedjnan on the Representative List. Tunisia has been a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for a four-year term (2012-2016). In the framework of this Catalonia-funded capacity-building project, in addition to capacity-building workshops, Tunisia is also supported by UNESCO to develop a policy for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.

Organised within the framework of UNESCO’s commitment to strengthen the capacities of Eritrea for implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, financed by Norway, this is an eight-day training workshop for 20-25 participants on the elaboration of requests for International Assistance to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and on preparation of nomination files for inscription on the Lists under the 2003 Convention as well as the their contribution to the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) present in the State’s territory

The UNESCO capacity building workshop in Dnipro, Ukraine is a part of the UNESCO global strategy for strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage through the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention and was generously co-funded by the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe.

The workshop brought together members of communities and NGOs from various regions of the country, as well as researchers and representatives from local, regional and national authorities. The workshop paved the way for a better understanding of the 2003 Convention and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage among the governmental and community stakeholders. As a result of the workshop, the participants were equipped with information on the importance of ICH, the UNESCO 2003 Convention for Safeguarding ICH, as well as discussed a number of specific issues such as revitalisation of ICH elements as a safeguarding measure, ICH and gender roles, as well as intellectual property protection related to ICH safeguarding.

The workshop also contributed to raising awareness of members of communities about the possibilities to actively engage in decision-making on developing ICH safeguarding plans and measures and highlighted the necessity that all the stakeholders should together strive to develop quality relationships which will result in successful activities and projects.

1. Malta ratified the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage on 13th April 2017. In this context, the Directorate of Culture requested to UNESCO a consultancy service to assist on implementing the Convention at the country level. The consultant was commissioned to elaborate an assessment from January to February 2018, including a mission to Malta that was carried out from January 25th to February 5th 2018. The mission aimed at identifying, in collaboration with institutions responsible for the safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Malta, the needs and keys objectives that can be addressed in the context of the implementation of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention. The activity was coordinated by the Directorate of Culture (DC) of the Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government of Malta (MJCL).

The capacity building workshop in Ljubljana, Slovenia is a part of the UNESCO global strategy for strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage through the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention and was generously supported by the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe and Slovene Ethnographic Museum.

The workshop trained ministry officials, community members, researchers and representatives of non-governmental organizations on the 2003 Convention principles, its main mechanisms and key concepts, as well as on the significance of the living heritage as vector of the cultural diversity and sustainable development.