At the thirteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Port Louis, Mauritius, a side event to raise awareness about the global network of facilitators was organized by UNESCO to encourage States Parties to use the network to support their work in implementing the Convention.
“The global network of facilitators was created to support UNESCO in building human and institutional capacities for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH)”, said the Assistant Director-General for Culture, Ernesto Ottone R., who opened the side event. “Now in its seventh year, the network has grown into a respected and resourceful player for implementing the Convention. In some respects, it embodies the living memory of the Convention during its first decade.”
Then, moderator Deirdre Prins Solani (Africa) welcomed the four facilitators to give attendees to the side event firsthand perspectives of being facilitators on the global network. The diverse group of facilitators on the roundtable were Subha Chaudhuri (Asia and the Pacific), Harriet Deacon (Africa), Lucas Dos Santos Roque (Latin America and the Caribbean) and Hani Hayajneh (Arab States).
The role of the facilitator has evolved since the global capacity building programme started in 2011, going beyond the role of trainer.
Key to effective facilitation is good communication and understanding of the local context and stakeholders. “We have to understand the context in multidimensional lens and consider the local context. Communication with States Parties is invaluable for planning from the beginning so we can convey the message of the Convention properly to workshop participants,” Hayajneh commented.
Facilitators are managing a delicate balancing act they constantly encounter – be it between urban and rural communities, interactions between the local and international, or at the national and municipal levels facilitators are asked to help communities and stakeholders to relate the language and principles of the Convention to their specific contexts. “The interaction between the local and the international and the principles of the Convention and what’s happening in the local context – that is a crucial aspect of the role of the facilitators”, said Deacon. Facilitators play the role of impartial inter-mediators or ‘honest brokers’ they are not representing states nor NGOs or other institutions.
The fact that facilitators are not part of institutions have helped them to play this positive role. Said Dos Santos Roque: “We can think and speak in a liberal way, free to think and assist, to put ourselves in all these shoes, of UNESCO staff, government, local stakeholder shoes, and especially to think of the local communities. This has been advantageous in solving many issues, the fact that we are not from this region or area, to look as an outsider and to build on the capacity of the discussion.” Chaudhuri concurred, noting that facilitators had the benefit of experience from being in the field – “We can bring our own fieldwork experiences into the workshop situations, which gives us a space where we can work and demonstrate how this works best.”
Perhaps one of the most important roles that facilitators play is a longer term one – after the training with communities has ended, some have maintained relationships guiding and mentoring participants long after the workshops have ended. “Many of us follow up after the workshops to encourage people to establish and grow local networks, and we try and link people into other international networks that may be of interest to them. It is not just about the workshop itself – it’s about the bigger picture and the long term in that country”, Deacon noted.
At the end of the day, facilitators are not there to claim to be experts of local knowledge or communities - Dos Santos Roque summed it up noting that “facilitators empower the local people, to construct a situation for the local communities to facilitate their process and thinking.”
There was a lively Question and Answer session at the end, with many attendees taking the opportunity to share their positive experiences with the facilitators’ network, while others asked questions about how to get involved and benefit from doing so. Some warned that with the gradual growth of the network, attention should be payed that the high quality standards in facilitation are kept, which will require training opportunities for facilitators to keep abreast with latest developments in the life of the Convention.
UNESCO
Consultation on the priorities for an Action Plan for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Guatemala
In the framework of the project, ‘Strengthening capacities in the Comoros for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage for sustainable development’ a national workshop on reinforcing the institutional and legal framework in Comoros will take place in Moroni in September 2018.
Around 20 participants including national authorities for culture, representatives, lawyers, researchers from the University of Comoros, the CNDRS (National Center for Documentation and Scientific Research), the Comoros Collective for Heritage, national experts, civil society, and media will participate in the workshop. These activities are funded by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and organized by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Professional Integration, Handcraft, Arts and Culture in the Comoros.
In the framework of the project, ‘Strengthening capacities in the Comoros for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage for sustainable development’ a national workshop on reinforcing the institutional and legal framework in Comoros will take place in Moroni in September 2018.
Around 20 participants including national authorities for culture, representatives, lawyers, researchers from the University of Comoros, the CNDRS (National Center for Documentation and Scientific Research), the Comoros Collective for Heritage, national experts, civil society, and media will participate in the workshop. These activities are funded by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and organized by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Professional Integration, Handcraft, Arts and Culture in the Comoros.
20 - 22 November 2018
Moroni (Comoros)
On 11 November 2018, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone, and H. E. Mr Iván Duque, President of Colombia, inaugurated the UNESCO-Colombia stand on “Living heritage for a common future” at the Paris Peace Forum, at the Grande halle de la Villette, in Paris.
UNESCO and Colombia are showcased an innovative project that, in Colombia’s post-conflict context, is using living heritage to bring local communities and ex-combatants together to build a common future. Entitled “Intangible cultural heritage as a basis for resilience, reconciliation and construction of peace environments in Colombia’s post-agreements”, the project benefits from Emergency International Assistance through UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. It began in June 2018 and is already generating positive results.
The project aims to empower communities to carry out inventories of intangible cultural heritage and safeguard their living heritage, which was notably affected by the armed conflict. Another set of activities focuses on revitalizing shared cultural identity within the post-conflict territory. This is a concrete example of a community-led approach to using culture for peacebuilding.
On 11 November 2018, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone, and H. E. Mr Iván Duque, President of Colombia, inaugurated the UNESCO-Colombia stand on “Living heritage for a common future” at the Paris Peace Forum, at the Grande halle de la Villette, in Paris.
UNESCO and Colombia are showcased an innovative project that, in Colombia’s post-conflict context, is using living heritage to bring local communities and ex-combatants together to build a common future. Entitled “Intangible cultural heritage as a basis for resilience, reconciliation and construction of peace environments in Colombia’s post-agreements”, the project benefits from Emergency International Assistance through UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. It began in June 2018 and is already generating positive results.
The project aims to empower communities to carry out inventories of intangible cultural heritage and safeguard their living heritage, which was notably affected by the armed conflict. Another set of activities focuses on revitalizing shared cultural identity within the post-conflict territory. This is a concrete example of a community-led approach to using culture for peacebuilding.
11 - 13 November 2018
La grande Halle de la Villette (France)
Workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Georgia
From 29 October to 7 November, 2018 the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section and UNESCO-UNEVOC will co-host a virtual conference on ‘Integrating the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in technical and vocational education and training (TVET)’. The conference, which comes under the new programme on ‘Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in formal and non-formal education’, will explore the links between ICH and TVET.
The conference will be held on the UNESCO-UNEVOC TVeT Forum: an online discussion board where people from around the world can share information and knowledge about different aspects of TVET. Participants in the conference can read and post comments on the discussion boards—over the 10 days of the conference they can participate as much or as little as they like, logging in whenever suites their schedule.
Intended outcomes
At the end of this virtual conference, participants will be able to:
Understand what intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is and the roles of the communities, groups and individuals in designing and delivering TVET programmes on ICH
Recognize the links between ICH and TVET and the role of different TVET stakeholders in integrating ICH safeguarding into TVET
Identify the opportunities and challenges safeguarding ICH presents to TVET and ICH stakeholders
Structure and sequencing
The virtual conference is founded on five topics. These topics will be ‘opened’ for discussion on the following days:
Monday, 29 October - Topic 1: Understanding intangible cultural heritage
Webinar: Introduction to ICH and its stakeholders
Tuesday, 30 October - Topic 2: Exploring the links between ICH and TVET
Thursday, 1 November - Topic 3: Opportunities and challenges of safeguarding ICH though TVET
Monday, 5 November - Topic 4: Empowering the communities through ICH and TVET
Join the virtual conference
Participation is open to anyone with an interest in ICH and TVET. You will need to have a UNEVOC account to participate in the conference: you can register here for a UNEVOC account. Once you have a UNEVOC account, you can sign up to join the virtual conference. Any questions about registration can be directed to w.de-regt@unesco.org
The virtual conference will be in English. However, all of the documents will be available in French, and French and Spanish speaking participants can use the built-in translation feature to follow discussions and to contribute in their languages.
From 29 October to 7 November, 2018 the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section and UNESCO-UNEVOC will co-host a virtual conference on ‘Integrating the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in technical and vocational education and training (TVET)’. The conference, which comes under the new programme on ‘Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in formal and non-formal education’, will explore the links between ICH and TVET.
The conference will be held on the UNESCO-UNEVOC TVeT Forum: an online discussion board where people from around the world can share information and knowledge about different aspects of TVET. Participants in the conference can read and post comments on the discussion boards—over the 10 days of the conference they can participate as much or as little as they like, logging in whenever suites their schedule.
Intended outcomes
At the end of this virtual conference, participants will be able to:
Understand what intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is and the roles of the communities, groups and individuals in designing and delivering TVET programmes on ICH
Recognize the links between ICH and TVET and the role of different TVET stakeholders in integrating ICH safeguarding into TVET
Identify the opportunities and challenges safeguarding ICH presents to TVET and ICH stakeholders
Structure and sequencing
The virtual conference is founded on five topics. These topics will be ‘opened’ for discussion on the following days:
Monday, 29 October - Topic 1: Understanding intangible cultural heritage
Webinar: Introduction to ICH and its stakeholders
Tuesday, 30 October - Topic 2: Exploring the links between ICH and TVET
Thursday, 1 November - Topic 3: Opportunities and challenges of safeguarding ICH though TVET
Monday, 5 November - Topic 4: Empowering the communities through ICH and TVET
Join the virtual conference
Participation is open to anyone with an interest in ICH and TVET. You will need to have a UNEVOC account to participate in the conference: you can register here for a UNEVOC account. Once you have a UNEVOC account, you can sign up to join the virtual conference. Any questions about registration can be directed to w.de-regt@unesco.org
The virtual conference will be in English. However, all of the documents will be available in French, and French and Spanish speaking participants can use the built-in translation feature to follow discussions and to contribute in their languages.
29 October 2018 - 7 November 2018
Online (France)
UNESCO
Workshop on implementation of the 2003 Convention
28 - 30 October 2018
Kuwait City (Kuwait)
On 26 October, 2018, the Living Heritage Entity, in partnership with the Education Sector at UNESCO Headquarters, held a webinar for the education for sustainable development (ESD) key partners. The one-hour webinar introduced the ESD key partners to intangible cultural heritage, looked at a the relationship between intangible cultural heritage and education, and provoked discussion on how existing ESD activities relate to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. The webinar revealed a clear interest from the ESD key partners in intangible cultural heritage and identified ideas for possible future collaborations with the Education Sector.
On 26 October, 2018, the Living Heritage Entity, in partnership with the Education Sector at UNESCO Headquarters, held a webinar for the education for sustainable development (ESD) key partners. The one-hour webinar introduced the ESD key partners to intangible cultural heritage, looked at a the relationship between intangible cultural heritage and education, and provoked discussion on how existing ESD activities relate to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. The webinar revealed a clear interest from the ESD key partners in intangible cultural heritage and identified ideas for possible future collaborations with the Education Sector.
26 October 2018
Online (-)
Objectives:
With a view to contribute to the international debate on safeguarding living heritage in urban contexts with links to sustainable development, the project intends to:
• identify key issues related to ICH and its safeguarding in urban contexts, including the potential contribution of intangible cultural heritage and its safeguarding to sustainable development of urban areas;
• develop a methodology for inventorying living heritage in urban contexts and update the existing/develop new materials for inventorying, including a specific guidance note, if relevant, based on the lessons learnt from the nine pilot projects;
• develop policy oriented recommendations related to ICH safeguarding in urban contexts.
Implementation strategy:
Within the framework of the overall project, and in line with approaches and conceptual tools of the 2003 Convention, nine pilot inventories of intangible cultural heritage in urban contexts will be conducted in selected cities from different regions of the world.
The inventories will target in particular practices, which are based on economic mechanisms that are key to sustainable development of communities, with a particular focus on practices where the economic base has been eroded and could be revitalized. The project will specifically focus on traditional crafts, performing arts, including festivals The pilot cities will be selected based on interest expressed by communities and in synergy with ongoing activities and strategies as part of the implementation of the 2003 Convention.
To facilitate the active participation of tradition bearers and practitioners in the design and implementation of the inventories, capacity building workshops on community based inventorying will be delivered by UNESCO trained facilitators. The workshops and their training materials will be developed based on the existing training materials, developed by UNESCO under the 2003 Conventions’ Global capacity-building programme. Accompanied by the facilitators, the communities trained will conduct pilot inventories over a period of 6 months. A wrap-up workshop will be organized at the end of this period to collect lessons learnt, discuss issues related to ICH in cities and sustainable development, and formulate proposals for improving the existing inventorying methodologies and materials and draft policy recommendations.
The project will be implemented in two phases:
Phase one: October 2018 to July 2019
Kick off meeting: 22 and 23 October 2018, UNESCO HQs in Paris
Implementation of three inventories (George Town, Malaysia; Harare, Zimbabwe and Kingston, Jamaica) : November 2018 to May 2019
Wrap-up meeting of Phase one: June/July 2019
Phase two: July 2019 to May 2020
Kick off meeting: June/July 2019
Implementation of six inventories (TBC): August 2019 – February 2020
Wrap-up meeting of Phase two: March 2020
Wrap-up meeting of the project: In the framework of the Global Forum on ‘Culture for sustainable cities’: September/October 2020
Implementing unit: the project will be implemented by the Living Heritage Entity, in close collaboration with Culture Specialists from the relevant Field Offices.
Objectives:
With a view to contribute to the international debate on safeguarding living heritage in urban contexts with links to sustainable development, the project intends to:
• identify key issues related to ICH and its safeguarding in urban contexts, including the potential contribution of intangible cultural heritage and its safeguarding to sustainable development of urban areas;
• develop a methodology for inventorying living heritage in urban contexts and update the existing/develop new materials for inventorying, including a specific guidance note, if relevant, based on the lessons learnt from the nine pilot projects;
• develop policy oriented recommendations related to ICH safeguarding in urban contexts.
Implementation strategy:
Within the framework of the overall project, and in line with approaches and conceptual tools of the 2003 Convention, nine pilot inventories of intangible cultural heritage in urban contexts will be conducted in selected cities from different regions of the world.
The inventories will target in particular practices, which are based on economic mechanisms that are key to sustainable development of communities, with a particular focus on practices where the economic base has been eroded and could be revitalized. The project will specifically focus on traditional crafts, performing arts, including festivals The pilot cities will be selected based on interest expressed by communities and in synergy with ongoing activities and strategies as part of the implementation of the 2003 Convention.
To facilitate the active participation of tradition bearers and practitioners in the design and implementation of the inventories, capacity building workshops on community based inventorying will be delivered by UNESCO trained facilitators. The workshops and their training materials will be developed based on the existing training materials, developed by UNESCO under the 2003 Conventions’ Global capacity-building programme. Accompanied by the facilitators, the communities trained will conduct pilot inventories over a period of 6 months. A wrap-up workshop will be organized at the end of this period to collect lessons learnt, discuss issues related to ICH in cities and sustainable development, and formulate proposals for improving the existing inventorying methodologies and materials and draft policy recommendations.
The project will be implemented in two phases:
Phase one: October 2018 to July 2019
Kick off meeting: 22 and 23 October 2018, UNESCO HQs in Paris
Implementation of three inventories (George Town, Malaysia; Harare, Zimbabwe and Kingston, Jamaica) : November 2018 to May 2019
Wrap-up meeting of Phase one: June/July 2019
Phase two: July 2019 to May 2020
Kick off meeting: June/July 2019
Implementation of six inventories (TBC): August 2019 – February 2020
Wrap-up meeting of Phase two: March 2020
Wrap-up meeting of the project: In the framework of the Global Forum on ‘Culture for sustainable cities’: September/October 2020
Implementing unit: the project will be implemented by the Living Heritage Entity, in close collaboration with Culture Specialists from the relevant Field Offices.
22 - 23 October 2018
UNESCO Headquarters (France)
The Directorate of Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Regional Office for West Africa (Sahel) in Dakar organized from 15 to 22 October 2018 in Dakar, a workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage. For this purpose, 20 participants were selected, including directors of regional cultural centers, heritage experts and national focal points who will be in charge of providing a similar training at the local level. This workshop is part of the project ‘Strengthening national capacities for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in Senegal’, financed by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, which mainly aims to support the implementation of a national inventorying strategy and of safeguarding plans for living heritage.
The Directorate of Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Regional Office for West Africa (Sahel) in Dakar organized from 15 to 22 October 2018 in Dakar, a workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage. For this purpose, 20 participants were selected, including directors of regional cultural centers, heritage experts and national focal points who will be in charge of providing a similar training at the local level. This workshop is part of the project ‘Strengthening national capacities for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in Senegal’, financed by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, which mainly aims to support the implementation of a national inventorying strategy and of safeguarding plans for living heritage.
15 - 19 October 2018
Dakar (Senegal)
The National Museums of Kenya will hold a community-based inventorying workshop from 1 to 10 October 2018 at Lamu Fort, a World Heritage Site. The workshop aims to strengthen the capacities to safeguard intangible cultural heritage for twenty-five participants selected from a wide range of stakeholders, including community leaders, youth, women, and elders.
Supported by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi, the workshop was conceptualized in line with the global capacity-building programme of the 2003 Convention; also based on the recommendations of the World Heritage Site community consultations on the impact of the LAPSSET development (Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport Corridor); and efforts towards the preservation, dissemination and access to documentary heritage.
After the workshop, a selected number of the trained community members will be supported for fieldwork in carrying out an inventory of ICH elements in Lamu, which will also be documented digitally and made available in open license formats. The final inventory sheets and audio-visual material will be conserved in the National Museums of Kenya.
The National Museums of Kenya will hold a community-based inventorying workshop from 1 to 10 October 2018 at Lamu Fort, a World Heritage Site. The workshop aims to strengthen the capacities to safeguard intangible cultural heritage for twenty-five participants selected from a wide range of stakeholders, including community leaders, youth, women, and elders.
Supported by the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in Nairobi, the workshop was conceptualized in line with the global capacity-building programme of the 2003 Convention; also based on the recommendations of the World Heritage Site community consultations on the impact of the LAPSSET development (Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport Corridor); and efforts towards the preservation, dissemination and access to documentary heritage.
After the workshop, a selected number of the trained community members will be supported for fieldwork in carrying out an inventory of ICH elements in Lamu, which will also be documented digitally and made available in open license formats. The final inventory sheets and audio-visual material will be conserved in the National Museums of Kenya.
8 - 12 October 2018
Lamu (Kenya)
UNESCO
Workshop on community-based inventorying in Afghanistan
7 - 10 October 2018
Bamiyan (Afghanistan)
The Secretariat of the Convention organizes an information and exchange session for the members of the Intergovernmental Committee on Tuesday, 2 October 2018. This meeting will take place in Room XI (Fontenoy) from 3 to 5 p.m.
The purpose of this meeting is to inform Committee members about the functioning of the Committee and its general working methods. The Secretariat wishes to inform all members of the Committee, before its thirteenth session, on the provisional agenda of the thirteenth session of the Committee. The Chairperson will inform the participants of the action taken by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius regarding its hosting of the Committee’s next session in Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius(26 November - 1 December 2018). This meeting includes an orientation session for the new Members of the Committee and is also open to interested States Parties, which are not members of the Committee and States not party to the Convention.
The Secretariat of the Convention organizes an information and exchange session for the members of the Intergovernmental Committee on Tuesday, 2 October 2018. This meeting will take place in Room XI (Fontenoy) from 3 to 5 p.m.
The purpose of this meeting is to inform Committee members about the functioning of the Committee and its general working methods. The Secretariat wishes to inform all members of the Committee, before its thirteenth session, on the provisional agenda of the thirteenth session of the Committee. The Chairperson will inform the participants of the action taken by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius regarding its hosting of the Committee’s next session in Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius(26 November - 1 December 2018). This meeting includes an orientation session for the new Members of the Committee and is also open to interested States Parties, which are not members of the Committee and States not party to the Convention.
Presentation of the Republic of Mauritius: English|French
2 October 2018
Paris (France)
Organized by UNESCO Beijing Office, the Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Elaborating Nomination Files under the Mechanisms of the 2003 UNESCO Convention is aimed at strengthening the capacities of its participants of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in preparing nomination files for the Convention’s Lists as well as refreshing their knowledge on ICH inventorying methodologies and techniques. Hosted by the National Authority for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, this workshop is the first of its kind in the framework of an International Assistance project jointly implemented by a Member State and a UNESCO Field Office with the financial support from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.
The training will be a continuation of the previous capacity building efforts. It will further reinforce participants’ knowledge of the requirements and criteria of nominations, and cover more specialized topics such as joint nominations with other countries, how to apply for international financial assistance, and the importance of integrating sustainable development and inclusive approaches in nominations.
Organized by UNESCO Beijing Office, the Training Workshop on Community-Based Inventorying of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Elaborating Nomination Files under the Mechanisms of the 2003 UNESCO Convention is aimed at strengthening the capacities of its participants of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in preparing nomination files for the Convention’s Lists as well as refreshing their knowledge on ICH inventorying methodologies and techniques. Hosted by the National Authority for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, this workshop is the first of its kind in the framework of an International Assistance project jointly implemented by a Member State and a UNESCO Field Office with the financial support from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.
The training will be a continuation of the previous capacity building efforts. It will further reinforce participants’ knowledge of the requirements and criteria of nominations, and cover more specialized topics such as joint nominations with other countries, how to apply for international financial assistance, and the importance of integrating sustainable development and inclusive approaches in nominations.
26 September 2018 - 3 October 2018
Pyongyang (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)
This workshop is the second activity within the framework of the capacity-building project “Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Sudan”, generously supported by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA). Held from 23 to 24 September 2018, it aims to raise awareness among decision makers (State Ministers from different ministries and other responsible in the field of culture at the decentralised level) on the importance of living heritage as a vector of cultural diversity, as well as on the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention.
This workshop is the second activity within the framework of the capacity-building project “Strengthening national capacities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Sudan”, generously supported by Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (ADTCA). Held from 23 to 24 September 2018, it aims to raise awareness among decision makers (State Ministers from different ministries and other responsible in the field of culture at the decentralised level) on the importance of living heritage as a vector of cultural diversity, as well as on the mechanisms of the 2003 Convention.
