Reuniones sobre el patrimonio cultural inmaterial organizadas o coorganizadas por la UNESCO

The UNESCO Venice Office, in cooperation with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO, organized the sixth edition of the annual regional meeting of experts from South-East Europe on Intangible Cultural Heritage “Promoting a shared vision of intangible cultural heritage in South-East Europe”. This regional meeting has been an opportunity to present and discuss the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention and national measures for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.

The meeting also allowed for a presentation of best practices in the promotion of shared heritage (multinational candidature files, common research projects, etc) and discussed future joint activities in the area of training and capacity-building, to be developed in conjunction with the new Category II Regional Center on intangible cultural heritage, officially inaugurated in Sofia, Bulgaria, in February 2012.

The conference comprised experts from: Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria, Croatia; Cyprus; Greece; Italy; Montenegro; Republic of Moldova; Romania; Serbia; Slovenia; The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey.

• Final Declaration: inglés
• Final Programme: inglés
• List of participants: inglés

As another step to strengthen its capacity to safeguard its living heritage, community members and representatives from various institutions of Botswana, including university professionals, Departments of Culture, National Arts Councils, National Museums and Monuments and the National ICH Committees came together to participate in a capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 convention, held from the 16th to 20th of April, 2012 in Gaborone.

The major focus of the workshops was on familiarising participants with the Intangible Heritage Convention, its basic concepts, measures and mechanisms, recognizing that effective implementation depends upon profound knowledge and understanding of all the people involved in the safeguarding of living heritage.

The workshop was a part of a series of national workshops rolled out by the UNESCO Harare Cluster Office, organised within the framework of the UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust Project to strengthen national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

It was facilitated by Mr. Stephen Chifunyise and Mr. Lovemore Mazibuko, two of the network of experts trained in UNESCO’s “Training of Trainers Workshop.”

For more information please contact: c.mapfumo@unesco.org

With the support of the UNESCO/Japan Fund-in-Trust, UNESCO initiates on 16 April 2012 its efforts on the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Nepal, who ratified the Convention in 2010. A series of workshops will be organized to strengthen the national capacities in Nepal to implement the Convention more effectively for over the next 18 months. Among them, the first five-day workshop was held on 16-20 April 2012 in the capital city, Kathmandu, mainly focusing on building capacity for Nepal to meet its obligation as a State Party to the Convention.

UNESCO Office in Kathmandu works in close cooperation with the Ministry of Federal Affairs, Constituant Assembly, Parliamentary Affairs and Culture for this first joint initiative, which attracted some 40 participants from government departments, communities and groups that create and transmit the intangible cultural heritages. The other workshops to follow are on Community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage and elaborating nominations to the Lists of the Convention. These series of initiatives is implemented within the framework of a global capacity building strategy that UNESCO put in place since 2011.

UNESCO is planning a workshop to introduce to the staff of the School for African Heritage (EPA) in Benin (11 to 17 April) the new pedagogical tools developed by UNESCO to help the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The training material emphasizes the role of the States in taking the necessary measures to ensure the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage on their territories, such as adopting a general policy, designating competent bodies, fostering scientific studies and putting in place appropriate legal, technical, and administrative measures. The role of communities in identifying and transmitting intangible cultural heritage is also highlighted, as the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage for sustainable development and social cohesion.

This training workshop, supported by the International Fund for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, will offer the staff of the School for African Heritage new opportunities to help future heritage managers in African countries.

Documents

• Background document: francés
• Agenda: francés
• List of participants: francés

A three-day Capacity Building Workshop on the Implementation of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) was held on 10-12 April 2012 at Hotel Timor in Dili, Timor-Leste. The workshop was jointly organised by the State Secretariat of Culture of the Ministry of Education of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and UNESCO with the support from the Government of Japan through UNESCO Japanese Funds-In-Trust for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

This workshop followed a previously organised workshop on the ratification of the 2003 UNESCO Convention, which took place in November 2011 in Timor-Leste. This supplementary workshop gathered some 60 participants, including national and district Culture officials, governmental officials from other relevant ministries, academics, NGO representatives and community members. Facilitated by Rahul Gioswami (a member of the Consultative Body of the 2003 ICH Convention), Masanori Nagaoka (Head of Culture unit of UNESCO Office, Jakarta) and Wieske Sapardan (Programme Assistant of UNESCO Office, Jakarta), the fourteen sessions of this workshop was intended to help participants gain a broad understanding of the possible activities involved in implementing UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

During the opening ceremony, H.E. Mr. Virgilio Simith, the Secretary of State for Culture of the Ministry of Education of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and H.E. Mr. Yoshitaka Hanada, the Ambassador of Japan to Timor-Leste highlighted the importance of joint efforts among governments, civil societies and communities to ensure that Timor-Leste’s precious intangible cultural heritage is safeguarded and passed on to the next generations. They underlined that the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage should play a key role for ensuring mutual respect and promoting peace in Timor-Leste and beyond.

The opening ceremony was followed by the launch of a publication entitled ‘the Ai To’os Collection’ which was produced by the State Secretariat of Culture of the Ministry of Education of Timor-Leste. Financially supported through UNESCO’s programme of CapEFA (Capacity Development for Education For All), the publication introduces – in Tetun, Portuguese and English – historical cultural objects in order to raise people’s awareness of their own rich cultural heritage while promoting literacy rates in the country. Mr Anwar Alsaid, Head of Education of UNESCO Office, Jakarta who was present at the launching ceremony emphasised that UNESCO stands ready to assist the government and people of Timor-Leste through an intersectoral approach in the fields of education and culture, ie. in promoting and preserving Timor-Leste’s rich cultural heritage and to ensure that this heritage is documented.

The three day capacity building workshop was followed by a visit to Suai, the capital of Cova Lima District in Timor-Leste which will be a pilot site for the Community-based Inventorying workshop, which shall be held in September 2012. During the visit, the members of the State Secretariat of Culture of the Ministry of Education of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and UNESCO staff met the leaders of the traditional community in Suai and had the opportunity to observe the vernacular architecture settlements, traditional dance, performed by the local community group members, and a tais traditional textile weaving workshop in Cova Lima District.

A five-day training workshop on the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the national level was organized from 6 to 10 April 2012 in Astana, Kazakhstan. It was only a few weeks after Kazakhstan officially became the 142nd State Party to the 2003 Convention.

About 25 representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Agency for Tourism and Sport, representatives of leading universities in Kazakhstan, members of the National Committee for the Safeguarding of ICH, experts from the UNESCO Observatory on Central Asia, as well as ICH bearers - artisans, musicians, storytellers and representatives from youth NGOs - took part in the training.

The workshop is the first of a series of activities aiming at building the know-how and institutional capacity for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in four Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was developed through the generous support of Norway to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and organized by the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty in cooperation with the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ISESCO and the Kazakhstan National Federation of UNESCO Clubs.

Los principales asociados de la UNESCO, firmes en su apoyo durante los últimos años a la aplicación efectiva de la Convención para la Salvaguardia del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial, se reunieron con la Secretaría el 30 de marzo de 2012, para hacer un balance de los logros recientes y lecciones aprendidas y compartir información sobre las prioridades futuras y la estrategia general para la utilización de los recursos disponibles.

Gracias al apoyo de los donantes generosos como Azerbaiyán, Brasil, Bulgaria, China, la Unión Europea, Flandes (Bélgica), Italia, Japón, Noruega, la República de Corea, España y los Emiratos Árabes Unidos, más de 11 millones de dólares han sido movilizados para la salvaguardia del patrimonio cultural inmaterial a través de un esfuerzo de fortalecimiento de capacidades a nivel mundial.

Desde 2008, la UNESCO se ha esforzado en alinear los programas financiados por contribuciones voluntarias a su programa complementario adicional a las prioridades y estrategias del programa ordinario financiado por las contribuciones asignadas de todos los Estados Miembros de la UNESCO.

En línea con estos esfuerzos, la Sección de Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial ha centrado su estrategia de movilización de recursos de forma muy estricta durante los últimos tres años en un doble enfoque: i) apoyar un programa mundial de fomento de capacidades para acompañar a los Estados en el fortalecimiento de capacidades humanas e institucionales para la aplicación exitosa de la Convención, ii) fortalecer sus propias capacidades para responder mejor a las solicitudes de los Estados y ayudar al Comité Intergubernamental en el cumplimiento de su labor.

La reunión brindó una oportunidad para consolidar una red de donantes fieles a la Convención de 2003, para crear sinergias y discutir las posibles vías de colaboración en el futuro y permitir el mejor uso posible de las contribuciones complementarias y las ventajas complementarias de nuestros donantes y asociados.

• Lista de participantes: inglés

In Zambia, community members and representatives from various institutions including university professionals, Departments of Culture, National Arts Councils, National Museums and Monuments and the National ICH Committees, came together to participate in a capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 convention, held from the 26th to 30th of March, 2012 in Lusaka.

The workshop, which will help to strengthen Zambia’s capacity to safeguard its living heritage, was part of a series of national workshops rolled out by the UNESCO Harare Cluster Office. It was organised within the framework of the UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust Project to strengthen national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In her opening remarks, the Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs, the Honourable Everine Kabanshi, highlighted Zambia’s commitment to the safeguarding of ICH and the importance for the Government to domesticate the convention, fully involving communities and traditional leaders in the process.

The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Stephen Chifunyise and Mr. Lovemore Mazibuko, two of the network of experts trained in UNESCO’s “Training of Trainers Workshop.”

For more information please contact: c.mapfumo@unesco.org

What are inventories of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and why are they essential to safeguarding efforts? How to draw up these inventories with the widest participation of communities, considering the specific context of each country? These were the main issues raised at the workshop on upgrading competencies on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage, held from March 23 to 25 in Paris in the framework of the MEDLIHER project with the teams of the three beneficiary countries (Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan).

The meeting enabled participants to gain a thorough understanding of the training materials developed by UNESCO on the theme of community-based inventorying. It was also an opportunity for them to discuss the adaptation of these tools according to the particularities of each country and the focus of their national safeguarding projects. Egypt chose inventorying the intangible cultural heritage of Damietta, which forms part of the river Nile regions; Jordan chose the region of Madaba, which is characterized by great cultural diversity. Lebanon decided to focus on inventorying the specific element of the Zajal, which is a cultural practice to be found all over the country. Planned to be launched in April 2012, these national projects will start with capacity-building workshops, followed by fieldwork.

In addition to significant advances in the planning of the national projects, participants have developed during this workshop a shared vision of the regional MEDLIHER movie, which will increase the visibility of the ICH of partner countries in the Mediterranean world and internationally.

Document

• Agenda and background document: (inglés)
• Summary: (francés)

In Zimbabwe, community members and traditional chiefs, representatives from various institutions including university professionals, Departments of Culture, National Arts Councils, National Museums and Monuments and the National ICH Committees, came together to participate in a capacity-building workshop on the implementation of the 2003 convention, held from the 19th to 23rd of March, 2012 in Harare.

In his official remarks, the Deputy Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Honourable Lazarus Dokora, emphasised the critical role that traditional leaders can play in implementing the 2003 Convention. The workshop was attended by four traditional chiefs including the President of the Chiefs’ Council, Chief Fortune Charumbira.

According to the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Great Zimbabwe University and member of the National ICH Committee, the workshop has resulted in a trained group of people who will now become pioneers in implementing the 2003 Convention, thus significantly contributing towards the safeguarding of ICH in Zimbabwe.

The workshop was part of a series of national workshops rolled out by the UNESCO Harare Cluster Office, organised within the framework of the UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust Project to strengthen national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It was facilitated by Mr. Stephen Chifunyise and Mr. Lovemore Mazibuko, two of the network of experts trained in UNESCO’s “Training of Trainers Workshop.”

For more information please contact: c.mapfumo@unesco.org

Malawi opened its doors on March 12 to 16 to host a workshop on the implementation of the 2003 Convention in order to strengthen its capacity to safeguard its living heritage.

The workshop, attended by community members and representatives from various institutions including university professionals, Departments of Culture, National Arts Councils, National Museums and Monuments and the National ICH Committees, was part of a series of national workshops rolled out by the UNESCO Harare Cluster Office. It was organised within the framework of the UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust Project to strengthen national capacities for the implementation of the 2003 Convention in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In her opening remarks, the Director of Culture, Dr. Elizabeth Gomani-Chindebvu echoed the importance of implementing the Convention and coming up with appropriate policies and legal instruments that provide for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.

The workshop was facilitated by Mr. Stephen Chifunyise and Mr. Lovemore Mazibuko, two of the network of experts trained in UNESCO’s “Training of Trainers Workshop.”

For more information please contact: c.mapfumo@unesco.org

Within the framework of UNESCO’s global capacity-building strategy for the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003), UNESCO Addis Ababa is organizing a workshop for 32 participants:

• 12 officials from nine Regional Culture and Tourism Bureaus;
  
• 8 officials from the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism;
  
• 3 scholars from Addis Ababa University;
  
• 3 from NGOs working on related topics and 4 from communities

It will focus on familiarizing participants with the basic concepts, measure and mechanisms of the Intangible Heritage Convention, recognizing that effective implementation depends upon profound knowledge and understanding of all of these. The workshop will be facilitated by Ms Deidre Prins-Solani and Mr Amareswar Galla, two facilitators from a network of 65 experts who participated in a training-of-trainers workshop series on how to use the UNESCO curricula specifically designed to build capacity on implementing the Intangible Heritage Convention.

The global capacity-building strategy put in place with the support of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and UNESCO’s regular programme budget, will continue to enjoy highest priority. It currently includes an initial series of workshops addressing the most urgent training needs:

1) ratification
2) implementing the Convention at the national level
3) community-based inventorying
4) elaborating nominations to the Urgent Safeguarding List

The Addis Ababa workshop is part and parcel of this important initiative.

As part of UNESCO’s global capacity building strategy to implement Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a two day workshop on Ratification of the Convention was organised in Dili, Timor-Leste from 14 to 15 November 2011. This workshop, organized jointly by the State Secretariat of Culture of the Ministry of Education for the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste and UNESCO Office in Jakarta, gathered some 40 participants including governmental officials from the relevant ministries, academicians, NGOs, and chief of cultural section in the districts in Timor-Leste.

Capacity building for the implementation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention more effectively at national level is currently a high priority in UNESCO’s programmes and UNESCO has dedicated great efforts in developing training materials on following topics addressing the most urgent needs of the states: Ratification, Implementation of the Convention, Community-based Inventorying and Preparing Nominations for the Lists of the Convention. The objective of this workshop was therefore to assist participants in acquiring a broad understanding of the Convention, and how and why member states may wish to ratify it. A profound knowledge and understanding of the Convention and its concepts, measures and mechanisms is pivotal for its successful ratification and future implementation.

The workshop consisted of ‘classroom’ style training activities to demonstrate the essential features of the Convention, to acquire a broad understanding of the Convention, to learn best practices of the ratified countries, to guide practically the country’s ratification to the Convention. It is divided into three main topics:

1. Introduction to the Convention and its key concepts;
2. Implementing the Convention at the national level; and
3. Participation of communities and roles of stakeholders in safeguarding.

Second capacity-building workshop on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: the role of communities in safeguarding and inventorying ICH
The workshop objectives are as follows:
1. Create awareness among the general public and local communities on the Convention, providing knowledge, tools and empowering them to take safeguarding measures for their own cultural expressions. Provide technical and practical knowledge regarding the interaction with and involvement of NGO’s, universities and the Government in the implementation of the Convention.
2. Generate a space for debate and exchange of experiences, good practices and challenges that can help national and local authorities make better decisions and take steps for implementing the Convention with the participation and consent of the communities involved.

UNESCO is rolling out a comprehensive strategy to contribute to a better understanding of the key concepts of the Convention, the obligations of States Parties and the Convention’s mechanisms of international cooperation and assistance. It is in this context that a national capacity-building workshop on the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention is being organized in Santiago, Chile, on 2-3 of November, 2011.

The workshop will bring together local communities, national and local authorities, non-governmental organizations, academics from universities and research institutions, and the general public.

UNESCO trained facilitator and expert on ICH, Mrs. Soledad Mujica Bayly of Peru will conduct the workshop, in Spanish (there will be no interpretation services).

• List of participants: español

The first national capacity building workshop on community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in Montenegro was organized by the UNESCO Venice Office in close cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Montenegro. The workshop held from 24 to 31 October 2011 in Cetinje, Montenegro has brought together experts, NGOs, community members and actors at the heart of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The objective is to strengthen capacities in inventorying intangible cultural heritage on the national level. The 8 days workshop has provided participants with the necessary knowledge, skills and tools for effective documentation and inventorying of intangible cultural heritage under the 2003 Convention and also included a fieldwork practicum. The facilitators, Ms. Chiara Bortolotto from the Université Libre in Brussels and Ms. Sasha SREĆKOVIĆ from the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade were both trained by UNESCO within a special training of trainers program.

Documents

• Agenda: inglés
• Lista de participantes: inglés

La UNESCO ha lanzado una estrategia global para contribuir a una mejor comprensión de los conceptos clave de la Convención, de las obligaciones de los Estados Partes y de los mecanismos de cooperación y asistencia internacionales establecidos por la Convención. En este contexto, dos talleres regionales de fortalecimiento de capacidades sobre el papel de las ONG en la aplicación de la Convención para la Salvaguardia del Patrimonio Cultural Inmaterial se organizan en África (en septiembre en Libreville, Gabón) y en América Latina (en octubre en Quito, Ecuador).
El taller de América Latina se llevará a cabo del 19 al 21 de octubre de 2011 en Quito, Ecuador, y reunirá a dieciocho organizaciones no gubernamentales latinoamericanas acreditadas por la Asamblea General de los Estados Partes para ejercer funciones consultivas ante el Comité o recomendadas para acreditación. El objetivo de este taller es proporcionar a los participantes conocimientos técnicos sobre el papel de las ONG en la aplicación de la Convención a nivel nacional e internacional, crear un espacio de debate e intercambio de experiencias, buenas prácticas y retos y fortalecer el diálogo y la cooperación regional entre las organizaciones no gubernamentales.
El taller será animado por los facilitadores formados por la UNESCO, el Sr. Fabián Bedón Samaniego del Instituto Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural de Ecuador y el Sr. Francisco Javier López Morales del Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia de México. El taller se llevará a cabo en español y portugués con traducción simultánea.

Documentos

• Lista de participantes: español
• Orden del día: español