With all appropriate sanitary measures due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, 250 delegates representing more than 140 countries gathered for the eighth session of the General Assembly of States Party to the 2003 Convention. The debates were conducted by H.E....
The term ‘cultural heritage’ has changed content considerably in recent decades, partially owing to the instruments developed by UNESCO. Cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects. It also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our...
The eighth session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held at UNESCO Headquarters from 8 to 10 September 2020. All States Parties and participants...
Impact on Living Heritage Experiences shared so far through the online survey have shown the scale of disruption across the world, with many significant festive events and rituals canceled or postponed. Some communities can no longer access the cultural and...
While physical distancing and confinement are affecting the way we live, some communities are finding creative ways to adapt to the circumstances and continue practicing their living heritage. In line with UNESCO’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its...
While we are currently going through extraordinary conditions of lockdown on a global scale due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are also seeing the ways in which the impact of this crisis goes beyond our physical health. Festivals and...
The deadline of 31 March has past for submitting nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention, proposals to the Register for Good Safeguarding Practices and Requests for International Assistance for examination by the Intergovernmental Committee in November/December 2021. As...
"Each Language Has its Own Unique and Incomparable History" (Yalitza Aparicio, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples) While the practice and transmission of living heritage contributes to the vitality, strength, and well-being of indigenous communities, language is the principal vehicle...
Living heritage can be a powerful source of resilience against changing climatic conditions. In the Hindu Kush mountain ranges of Pakistan, the Kalasha people practice suri jagek—a meteorological and astronomical knowledge system based on observing the sun, moon, stars, and...
Between 2015 and 2019, UNESCO granted emergency international assistance of US$299,972 to prepare an inventory of the intangible cultural heritage present in Côte d’Ivoire. This project, implemented by the Ivorian Cultural Heritage Office, allowed the training of more than four...
