Unesco

The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is  a joint agreement between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)  and its member states, which was adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 17 October 2003. Its aim is to promote  the preservation of intangible cultural heritage by raising awareness of the importance of intangible cultural heritage at the local, national and international levels, in cooperation with communities, groups and non-governmental organisations, and to provide international cooperation and assistance. The Convention provides a framework for the achievement of the objectives but also leaves room for national interpretations and the freedom to choose the method of implementation.

The Convention defines intangible cultural heritage as “practices, descriptions, expressions, knowledge, skills – and related tools, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage”. The convention also recognises the related equipment, objects and cultural spaces as part of the intangible cultural heritage.

”Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage is about the transferring of knowledge, skills and meaning.”

UNESCO approved the convention in 2003, but as a phenomenon, intangible cultural heritage is as old as humanity. Its manifestations can be, for example, oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and celebrations, or knowledge, skills and practices about nature and the universe.

Intangible cultural heritage is preserved and transmitted in a living and transforming form from one generation to the next. According to UNESCO, such cultural heritage can be used to promote intercultural dialogue and strengthen people’s respect for different lifestyles.

Understanding intangible cultural heritage is particularly important for the smooth coexistence of different minorities and the majority population and for the preservation of cultural diversity.

There are a total of three UNESCO lists of intangible cultural heritage:

1. List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
2. List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Protection
3. Register of Good Conservation Practices

Now, there  are a total of 788 sites from 150 countries on the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventories.