Convention on Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003)
- Drafted: 17 October 2003 (Paris)
- Entry into force: 20 April 2006
- UK Status: UK Government has not ratified this convention.
Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is defined as practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills which are transmitted from generation to generation and which provide communities with a sense of identity and continuity.
The Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage says that intangible heritage is expressed, among others, in the following ways:
- Oral traditions and expressions
- Performing arts
- Knowledge and practises concerning nature and the universe
- Social practises, rituals and festive events
- Traditional craftsmanship
Intangible Cultural Heritage is both traditional and living, so it is constantly being recreated. This means that intangible heritage can rarely be called “authentic” in the same way artefacts and other cultural items can. This important characteristic was addressed in detail at the UNESCO International Conference on the Safeguarding of Tangible and Intangible Heritage in 2004.
Protecting ICH Globally – ICH lists
The principal aim of the Convention is to safeguard and ensure respect for the world’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). This includes raising awareness of the importance of intangible heritage at the local, national and international levels, as well as encouraging international cooperation and assistance.
One of the key ways the convention seeks to protect and promote intangible heritage is through the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. The first inscriptions to these lists were made at an international meeting in Abu Dhabi in October 2009.
The UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) Wales and Scotland Committees are working with the Culture Committee to identify and record Intangible Cultural Heritage practises within the UK. To read more about intangible heritage and the UKNC’s work in the field please click here.
