The 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was held in Kasane, Botswana from December 4th to 9th, 2023. I participated in this session as a representative of Association of Folk Artists (STL). The Committee positively evaluated nominations submitted by States Parties for inscription on the Lists of the 2003 Convention:
- 6 elements for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding,
- 45 elements for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (including the Polonaise, a traditional Polish dance),
- 4 proposals for the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices,
- 1 International Assistance request.
The Committee also examined 15 reports by States Parties on the status of elements inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, followed by 18 reports on the implementation of the Convention and the status of elements inscribed on the Representative List in the region of Arab States.
Further, the Report of the non-governmental organizations forum was also examined, as well as the issue of accreditation of new non-governmental organizations and review of accredited non-governmental organizations. There were 73 accreditation requests, and the 91 activity reports for review, including two of Polish organizations: The Serfenta Association [Stowarzyszenie Serfenta] and Association of Folk Artists [Stowarzyszenie Twórców Ludowych]).
Finally, the topic of the 20th anniversary of the Convention was commented, as the year 2023 marks the twentieth anniversary of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. It was also an excuse to discuss the Seoul Vision – document outlined during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Convention in Seoul, Republic of Korea, on 25-26 July 2023. The Seoul Vision takes stock of 20 years of implementation of the Convention and presents a set of concrete actions required to unleash the power of living heritage to ensure sustainable development and peace for enhancing solidarity and inclusion, for preserving biodiversity and oceans, and for responding to health, social and economic crises.
More on website of 18th session of the Intergovernmental Committee: https://ich.unesco.org/en/18com
