CIOFF

The International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts (CIOFF, French: Conseil international des organisations de festivals de folklore et d'arts traditionnels) is an international nongovernmental organization (NGO) in Official Partnership with UNESCO and is accredited to provide advisory service to the Committee of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. CIOFF has 66 full members, 8 associate members and 27 corresponding members worldwide. Its headquarters are in Confolens in France. Full members are National Sections with the aim to preserve traditional art, to organize Folklore Festivals or similar activities as well as unite voluntary organizations, working in the field of dance, music, costumes, customs and ethnography.The National Sections belong to sectors in the organization according to their geographic location. CIOFF is a member of the International Music Council.

Aims of the organization are the preservation, promotion, and dissemination of traditional art and Folklore.

Each year more than 350 Folklore Festivals organized by CIOFF take place worldwide Every 4 years CIOFF world organization is holding Folkloriada. This is a major festival where all members of CIOFF are invited to send Folklore Groups from their countries to show the diversity of Folklore. CIOFF has organized 3 Folkloriadas

2009 Folkloriada had to be cancelled because of a natural disaster in China.

Two very important aims of CIOFF are to disseminate the ideas of the (Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and to collaborate on the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the UNESCO.

The organization was founded on August 8, 1970 in Confolence in France by Henri Coursaget und 9 other people.

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