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Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
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States parties to the convention (in Green: convention has not entered into force)
Signed 17 October 2003
Location Paris
Effective 20 April 2006
Condition 30 ratifications
Ratifiers 171
Depositary Director-General of UNESCO
Languages Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish

The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is a UNESCO treaty adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 17 October 2003. The convention entered into force in 2006, after thirtieth instruments of ratification by UNESCO Member States. As of September 2016, 171 states have ratified the convention.

The Convention contains following provisions:

I. General Provisions

II. Organs of the Convention

III. Safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage at the national level

IV. Safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage at the international level

V. International cooperation and assistance

VI. Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund

VII. Reports

VIII. Transitional clause

IX. Final clauses

Unlike other UNESCO conventions, this convention begins with stating its purposes, which are;

(a) to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage;

(b) to ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and individuals concerned;

(c) to raise awareness at the local, national and international levels of the importance of the intangible cultural heritage, and of ensuring mutual appreciation thereof; (d) to provide for international cooperation and assistance.

Intangible cultural heritage refers to "traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts". The Convention defines it as follows:

Intangible Cultural Heritage means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. For the purposes of this Convention, consideration will be given solely to such intangible cultural heritage as is compatible with existing international human rights instruments, as well as with the requirements of mutual respect among communities, groups and individuals, and of sustainable development.

The Convention works on both national and international levels. At the national level, State Parties are supposed to ‘take necessary measures to ensure the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage present in its territory.” These measures include identification of the intangible cultural heritage that exists in its territory, adoption of appropriate policies, promotion of education and so on. Besides, in taking these measures, each state parties must “endeavor to ensure the widest possible participation of communities, groups, and, where appropriate, individuals that create, maintain and transmit such heritage, and to involve them actively in its management”.


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