Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Subject : Polity

Context: On 7th July 2022, India was elected as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 cycle.

Concept:

• The Convention of the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2003 and entered into force in 2006.
• It comprises 24 members and is elected in the General Assembly of the Convention according to the principles of equitable geographical representation and rotation. Members of the Committee are elected for a term of four years.
• Objectives : To safeguard the expressions of intangible cultural heritage,To ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage,To raise awareness at the local, national and international levels
• Other Publications are Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, Register of good safeguarding practices.

India ‘s election:

• India was elected as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 cycle.
• The elections for the Intergovernmental Committee were held during the 9th General Assembly of the 2003 Convention held at UNESCO headquarters, Paris, from 5th to 7th July 2022.
• India won the elections by a comfortable majority of 110 votes out of the 155 State Parties present and voting.
• With India getting elected to this body it aims to strengthen the scope and impact of the Convention and mobilize the capacity of different actors worldwide in order to effectively safeguard intangible heritage across the globe.
• For its current term, India has formulated a clear vision for the protection and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
• Some of the priority areas that India will focus upon include fostering community participation, strengthening international cooperation through intangible heritage, promoting academic research on intangible cultural heritage, and aligning the work of the Convention with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.