UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Context

Recently, India got elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

India has been elected as a member for the 2022-2026 cycle.
The elections for the Intergovernmental Committee took place during the 9th General Assembly of the 2003 Convention held at UNESCO headquarters, Paris, in July 2022.
Against the four seats falling vacant within the Asia-Pacific group, six countries, namely, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand had presented their candidature.

As per UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) includes 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.
UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protectionof important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.
The list was established in 2008 when the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took effect.

In total, 14 Intangible Cultural Heritage elements from the country have now been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List.

Earlier, UNESCO announced the Harappan city of Dholavira in Gujarat as India’s 40th world heritage site.

The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity has 492 elements currently.
Latest addition

Durga Puja:It is a five-day festival that begins on the fifth night of the nine-day Navratri festival and ends on the tenth day, which is Dashami. During this time, people collectively worship and invoke Goddess Durga, who is regarded as the feminine energy of the cosmos, also known as ‘Shakti’.

Though originating in West Bengal, which has the largest Bengali community in the country, the festival is celebrated in many other parts of India, and also the world.

The Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention consists of 24 members.
It is elected in the General Assembly of the Convention according to the principles of equitable geographical representation and rotation.
States Members to the Committee are elected for a term of four years.
With 14 inscriptions on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, India also ranks high in the listing of intangible cultural heritage.

After the inscription of Durga Puja in 2021, India submitted the nomination for Garba of Gujarat to be discussed in 2023.

Promoting the objectives of the Convention
Providing guidance on best practices
Making recommendations on measures for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.
The Committee also examines requests submitted by States Parties for the inscription of intangible heritage on the Lists as well as proposals for programmes and projects.