Financé avec le Fonds-en-dépôt de l’UNESCO-République de Corée, un atelier de renforcement des capacités sur la mise en œuvre de la Convention de 2003 a été organisé au niveau national en partenariat avec le Département du Patrimoine du Ministère de l’Information, de la Culture et du Tourisme de 11 au 15 juin 2012 à Vientiane, Laos. Outre des représentants du gouvernement, des praticiens du patrimoine culturel immatériel ont également participé à cet atelier co-animé par des formateurs certifiés de l’UNESCO, Mme Paritta Chalermpow Koanantakool et Mme Shubha Chaudhuri. La République démocratique populaire lao est un pays composé de 160 groupes ethniques, dont chacun a conservé une grande partie de sa propre langue, ses coutumes, sa culture et ses traditions. Le riche patrimoine culturel de Lao est aussi enraciné dans l’immense spiritualité, comme le bouddhisme dont les influences s’étendent du mode de vie aux arts. Le pays a adopté une loi sur le patrimoine national en 2005 qui fournit la base juridique pour la sauvegarde du PCI, même avant sa ratification à la Convention de 2003 en 2009. Et une section sur le PCI a été créée au sein du Département du Patrimoine du Ministère de l’Information, de la Culture et du Tourisme. Le Bureau de l’UNESCO de Bangkok a travaillé en étroite collaboration avec les autorités concernées, afin d’identifier leurs besoins pour améliorer leur stratégie de sauvegarde du PCI, pour renforcer leurs cadres institutionnels et politiques et pour développer leurs compétences d’inventaire. Après ce premier effort de renforcement des capacités, des ateliers de formation supplémentaires sur l’inventaire communautaire (prévu en 2012) et sur la préparation des dossiers de candidature (en 2014) seront organisés en République démocratique populaire lao pour soutenir à long terme l’effet de ce projet mis en œuvre par la stratégie de renforcement des capacités mondiales de l’UNESCO.

Structured around case studies from the region, the meeting aimed to provide a platform for experts and practitioners to discuss how best to strengthen communities’ capacities to control and manage their own Intangible Cultural Heritage in the face of increased tourism. The key themes under which the case studies were organized include:

• Handicrafts in the context of sustainable cultural tourism
• Performing arts in the context of sustainable cultural tourism
• ICH in the context of environmental, agricultural and eco tourism

The meeting has been organized by the Hue Monuments Conservation Center (HMCC), the Department of National Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Viet Nam, the Korean Establishment Initiative for the Intangible Heritage Centre for Asia-Pacific (EIIHCAP) and the Office of the UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific.

• Meeting page on UNESCO Bangkok website
• Final report: anglais

Many elements of Cambodia’s rich living heritage are in danger of disappearing mainly due to long-lasting conflicts, the declining number of performers and the clear tendency among the younger generation to cultural influences from outside the country. In this context, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in Cambodia launched, in collaboration with UNESCO, a project for the establishment of a national system of Living Human Treasures.

This project aimed at ensuring and supporting the continuous transmission of traditional knowledge and skills from one generation to another within communities and within education institutions.

A National Working Group, created for this purpose, first developed detailed procedures including the definition of the Living Human Treasures and criteria for their selection. Field research was conducted in various provinces in order to identify masters of prioritised performing arts of Cambodia. A Commission of Experts was created, whose task is to examine the information collected on masters and to provide recommendations to the Minister of Culture and Fine Arts regarding the selection of Living Human Treasures. Once the Living Human Treasures are nominated, an official nomination ceremony takes place, and the Living Human Treasures is involved in transmission activities at the community and national levels, such as holding regular classes for young students in pagodas and organizing workshops at University.

This is a project to establish in Fiji a national Living Human Treasures system so as to provide support to bearers of traditional knowledge and skills in danger of disappearing, and to ensure their effective transmission to young people.

The objectives of the project are to:

• Establish the Living Human Treasures system in Fiji in a sustainable way and with a culturally sensitive approach;
• Formulate mechanisms to identify Living Human Treasures using a systematic approach;
• Formulate and implement a system to ensure the transmission from the Living Human Treasures to younger generations.

The main activities include:

• Develop detailed procedures for the identification of target domains of intangible cultural heritage, the definition of the Living Human Treasures, and criteria for their selection;
• Conduct field research in each province in Fiji to collect and examine information on masters;
• Organize provincial workshops to raise awareness about the system among practitioners and other stakeholders.