Vanuatu sand drawings

©  Vanuatu National Cultural Council

The objective of the inter-departmental meeting is to bring together all Vanuatu governmental actors involved in the ratification procedure of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

As a follow-up to the first and second sub-regional meetings in the Pacific on the 2003 Convention (Fiji, December 2007 and Tonga, December 2008), UNESCO has organized a series of national consultation meetings to assist Pacific Member States in the ratification and implementation of the 2003 Convention. The Vanuatu inter-departmental meeting is the fourth national consultation meeting, following those of Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby, 18-19 March 2008), Fiji (Suva, 21-22 May 2008), and Tonga (Fua’amotu, 5 December 2008).

The meeting is aimed at providing governmental officers in different departments with information and assistance that might contribute to the ratification and implementation of the 2003 Convention. Legislation, programmes and activities related to the safeguarding of Vanuatu’s intangible heritage, including Vanuatu Sand Drawings on the Representative List, were shared among the participants.

Contact in Apia office: E. Waterman, UNESCO Apia

During the third session of the Intergovernmental Committee (Istanbul, November 2008), an announcement was made of an expert meeting to be organized to discuss the role of culinary practices in implementing the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The idea to organize a seminar on this issue was launched by the Delegation of Peru and supported by other delegations, including that of France, which proposed to hold the meeting.

The French Ministère de la culture et de la communication (Direction de l’architecture, Mission ethnologie) is organizing this seminar on 4 and 5 April, with the participation of UNESCO. The venue of the meeting will be the Documentation Center of the Maison des Cultures du Monde in Vitré (Ille-et-Vilaine).

The working language of the meeting will be French. The meeting is open to experts, with prior registration to Mr Christian Hottin (christian.hottin@culture.gouv.fr). Considering the small size of the meeting room, the number of participants is limited to 35. Observers may register on the basis of available space.

This body, established by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at its third session in November 2008, composed by Turkey, Estonia, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates, is responsible for the examination of nominations for inscription on the Representative List in 2009 and 2010.
It will meet in private session.