United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

CULTURE

Themes

Worldwide

Communities

Intangible Heritage

Sama Ceremony, Turkey © M. Taurus

Cultural heritage is not limited to material manifestations, such as monuments and objects that have been preserved over time. This notion also encompasses living expressions and the traditions that countless groups and communities worldwide have inherited from their ancestors and transmit to their descendants, in most cases orally.

Website of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity

Safeguarding Endangered Languages

Many years of research undertaken by UNESCO on the functions and values of cultural expressions and practices have opened the door to new approaches to the understanding, protection and respect of the cultural heritage of humanity. This living heritage, known as intangible, provides each bearer of such expressions a sense of identity and continuity, insofar as he or she takes ownership of them and constantly recreates them.

As a driving force of cultural diversity, living heritage is very fragile. In recent years, it has received international recognition and its safeguarding has become one of the priorities of international cooperation thanks to UNESCO's leading role in the adoption of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

04-12-2007

CULTURE

Themes

Worldwide

Communities

Intangible Heritage

Competition for the Design of an Emblem of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage

L’UNESCO et la République islamique d’Iran signent un accord relatif à la sauvegarde, la conservation et la promotion du patrimoine culturel perse en Asie de l’Ouest

First inscriptions on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage lists to take place in September 2009

Living Heritage: Exploring the Intangible at UNESCO Headquarters

Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Latin America (CRESPIAL)

Workshop for the bearers of the cacao traditions in Cuba

Europe's intangible heritage: Inventing an inventory

Revitalisation of Bark Cloth-making in Uganda Project

Safeguarding Intangible Heritage and Sustainable Cultural Tourism: Opportunities and Challenges

Traditional meeting between the three towns practising La Tumba Francesa

Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Pacific

First UNESCO/ILAM on-line workshop: Museums and Intangible Heritage

Second Extraordinary Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Third International Conference of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme

Kenyan National Meeting on the Implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

UNESCO Capacity-Building Workshop on the Implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Tell me about Living Heritage

Culture Sector

Resources

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