Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage is Finalized

UNESCO, 17 June 2003 

Experts from 103 countries, gathered since the 2nd of June at UNESCO, handed to the Director-General the Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which they adopted by consensus this weekend. The text, the fruit of several years of work, will be presented by the Director-General to UNESCO's General Conference in October. 

It could become a much-needed complement to the 1972 Convention on cultural and natural heritage, by ensuring the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. Along with the Preliminary Draft, the experts' submitted a Recommendation that refers to the Istanbul Declaration of the Third Roundtable of Culture Ministers (September 2002) and to the Consensus of Cusco, adopted by the Rio Group in May 2003, that recognize the importance of the safeguard and revitalization of intangible cultural heritage for cultural diversity and development. Speaking at the close of the session, Koïchiro Matsuura expressed profound satisfaction at seeing such a long and ambitious undertaking bear fruit, "an overwhelming agreement among the governmental experts was reached regarding the ways and means of ensuring the safeguarding of a vulnerable heritage which has hitherto been overlooked by international legislation." 

The Director-General also paid tribute to Mr Mohammed Bedjaoui, President of the Constitutional Council of the Republic of Algeria and former President of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, whose chairmanship of three successive sessions of the group of experts was marked by "exemplary determination and wisdom." The future Convention stresses the safeguarding of oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices about nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship. 

The establishment of international cooperation and assistance mechanisms, notably the creation of an Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, should make it possible to develop concrete national, regional and international safeguarding projects. The draft Convention stipulates the drawing up of national inventories by States Parties and the establishment by UNESCO of a Representative List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity and of a second list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. 

This concerted action by the international community should ensure better visibility and improved safeguarding of this particularly vulnerable heritage.

(Objet: Flash Info n°169 Patrimoine culturel  immatériel - Intangible cultural Heritage (Français/English) Office of the Spokeswoman/ La Porte Parole. Contact: m.de-pierrebourg@unesco.org Telephone: 00 33 (1) 45 68 13 26 Fax: 00 33 (1) 45 68 55 66)