ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH on 29 and 30 October 2020

ICHCAP (Director-General Gi Hyung Keum), in collaboration with the UNESCO Apia Office, will hold a two-day ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH on 29 and 30 October 2020. The theme of the web seminar is “Maritime Living Heritage: Building Sustainable Livelihood and Ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific Region”

The webinar is part of the Expert Meeting for Building Network on Maritime ICH, which has been organized by ICHCAP since 2018. It will be held as a webinar due to COVID-19.

The Goal 14 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals pertains to the preservation and sustainable use of marine, sea, and marine resources. Recently, there has been growing interest in the use of traditional knowledge from coastal communities to achieve this SDG. Therefore, through this webinar, the audience will be able to explore wisdom for sustainable development through safeguarding the traditional knowledge. In particular, this year is significant as the “UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development” will be launched from next year to 2030. To commemorate this, Athena Trakadas, co-chair of the Ocean Decade Heritage Network, will be participating as the keynote speaker.

The first session will be held on the theme of “Traditional Maritime Skills and Knowledge for Inclusive Social and Economic Development.” It will explore how the skills and knowledge serve as methods of ensuring food security of communities and strengthening social cohesion and community resilience in times of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenters from Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, India, and Vietnam will participate, and Professor Chul-In Yoo from Jeju National University will serve as the chair.

The second session, which starts at 11:00 am on 30 October, will be held on the theme of “Traditional Maritime Skills and Knowledge for Environmental Sustainability and Resilience.” Session 2 will address how maritime knowledge, values, and customs, such as fishery, affect communities in the face of natural disasters and climate change and explore traditional maritime skills and knowledge at risk of extinction due to environmental change. Professor Soledad Dalisay from the University of the Philippines will be the chair, and presenters from Micronesia, Korea, Indonesia, Samoa, and Japan will present.

The webinar will be broadcasted live on ICHCAP’s official YouTube channel and Facebook page. All audiences are welcomed to participate, so register by 28 October and you will be notified of the conference link information. Please visit ICHCAP’s website for further information.