International Assistance dialogue session © UNESCO

The central role of community members’ in safeguarding living heritage is a core principle of the 2003 Convention. Its International Assistance mechanism thus attaches major importance to the communities’ participation in ensuring effective and sustainable safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. For the first time, community representatives as well as project managers, who benefited from UNESCO’s International Assistance, are invited to share their stories and experiences related to safeguarding living heritage in a dialogue session at UNESCO Headquarters on 4 June 2018.

Notably featuring two community members, Tarcicio Vanegas and Irene Nabirye, along with cultural actors working in the field, the invited speakers of the dialogue session represent three International Assistance projects from Colombia, Mali and Uganda. Traveling from Uganda, Irene Nabirye was integral for the revitalising and transmitting of bigwala music and customs, in addition to her involvement in rural women development and poverty eradication initiatives. Coming from Colombia, indigenous leader and Jaguar shaman Tarcicio Vanegas has long been active in safeguarding traditional knowledge and practices in the sacred sites of his native Vaupés Province.

Supported by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, the International Assistance projects thus far have empowered different actors on the ground to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. According to the most recent figures, thirty States Parties of the 2003 Convention have benefited from this mechanism for a total amount of 4.8 million US dollars.