roundtable: ICH and education © UNESCO

‘It is only through ambitious intersectoral initiatives that we can effectively safeguard intangible cultural heritage, strengthen educational relevance and thereby contribute to attaining the Sustainable Development Goals,’ stated Ernesto Ottone, Assistant-Director General for Culture, when opening a roundtable organized to raise awareness on the new programme on ‘Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in formal and non-formal education’.

At this side event to the seventh session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on 5 June 2018, speakers shared valuable experiences on integrating intangible heritage in education from Senegal, Indonesia and Turkey. Abdoul Aziz Guissé, Director, Cultural Heritage, Ministry of Culture and Communication of Senegal underlined how important this work is in his country where the devalorization of local heritage during colonialism left its mark on the education system. Speakers also emphasized the importance of using bottom-up approaches that involve community members, integrating intangible cultural heritage in existing curriculum across different subjects, and organizing more teacher training on this topic.

The foundation for the new programme on intangible cultural heritage and education has been laid. Support is now needed for concrete action on the ground.