In his opening remarks for the workshop, Liang Bin said this is the first workshop on the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for youths in Laos, and it is also the first of the capacity-building workshops for Laos on safeguarding ICH, which will last for three years.

“As one of the State Parties to the Convention, Laos has long been a priority for the CRIHAP. We hope the three-year capacity-building training will foster a new force in ICH inheritance, popularization and promotion in Laos,” Liang said, adding “we believe these youth leaders will make great contributions to better ICH safeguarding and sustainable development in local communities.”

UNESCO-accredited ICH facilitator Paritta Chalermpow Koanantakool gives an online lecture on how to get involved in community-based ICH safeguarding.

International expert Chupinit Kesmanee gives a lecture on Laos’ annual family rituals before farming activities.

UNESCO-accredited ICH facilitator Paritta Chalermpow Koanantakool gives an online lecture on how to draw a “community culture map”.

Linda S. McIntosh, a local expert in ICH safeguarding in Laos, gives an online lecture about the role woman cloth-weavers play in safeguarding cloth-weaving culture in Indonesia.

The 22-day training workshop combines online lectures with discussions and field visits. During the online training session from Oct 15 to 19, the facilitators introduced ICH-related concepts centering on the Convention and the methods to integrate ICH safeguarding work into community work. International expert Chupinit Kesmanee from Thailand explained in detail why the community culture map is important and how to draw it, citing a number of examples from other parts of the world.