The UNESCO ICHCAP (Director-General Ji Sung Kim) will hold the 2022 ICH Youth Forum on September 22, 2022 (17:00 to 19:00 KST).

The forum invites youth activists and researchers who are active across various areas pertaining to the safeguarding of ICH, as an opportunity for them to share their experiences and thoughts on ICH safeguarding activities. It will be held in Conference Hall 2 of ICH Youth Town (https://zep.us/play/2mYqBe) on the metaverse platform ZEP.

The 2022 ICH Youth Forum is set to commence with a keynote presentation from General Manager Ming Chee Ang of George Town World Heritage Incorporated, titled “The Important of Youths in Safeguarding ICH.” This will be followed by presentations to introduce the ICH safeguarding experiences of ten youth practitioners, researchers, and professionals from eight Asia-Pacific nations (Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Singapore, and Kyrgyzstan) as well as a discussion on the role and future direction of youth with regard to safeguarding ICH.

UNESCO has designated youth as a priority group for their core role in innovation and change towards sustainable development and emphasized the need for the participation of future generations. The United Nations has also proclaimed “Youth 2030” as its youth strategy, redefining youth as companions and collaborators in social innovation as opposed to their past perception as beneficiaries of the policies and projects of the international community. In addition, youths occupy a vital role as future generations of practitioners, in recognition of the fact that the transmission of ICH relies heavily on direct transmission by community members. As such, the interest and participation of younger generations is just as crucial as the role of governments and experts in safeguarding ICH.

The 2022 ICH Youth Forum is a part of UNESCO ICHCAP’s ICH youth network project and aims to establish a network and a sustainable global collaboration system among youth practitioners, activists, and researchers as the rising hope in safeguarding ICH. ICH Youth Town (https://zep.us/play/2mYqBe) on the ZEP metaverse will be open all year round, allowing visitors to view materials related to the forum and exhibits and videos on ICH even after the end of the forum. Furthermore, ICH Youth Town will be operated as an open space that can be freely entered and used by anyone interested in ICH.

UNESCO ICHCAP plans to continue supporting the role of youth in safeguarding ICH and assisting the establishment of a network among them. For further information on the 2022 ICH Youth Forum and ICH Youth Town, please inquire with the person in charge (Email: fh16yj@unesco-ichcap.org, Telephone: 063-230-9745).