Twenty years on, the Convention has taken its place as a globally recognized heritage instrument. To mark this occasion, the Global Meeting for the 20th anniversary of the Living Heritage Convention will be hosted by the Republic of Korea in collaboration with UNESCO under the theme “Unleashing the power of living heritage for sustainable development and peace”.

Today, living heritage is facing emerging threats such as demographic shifts, economic pressures, as well as environmental degradation. The anniversary therefore presents an opportunity to take stock of the achievements, seek solutions to new challenges, and enhance the contribution of living heritage towards a more sustainable and inclusive society.

Within this context, the Global meeting, to be held from 25 – 26 July 2023, will analyse the implementation of the Convention over the last two decades and outline its future vision. Four thematic panels will explore living heritage in relation to (1) sustainable livelihoods, (2) the natural world, (3) quality education and (4) the digital environment. Leading thinkers, policymakers, civil society actors, experts, and community representatives across the world will engage in the thought-provoking discussions, which will be live streamed for the larger public.

The event will be hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (MOFA), the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea (CHA), in collaboration with UNESCO, the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP), and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation (CHF).