A workshop for enhancing capacity for periodic reporting under the UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereinafter referred to as the 2003 Convention) is to be held in South Korea. Sponsored by the Cultural Heritage Administration (Director-General, Choi Eung-chun), the workshop will take place from February 26th to March 1st, for a duration of five days at the National Intangible Heritage Center located in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do. Co-organized by UNESCO and International Information and Networking Centre For Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region Under the auspices of UNESCO (Director-General, Kim Ji-sung, hereinafter referred to as ICHCAP), the workshop is expected to have approximately 100 government officials and UNESCO representatives from 40 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 2003 Convention, currently ratified by 182-member countries worldwide as of 2024, stands as a leading role in UNESCO’s cultural sector. It aims to safeguard various forms of intangible cultural heritage, including oral traditions, performing arts, rituals, and traditional craftsmanship related to nature and the universe, ensuring their sustainable vitality. Recently, UNESCO has developed an overall results framework to evaluate compliance with the Convention, requiring member states to submit periodic reports based on this framework. Additionally, there has been a shift in the submission method from individual submissions every six years from the date of accession to collective submissions by continent, with this year marking the submission period for the Asia-Pacific region. The workshop is focused on enhancing the capacity of national officials to understand and practice periodic reporting by adapting to these new systems.

As the third-term committee member of the 2003 Convention in 2024, Republic of Korea not only has rich cultural heritage but also plays an exemplary role in supporting safeguarding activities globally. Particularly, since 2016, Republic of Korea has supported the transition of periodic report templates to an online format through trust funds and has been providing support for better understanding of the overall results framework through ICHCAP since 2019. This workshop serves as a direct opportunity to enhance the capacity of member states in the Asia-Pacific region for periodic reporting and strengthening the cooperative network base in the region.

The event will be held as a closed workshop, and the submission of periodic reports from the region is scheduled until December following the workshop. Supporting for the periodic reporting networks is to be continued via ICHCAP. The reports are expected to be included in the Global Report on Cultural Policies as well, which will by launched at MONDIACULT 2025, and will be available for public access online following the intergovernmental committee next year.