ICHCAP held a Sub-regional Network Meeting for the safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Pacific and SouthAsia at Lotte Hotel in Seoul on March 3, 2024.

Since 2010, ICHCAP has organized sub-regional network meetings aimed at safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, serving as the foundation for various projects undertaken by the organization. These meetings gather key stakeholders from each country to exchange insights into the latest policies and trends in the field of ICH. Participants discuss the challenges and opportunities related to safeguarding ICH, considering the unique characteristics of each sub-region and fostering cooperative relationships.

The Asia-Pacific region boasts the largest number of representative list and urgent safeguarding list under the UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, with 234 representative lists and 31 urgent safeguarding lists. Despite being a treasure house of diverse living heritages, the region faces numerous challenges due to its vulnerable environments. Additionally, there are shared heritages that transcend national borders within the region, necessitating collaborative efforts across multiple countries. Consequently, sub-regional meetings are convened to devise strategies and policy initiatives for safeguarding ICH, addressing various regional-level agendas.

Therefore, the Sub-regional Network Meetings for Safeguarding ICH in the Pacific and South Asia were held in Korea this year.

Firstly, The Sub-regional Network Meeting for Safeguarding ICH in the Pacific marked the first face-to-face meeting in six years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme, "Integration of Intangible Cultural Heritage into Education," brought together government officials from ten Pacific countries, along with culture programme specialists from UNESCO Regional Offices. The meeting began with a keynote presentation by Dr. Duong Bich Hanh, a programme specialist at the UNESCO Beijing Office, focusing on the ICH and Education project in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr. Han emphasized the role of education using living heritage in promoting sustainable development (particularly 4.7 Quality Education) and fostering cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue.

Moreover, Ms. Angharad Toma-Saga from the UNESCO Regional Office in the Pacific provided an overview and future plans for integrated education projects concerning intangible cultural heritage and disaster risk reduction (DRR). These projects will be piloted in Fiji, Vanuatu, and Tonga, countries recently affected by natural disasters. The subsequent national presentations highlighted policy trends and challenges regarding ICH and education in each Pacific country, revealing a willingness to engage in integrated ICH education jointly conducted by ICHCAP and UNESCO in the future.

The Sub-regional Meeting for Safeguarding ICH in South Asia convened national ICH focal points and culture programme specialists from UNESCO regional offices in New Delhi and Kathmandu. Discussions centered on institutional changes and challenges in each country`s ICH, considering evolving cultural policies. Ms. Nipuna Shrestha from the UNESCO Office in Kathmandu highlighted historical changes and emphasized linking cultural policy shifts at the international level with the 2003 Convention and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The participants discussed the need for overhauling the ICH safeguarding system in South Asian countries, emphasizing the necessity of domestic and international cooperation.

Furthermore, cultural institutions dealing with South Asian content, such as EBS and the National Asian Cultural Center (ACC), introduced their cooperation projects, and networking sessions were conducted to strengthen continuous cooperation partnerships.

Given the evolving landscape of cultural policies internationally, including recent declarations and frameworks such as Mondiacult Declaration adopted by the 2022 World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development, the Seoul Vision for ‘the Future of Safeguarding Living Heritage for sustainable Development and Peace’ adopted by the 2023 Global Meeting, and the 2024 UNESCO Framework for Culture and Arts Education, ICHCAP will explore policy responses and regional tasks for safeguarding ICH in collaboration with our partners in the Asia-Pacific region.