On May 16, 2024, CRIHAP held the 13th session of its Governing Board in Beijing, utilizing both online and offline methods. Zhang Zheng, Deputy Secretary of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, P. R. China, and the Chairperson of the Governing Board, chaired the session. Members of the board attended the session, while members of CRIHAP’s Advisory Committee, as well as representatives from the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, the UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office for East Asia, the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI), the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (ICHCAP), the International Center for Creativity and Sustainable Development (ICCSD), and the related cooperative units of CRIHAP, participated as non-voting delegates. The board reviewed and approved CRIHAP’s annual work report and the 2024 work plan, among other matters.

Throughout 2023, CRIHAP organized a total of ten ICH capacity-building training workshops, including two cross-year training programs. These workshops have benefitted more than 580 people, providing strong support for the implementation of the global intangible cultural heritage safeguarding capacity-building strategy.

In 2024, CRIHAP is expected to continue fulfilling its responsibilities as a Category 2 Centre and cooperate with UNESCO's capacity-building strategy to provide training services for member states in the Asia-Pacific region under the framework of the Convention. According to the 2024 CRIHAP Work Plan approved by the Governing Board, CRIHAP plans to hold 11 training workshops in 2024. The workshops will include two regional sessions targeting the Asia Pacific region and ASEAN, and nine national sessions targeting countries such as Laos, Fiji, Mongolia, Indonesia, China, Sri Lanka, North Korea, and Bangladesh. The main themes will align with UNESCO's established capacity-building courses in intangible cultural heritage safeguarding and will continue to focus on UNESCO's recent work priorities, such as follow-up sessions for periodic reporting, capacity-building network expansion and TOT training, ICH and climate change, and ICH and sustainable development.

CRIHAP will actively leverage the advantages of the internet in training, strive to build a training model that conforms to the rules of online dissemination, and endeavor to launch "Online Courses on Intangible Cultural Heritage" on its new media platform. Simultaneously, it will strive to cooperate with UNESCO headquarters to develop an online learning platform that will benefit more people through informal training.

Additionally, CRIHAP will launch an "Open Call for Cases on Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding for Sustainable Development in the Asia Pacific Region" this year to conduct pilot projects for a broader implementation of Article 18 of the 2003 Convention and to accumulate case content for further training by CRIHAP, promoting the sharing of experience in intangible cultural heritage safeguarding in the Asia Pacific region.

Since its establishment 12 years ago, CRIHAP has conducted a total of 77 international training workshops, benefiting nearly 3200 people from 44 relevant countries and regions in the Asia Pacific region. UNESCO, countries in the Asia Pacific region, and other relevant parties have recognized the work of CRIHAP and believe that it has fulfilled its responsibilities as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO very well. CRIHAP underwent an overall evaluation by UNESCO in 2023 on the general evaluation of CRIHAP’s performance from 2017 to 2023. The report states that the work of CRIHAP is consistent with the strategic objectives, long-term plans, and priority areas of UNESCO, maintains effective external communication with UNESCO headquarters, and maintains harmony and efficiency internally. It has made a positive contribution to the strategy for capacity building for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, the evaluation expert team "strongly recommends" that UNESCO and the Chinese government renew the agreement so that CRIHAP can continue to function as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO in the region. The report also provides suggestions for the future work of CRIHAP. The Chinese Government and UNESCO are currently negotiating the agreement for the renewal of CRIHAP.