The Capacity-building Workshop for Training of Trainers on ICH Safeguarding, organized by International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (CRIHAP) in cooperation with the UNESCO Jakarta Office, has successfully been held online on May 22, 2024. Ten participants from Indonesia and 9 observers from Brunei and Timor-Leste participated.

UNESCO facilitators Ms. Waiyu Yau, Ms. NG Xing Yi and Ms. Ming Chee Ang facilitated the workshop. Starting with the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the facilitators introduced the background, relevant organs and key concepts of the Convention, pointed out that the ICH is “living”, and stressed that the community is the main body of the safeguarding of ICH. Considering that the States Parties in the Asia-Pacific region will submit the periodic reports by the end of this year, the facilitators also gave presentations on implementing the Convention and UNESCO concerned themes.

The workshop built a platform of learning and exchange. In addition, participants from different countries also set up a WhatsApp group to communicate the problems encountered in work and share experiences and cases. Participants and facilitators also used Mentimeter, an online interactive platform, to do exercises and answer questions after class, which improved participants’ attention and aroused their enthusiasm for learning.

CRIHAP has placed a high priority on Southeast Asia since its establishment. This workshop effectively enhanced the Indonesian participants’ understanding of the Convention.Taking into account the actual situation of Brunei and Timor-Leste, where the foundation of ICH safeguarding is weak, the workshop also focused on the basic curriculum and integrated the content of periodic reports. After the training, the learning mechanism of regular group exchanges will continue to serve as a bridge to maintain the interaction among facilitators and participants, in order to contribute to the periodic reportingprocess and assist the overall analysis on ICH safeguarding in the Asia-Pacific region.