Background

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development advocates the “promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development” as an important target to achieve Goal 4 on quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all. One of culture’s manifestations is living heritage or intangible cultural heritage (ICH). It includes cultural practices and knowledge that are meaningful to communities. They are a part of people’s identity which they want to continue to transmit to future generations.

ICH can provide context-specific content and pedagogy for education programs and improve learning outcomes. For example, education for sustainable development uses indigenous knowledge and ICH as a key resource for communities in understanding the environment, assessing climate change impacts, sustainably using natural resources and adapting to them. UNESCO promotes teaching and learning through and about ICH in education programs in all relevant disciplines. At the same time, bringing ICH in education also contributes to raising awareness about ICH and encourage youth to engage in ICH safeguarding.

UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia and its Category 2 Centers CRIHAP and ICHCAP, are excited to announce the Contest: Lesson Plan of Teaching with East Asian Living Heritage 2025. We invite educators of all school levels from across East Asia region to showcase their creativity and pedagogical expertise by submitting innovative lesson plans that integrate living heritage or intangible cultural heritage (ICH) into the teaching and learning activity. This exciting competition aims to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of the rich cultural traditions and practices that shape our diverse communities. By bringing living heritage to life through engaging lesson plans, we hope to inspire a new generation of learners to connect with and safeguard our heritage.

Application Guidelines

The contest is open for lesson plans submission from teachers and educators in East Asia (China, DPRK, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea). Download and fill out the Application form attached and submit it to beijing.culture@unesco.org by July 31 2025.

The Application Form must be filled out in English (If your original lesson plan is in another language than English, you can opt to use machine translation for inputs on the Form). Any documents relevant to your application, such as the lesson plan in original language other than English, could be attached with your submission.nEach submission should contain only 1 lesson plan on the Application Form. Multiple applications could be submitted from the same school.Consent from the school management is required before submission. The signature of school director or principal is required on the Application Form.

For more inquries, please visit UNESCO Invites Schools to Compete in the Contest: Lesson Plan of Teaching with East Asian Living Heritage 2025 | UNESCO or contact beijing.culture@unesco.org or ichcap.networking@gmail.com