From June 29 to July 1, 2025, the UNESCO Dhaka Office, in collaboration with the International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (CRIHAP), held the "Workshop on Empowering Indigenous Youth for Living Heritage Safeguarding in Bangladesh" in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.

A group of 20 young people from the Chakma, Tripura, and Rakhine communities took part in the workshop. The opening ceremony was moderated by Mr. Kazi Tanin, Head of the Culture Unit at the UNESCO Dhaka Office. Ms. Susan Vize, representative of the UNESCO Dhaka Office, delivered the opening remarks. She highlighted the vital role of youth in safeguarding living heritage, noting that youth are not only the future but also the present agents of change and that the workshop provides a unique opportunity for young people from indigenous communities to deepen their understanding of heritage safeguarding through community-based inventorying methods. Mr. Zhang Jing, Director-General of CRIHAP, delivered a video address emphasizing the importance of capacity-building for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. He expressed his hope that youth would play a greater role in this field.

Across Bangladesh, indigenous communities carry a wealth of cultural knowledge and practices that have shaped identities for centuries. This workshop supported young people in gaining the tools and confidence to document and safeguard these traditions—from rituals and crafts to oral histories and collective memories—using community-led methods grounded in the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Under the guidance of UNESCO facilitator Shubha Chaudhuri and national expert and writer Rifat Munim, participants took part in an intensive program combining theoretical learning, group collaboration, and real-world application. A highlight of the workshop was the field exercise, where youth visited a local community to practice inventorying cultural elements using formats developed during the training.

One of the participants, Lampra Tripura from the Tripura community, shared his experience: "The ICH workshop taught me how to preserve traditional treasures. I am very glad to have learned these methodologies and am grateful for this opportunity." Another participant, Mra-Ngwea from the Rakhine community, reflected on the workshop's significance, saying, "I have newly learned how to practice and sustain our heritage as a way to preserve our identity, uniqueness, and existence, and to keep it flowing within our community." Hema Chakma from the Chakma community shared, "We usually think of heritage as music, dance, and festivals. But this workshop clarified for me that heritage also includes practices like folk art, crafts, and, most importantly, traditional social knowledge and customs, which are equally important to preserve and practice."

The workshop concluded with peer presentations and reflections, allowing participants to share what they had learned and discovered. For many, the experience was transformative—an opportunity to see their cultural heritage not only as something to be proud of but as something they could actively protect and promote.

(Contributor: Zhang Yue, Editor: Shen Ce)