On April 1, 2026, the 15th Session of the Governing Board of the International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (CRIHAP) was held in Beijing.

Gao Zheng, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and Chairperson of the CRIHAP Governing Board, presided over the meeting. The Governing Board examined and approved CRIHAP’s 2025 Work Report, 2026 Work Plan, as well as the Outline and Formulation Plan for its Mid-Term Development Plan.

Governing Board members highly commended CRIHAP’s work in 2025 and its 2026 plan, noting that the centre’s efforts are fully aligned with UNESCO’s strategic priorities and key focus areas for intangible cultural heritage (ICH) safeguarding. They recognized CRIHAP’s vital role in enhancing capacity-building for ICH safeguarding across the Asia-Pacific region. Members also offered constructive suggestions on expanding training themes, evaluating training outcomes, and defining strategic priorities for future work.

Under the 2026 Work Plan approved at the session, CRIHAP will organize 10 to 12 international training workshops throughout the year. It will also enhance content development for its Online ICH Classroom, strengthen international research on ICH safeguarding, conduct a dedicated evaluation of the outcomes of its three-year training programme in Mongolia, and advance the formulation of its Mid-Term Development Plan.

Since its establishment in 2012, CRIHAP has organized 97 international ICH training workshops, benefiting nearly 4,000 participants from 44 countries and regions in the Asia-Pacific. In December 2025, the Government of the People’s Republic of China and UNESCO signed an agreement to renew CRIHAP’s status as a UNESCO Category 2 Centre for an eight-year term.

CRIHAP Advisory Committee members, representatives from other UNESCO Category 2 Centres, and partner institutions observed the meeting.