The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted at the 32nd General Conference of UNESCO in October 2003 and entered into force in April 2006. It aims to protect the intangible cultural heritage represented by traditions, oral expressions, festivals and rituals, manual skills, music, dance, etc. The purpose of this convention is to:
① protect the intangible cultural heritage;
② respect the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and individuals concerned;
③ raise awareness of the importance of intangible cultural heritage and its mutual appreciation at the local, national and international levels;
④ carry out international cooperation and provide international assistance.
Intangible cultural heritage, also known as oral or intangible heritage, is relative to tangible heritage, that is, material heritage that can be passed on. According to the definition of UNESCO, it refers to “all creations from a cultural community, which are based on tradition, expressed by a group or individuals, and are considered to be in line with the expectations of the community as an expression of its cultural and social characteristics, and its norms and values are passed on orally through imitation or other means”, including various types of national traditions and folk knowledge, various languages, oral literature, customs, folk music, dance, rituals, handicrafts, traditional medicine, architecture and other arts.
The convention specifically requires an inventory of existing intangible cultural heritage in various countries and regions, lists the key points that need to be rescued urgently and the heritage projects with important representative significance, and requires the establishment of an intangible cultural heritage protection committee composed of experts and representatives of each member to coordinate relevant work.
The specialized committee of UNESCO reviews the heritage declared by various countries every year and then decides whether to include it in the list. At present, UNESCO has compiled three human intangible cultural heritage lists: “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”, “List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Urgent Need of Safeguarding” and “List of Excellent Practices”.
As of May 11, 2018, with the accession of Solomon Islands, the Convention has 178 contracting parties. Currently, only the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Israel, Libya and other countries have not yet joined the Convention. my country joined the Convention in August 2004.
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is composed of 24 member states elected by the General Assembly of the Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and is one of the executive bodies of the Convention.