The
Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was
passed by the UNESCO General Conference held in 2003. At that time, the
international community recognised the need to raise awareness about
cultural manifestations and expressions that until then had no legal or
programmatic framework to protect them.
Along with other international instruments that protect cultural heritage – such as the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage
– the 2003 Convention is aimed at safeguarding the uses,
representations, expressions, knowledge and techniques that communities,
groups and, in some cases, individuals, recognise as an integral part
of their cultural heritage. This intangible heritage is found in forms
such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship knowledge and techniques.
This definition, which is provided in Article 2 of
the Convention, also comprises the instruments, goods, objects of art
and cultural spaces inherent to intangible cultural heritage. This
conceptualisation was discussed in the lengthy negotiations and
discussions that served as the basis for the Convention.
Article 16 of the 2003 Convention grants authority to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage
to compile a Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, aimed
at better understanding the intangible cultural heritage around the
world.
Around the world, 150 States have joined the 2003
Convention, while it has been ratified or passed in 28 countries within
Latin America and the Caribbean (group III). Through its acceptance, the
countries agree to adopt a general policy aimed at highlighting the
function of intangible cultural heritage in society.
