Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity comes into being in Istanbul

The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was established today with the integration into this List of the 90 cultural elements that were proclaimed Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001, 2003 and 2005.

Twenty-six of these elements are in the Asia Pacific Region, 20 in Europe, 19 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 18 are located in Africa, and seven in the Arab region. Nine of them are shared by two or more countries.

The integration ceremony took place in Istanbul during the session, from 4 to 9 November, of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the executive body in charge of the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 2003. The Convention has been ratified by 104 States to date.

“I am very pleased that the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage has decided to integrate the 90 masterpieces in the Representative List,” declared the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, during the integration ceremony. “The Committee is thus bringing to life the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which was adopted in 2003 and entered into force in 2006. I am confident that with time, this List - designed to give more visibility to our living heritage - will contribute to raising awareness of its importance and instill a sense of pride and belonging to custodian communities.”

New elements will come to enrich the Representative List in one year’s time when the Committee will next meet. UNESCO has received 111 applications from 35 countries for inscription on the List.

90 Items on the List

• Author(s):UNESCOPRESS
• Source:Press Release No. 112
• 05-11-2008