This year's symposium is organised jointly by the Executive Board of the ICH NGO Forum and the WG Research under the theme Participatory Approaches to Living Heritage: NGO Perspectives

The one-day symposium will focus on how NGOs develop and implement community-based and participatory approaches to safeguarding living heritage. Sessions will present a range of international case-studies and look at how participatory work is shaped by the local context of each field site, but also practical and ethical issues of translating global heritage policy into practice. The panel discussion will provide an opportunity to review and reflect on the challenges and opportunities of participatory work.

Immediately following these sessions, a panel on the Overall Results Framework (ORF) will present a Handbook and an Information Note on the ORF in relation to NGO involvement in the realisation of the ORF and into periodic reporting in the countries.

Date: Sunday, 1 December, 2024, 09:30 – 17:30 (GMT-3) local time in Paraguay

Onsite Location: Conmebol Convention Center – Hotel Bourbon – Room Copa America, UNESCO 19.COM Venue 

Online Location: Via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87864486209?pwd=XVWtZhw7WTvqyZUhZrGGJaLJ4hkBbM.1

SYMPOSIUM DETAILS

The 2024 Symposium of the ICH NGO Forum—on the occasion of the 19.COM meeting of the UNESCO 2003 Convention in Paraguay—will focus on community-based and participatory approaches to safeguarding living heritage.

The involvement of communities, groups and individuals in safeguarding actions is widely regarded as one of the innovations of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage compared to previous UNESCO heritage conventions. Recent international fora, such as the 2022 Mondiacult Declaration on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development and the International Law Association’s 2022 Report on Participation in Global Heritage Governance, have further underlined the need for inclusive policies regarding the participation of local communities and non-governmental groups in heritage governance.

A variety of methods have been developed by NGOs to engage communities. Yet, these haven’t been systematically researched or presented.

This one-day hybrid symposium, co-organised with the Working Group Research as part of a new thematic area on participatory approaches to living heritage, will provide a space for sharing experiences on the participation of heritage communities, non-governmental groups and individuals in decisions and actions for safeguarding intangible heritage. 

Immediately following these sessions, a panel on the Overall Results Framework (ORF) will present a Handbook and an Information Note on the ORF in relation to NGO involvement (currently under preparation) on NGO involvement in the realisation of the ORF and into periodic reporting in the countries.

 

PROGRAMME

09:30 9:30 – 10:00 – Introductory talks

Executive Board, Living Heritage Entity and Working Group Research representatives

10:00 – 11:30 – SESSION 1. PARTICIPATION ON THE GROUND: IMPACTFUL CASE-STUDIES

The first session will present case studies of participatory work on the ground. Speakers will be invited to present how the context of their field sites has shaped their understanding of communities and the methodology used. The aim is to reflect on the positive outcomes, insights and challenges they encountered.

Moderation by WG Research member Valentina Zimgari.

 

TIMESPEAKERSTITLEPARTICIPATION10:00 – 10:15Prof Alejandra Diaz (Crear en Libertad/ Paraguay)Danzas y espiritualidad de los pueblos indígenas del ParaguayIn person10:15 – 10:30Ms Gloria Bejarano – Castro (Casa Taller/ Panama)Playing in Your Own LanguageIn person10:30 – 10:45Dr Saymon Zakaria (Vabnagar Foundation/ Bangladesh)Revival of Ancient Bengali Buddhist Mystic Songs of Charyapada: A Collaborative, Community-Based Approach to Safeguarding Living HeritageIn person10:45 – 11:00Ms Luz Guttiérez-García (Embodying Reconciliation/ Colombia)Cultural Journey for Peace: Exchanging Bodily and Cultural Heritage in Colombia, India, and JapanOnline11:00 – 11:15Ms Nadia Rdeini

(Lighthouse Peace Initiative/ USA/ Lebanon)Engaging Communities in Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage through Participatory Arts and Education Programsonline11:15 – 11:30Mr Oleksandr Butsenko, Mrs Valentyna Demian (Democracy through Culture/ Ukraine)Participatory approaches to safeguarding living heritage in UkraineIn person11:30 – 12:00 – Coffee Break

12:00 – 13:00 – SESSION 2. POLICY INTO PRACTICE: NGO APPROACHES

The second session will examine the role of NGOs in developing and implementing participatory approaches, considering practical issues of translating international policy into practice, but also the moral and ethical implications of their work.

Moderation by WG Research member Jorijn Neyrinck

TIMESPEAKERSTITLEPARTICIPATION12:00 – 12:15Ms Ananya Bhattacharya (Contact Base/ India)Heritage safeguarding and governance practices of indigenous communities of NagalandIn person12:15 – 12:30Ms Jorijn Neyrinck (Workshop Intangible Heritage/ Belgium)HOW TO? Developing participatory methodologies for safeguarding living heritageIn person12:30 – 12:45Dr Rachel Gefferie

Mr Darrel Geldorp

(NAKS/ Suriname)

Safeguarding the ‘setdansi’, a traditional dance of Surinamese-CreoleIn person12:45 – 13:00Mr Ian Thomas (British Council/ UK)Globally Connected: Locally Routed approach to Living HeritageOnline

13:00 – 14:30 – Lunch

14:30 – 16:00 – SESSION 3. PANEL DISCUSSION: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN PARTICIPATORY WORK

Panelists will give a brief outline of their work, share 3-5 good practice recommendations, and reflect on the challenges they have encountered. The panel discussion will be open to questions from the audience.

Moderation by – WG Research member Carley Williams and Jorijn Neyrinck

PANELISTSTHEMEPARTICIPATIONMs Sarah Green (Art for Refugees/ USA)Historical Memory and its role in Punta Canoa, ColombiaIn personDr Valentina Zingari (AEJEST/ Italy)The Tocatì methodology for inventorying Traditional games as ICH elementsIn person/ onlineMs Charlotte Courtois (Konstelacio/ France)Promoting the active transmission of cultural diversity and culinary traditions – Operation UrsinoIn personMs Sona Tomaç (Traditional Arts Association/ Turkey)Hands of Heritage: Community-Driven Safeguarding and Transmitting of Handicrafts in TürkiyeIn personProf Susana Sardo (Int Council Traditional Music & Dance/ Slovenia)Shared Research Practices as a Self-Empowerment Process for Heritage Communities. The case of Kola San Jon and Women Multipart Singing in PortugalIn person/ onlineDr Urtansav Norov (Foundation for Natural and Cultural Heritage/ Mongolia)Preserving Tradition: Grassroots Transmission of Airag Making in MongoliaIn personMr Davy Nzembialéla (ADACO/ Gabon)La transmission et l’éducation des populations locales du GabonIn person/ onlineDr Konstantín Kontoyiannis (Conseil Int Danse/ international)Inventaire des danses sacrées de l’humanitéonlineDr Hazar Souissi (univ. Carthage/ Tunisia)Ensemble pour le Patrimoine : Quelques Expériences Inclusives dans la Valorisation du Patrimoine Immatériel en TunisieonlineDr Eva Kuminkovà (Ethnological Society/ Czech Republic)Keepers of Tradition: Community Safeguarding of Dance in a Museum?In personMs Giulia Avanza (Fond. Santagata/ Italy)Co-Designing Heritage Safeguarding: A Case Study of Italy’s Musical Art of the Hunting Horn Playersonline

16:00 – 16:30 – Coffee Break

16:30 – 17:30 – PANEL SESSION on NGOs and the Overall Results Framework

Organized by the ICH NGO Forum Working Group Overall Results Framework and the Working Group Policy and Legal Development

NGOs commit to the safeguarding processes of living heritage all over the world. By doing so, they also contribute in various way to the goals of the Overall Results Framework (ORF). Moreover, there are multiple ways in which NGOs and States Parties interact therein. These activities bring a rich array of possibilities and nuances in the work on Convention and to the realisation of the ORF. And, by extrapolation, they enrich also periodic reporting in the countries.

In this session, the ICH NGO Forum Working Group Overall Results Framework & the Working Group on Policy and Legal Development present their collaborative work towards developing a Handbook (currently under preparation) and an Information Note on the ORF in relation to NGO involvement in the realisation of the ORF and countries’ periodic reporting.

TIMEPANELISTSTHEMEPARTICIPATION16.30-16.50Janet Blake

(Persian Garden Institute for Living Heritage / Iran)&Jorijn Neyrinck

(Workshop Intangible Heritage / Belgium)Information Note

by the Working Group on Policy and Legal Development:“NGO Contributions and Collaboration in Implementing the Overall Results Framework (ORF) and in Periodic Reporting by States PartiesIn person16.50-17.15Ananya Bhattacharya

(Contact Base / India)

&Shinwha Hong

(CICS / South-Korea)

&Léonce Ki

(ASAMA / Burkina Faso)“Towards a Handbook on ORF for NGOs”

by the Working Group Overall Results framework

In person17.15-17.30all panellistsQ&AIn person

 

Organising Committee

• Executive Board of the ICH NGO Forum in collaboration with the ICH NGO Forum Working Group Research
• The Executive Board of the ICH NGO Forum
• Western Europe and North America: Mr. Matti Hakamäki – Finnish Folk Music Institute (Finland) – Secretary
• Eastern Europe: Ms. Tamara Nikolić Đerić – Association House of Batana (Croatia)
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Ms. Irina Ruiz, Fundación INDICRI (Panama)
• Asia and the Pacific: Ms. Cholponai Usubalieva-Grishuk – Aigine Cultural Research Center (Kyrgystan) – Treasurer
• Africa: Mr. Bachirou Njoya, Fondation Princesse Momafon Rabiatou NJOYA, (Cameroon)
• Arab States: Mr. Mohamed Lemine Beidieu – Association mauritanienne pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel (Mauritania) – Vice President
• International: Mr. Robert Baron – International Society for Ethnology and Folklore, President
• The Working Group ICH NGOs and Research – Symposium 2024 team:
• Marilena Alivizatou; Jana Ambrózová; Martin Andrade; Jorijn Neyrinck; Dafvid Hermansson; Valentina Lapiccirella Zingari; Jorijn Neyrinck; Joanne Orr; Carley Williams

● Event Summary

Title	Activities of the ICH NGO Forum During 19.COM
Place	PARAGUAY
Start Date	2024-12-01	End Date	2024-12-07