Morocco was elected, Thursday, to the presidency of the Intangible Heritage Committee of Unesco for the year 2022, we learned from the representation of the Kingdom within the UN organization.
Morocco was elected in the person of permanent ambassador to UNESCO Samir Addahre, unanimously by the 24 member states that make up the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the UN organization.
As such, the Kingdom will chair the 17th session of this committee, which will be held from November 28 to December 3, 2022.
The 24 current member countries of the committee are Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Panama , the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Togo as well as the Kingdom of Morocco which occupied the vice-presidency of the committee since on December 17th.
The committee is responsible in particular for promoting the objectives of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, advising on best practices and formulating recommendations on safeguarding measures for intangible cultural heritage.
It studies applications for inclusion on the UNESCO lists, as well as proposals for programs or projects. The committee is also responsible for providing international assistance in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.
It is also responsible for the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, mainly through the development of a series of operational guidelines and a plan for the use of the resources of the Fund for the Safeguarding of Heritage intangible cultural heritage as defined in Article 25 of the Convention. He submits these documents to the General Assembly for approval.
The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is a UNESCO treaty adopted by the General Conference of the UN organization on October 17, 2003 and entered into force in 2006.
Its objectives are to ensure the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and individuals concerned, raising awareness at local, national and international levels of the importance of intangible cultural heritage and mutual appreciation and international cooperation and assistance in this regard.
The notion of “cultural heritage” has evolved in recent decades, partly due to the instruments put in place by UNESCO. Beyond monuments and collections of objects, cultural heritage now encompasses traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and transmitted to future generations, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and events. festive, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and know-how necessary for traditional craftsmanship.
According to UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of increasing globalization.
According to UNESCO, the importance of intangible cultural heritage lies not so much in the cultural manifestation itself as in the wealth of knowledge and skills that it transmits from one generation to another. This transmission of knowledge has relevant social and economic value for both minority and majority social groups within a state, and is equally important for developing and developed countries.
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