ICHCAP

In late 2017, ICHCAP published a collection of case studies on Asia-Pacific NGO ICH safeguarding activities. The publication is part of the project, Promoting ICH Safeguarding Activities of NGOs in the Asia-Pacific Region (Project PINA), which aims to share information on ICH safeguarding activities of NGOs in Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Niue, and the Philippines and encourage their activities in the field.

Project PINA is part of ICHCAP’s efforts to enhance the visibility and public awareness of Asia-Pacific NGOs and their contributions to ICH safeguarding. To this end, ICHCAP received numerous recommendations from regional UNESCO National Commissions and culture agencies and selected five NGOs that best align with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: “Sustainable Cities and Communities.”

The Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK), founded to protect the indigenous knowledge of Bangladesh, demonstrates how communities can conserve biological diversity and strengthen their capacity by applying traditional knowledge to community development programs. Mataginifale Women’s Group in Niue, a community-based NGO established for climate change adaptation, shows its process by which a tree-planting project leads to safeguarding indigenous knowledge and climate change adaptation. The Central Asian Crafts Support Association’s Resource Centre (CACSARCKG) in Kyrgyzstan introduces a positive cycle beginning from projects to support craftsmen to the development of the crafts industry as well as the community. The Arts Council of Mongolia (ACM) presents its ICH transmission project based on international exchange and public awareness programs. The Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement (SITMo) of the Philippines introduces its ICH training and eco-tourism projects in which community members recognize and protect their own cultural heritage. These NGO efforts validate the importance of NGOs in ICH safeguarding.

The collection was introduced to ICH-related policymakers and NGOs at the twelfth Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the ICH NGO Forum. ICHCAP also plans to select eight NGOs that have been helping achieve SDG 4: “Quality Education”.