ICHCAP

ICHCAP will in collaboration with the UNESCO Apia Office hold a two-day ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH from 29 to 30 October 2020. The theme of the web seminar is "Maritime Living Heritage: Building Sustainable Livelihood and Ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific Region". ICHCAP is calling for presentation submissions for the seminar by 28 September 2020(Korea Standard Time).

The Goal 14 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals pertains to the preservation and sustainable use of marine, sea and marine resources. Recently, there has been growing interest in the use of traditional knowledge from coastal communities to achieve this SDG. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030), recognizes and identifies as a priority for attention the role of traditional knowledge and practices along with the role of their bearers in the development and implementation of disaster risk reduction plans and mechanisms. In addition, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development will be launched next year. Traditional maritime skills, including fishery, contribute to people-centered preventative approaches to reducing the underlying risk factors that determine people’s vulnerability to natural disasters. They have been developed based on the surrounding marine environment and characteristics of the community and are thus directly linked to the livelihoods of the community members. Nevertheless, they remain at risk and at times on the verge of extinction due to the impact of climate change, urbanization, and other factors.

The upcoming meeting will look at how traditional maritime skills that have been transmitted through generations in coastal communities affect sustainable life of communities in three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental.

• [Session 1] Traditional Maritime Skills and Knowledge for Inclusive Social and Economic Development (29 October)
• [Session 2] Traditional Maritime Skills and Knowledge for Environmental Sustainability and Resilience (30 October)

Session 1 will examine how traditional maritime skills and knowledge affect social development of communities. It will explore how the skills and knowledge serve as methods of ensuring food security of communities and strengthening social cohesion and community resilience in times of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The session will also look into how the skills and knowledge activate the engagement of community members, including women and young people, as sources of income and decent jobs, as well as their contribution to inclusive social and economic development, which involves tourism and performing arts, and their values in the future.

Session 2 will address how maritime knowledge, values and customs, such as fishery, affect communities in the face of natural disasters and climate change and explore traditional maritime skills and knowledge at risk of extinction due to environmental change. The session will discuss cases of how local knowledge and practices linked to traditional maritime skills enhance community resilience or environmental sustainability. (Concept Note_ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH)

Interested individuals should submit applications (Application Form_ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH) with abstracts by 28 September 2020 via email. Selected applicants will be individually notified by 6 October, who then will be requested to submit final papers by 15 October. After the web seminar, papers will be edited as necessary and published in ICHCAP's website as well.

The ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH is part of the Expert Meeting for Building Network on Maritime ICH, which has been organized by ICHCAP with the aim of collecting information on maritime ICH and expanding the expert network from 2018. In 2018, ICHCAP held a maritime seminar on Ship, Navigation and People in cooperation with the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage of Korea. In 2019, ICHCAP conducted another seminar on Maritime Traditional Beliefs and Practices with the Hoi An Center for Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation.

For more details, please contact ICHCAP (ichcap.networking@gmail.com, +82-63-230-9742~3).