ICHCAP

The seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was held in Rabat, Morocco, from 28 November to 3 December. The first face-to-face meeting since the pandemic started about three years ago attracted more than 1,000 stakeholders from 130 countries, and more than 40 side events were held. Here are some side events in which ICHCAP and the Republic of Korea were involved.

Exhibition: Sustainable Development from a Living Heritage Perspective
An exhibition promoting UNESCO's Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) was held at the main exhibition hall, Sofitel Hotel, Rabat, Morocco. Since its opening in January 2022, more than 3,100 people from 160 countries registered for the course, contributing to sharing information on living heritage and building capacity for younger generations. Under the theme of sustainable development from a living heritage perspective, the exhibition visualized the relationship between the subject of the course and the sustainable development goals and provided a more intuitive understanding and insights through the screen.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition was held on 28 November, the first day, and many people who participated in the course had time to communicate and introduce the course. Susanne Schnüttgen, Chief of the Capacity Building and Heritage Policy Unit of Living Heritage Entity welcomed participants and introduced the significance of the course and exhibitions. In particular, instructors who participated in the lectures, including Sang Mee Bak, Ambassador of the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO; Ahmed Skounti, Professor at National Institute of Archaeology and Heritage Sciences of Morocco; Martín Andrade-Pérez, Researcher at the Erigaie Foundation of Colombia; and Tiago de Oliveira Pinto, Professor and Chairholder, UNESCO Chair on Transcultural Music Studies and Head of Musicology Department, University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar in Germany.

In addition to English and French subtitles, the course is expanding with Spanish and Korean subtitles. The exhibition is also scheduled to be held in Korea next year.

Special Presentation on the Massive Open Online Course on Living Heritage and Sustainable Development at the ICH NGO Forum
ICHCAP also delivered a special presentation at the ICH NGO Forum on 27 November, regarding the MOOC on Living Heritage and Sustainable Development. The ICH NGO Forum holds annual session on the eve of the Intergovernmental Committee to share information and network among accredited NGOs of the 2003 Convention.
During the session, ICHCAP shared its experience of developing the MOOC with the Secretariat and the SDG Academy, using advanced technology and creativity during the pandemic. In addition to the MOOC on Living Heritage and Sustainable Development, ICHCAP, with the cooperation of the UNESCO Bangkok Office, developed and introduced a toolkit for teachers. Along with sharing information about the cases, ICHCAP also encouraged NGOs to use those courses for their safeguarding activities with the communities in the field.

Exhibition on Talchum, a Mask Dance Drama in the Republic of Korea
During the Intergovernmental Committee, an exhibition on Korean mask dance drama was also held by the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea. In this exhibition, thirteen nationally inscribed masks were exhibited with a flyer explaining the meaning and significance of talchum. Due to the rules of the Intergovernmental Committee, which prohibits any form of campaigning before its inscription, the exhibition was put on hold until the afternoon of 30 November, after its official inscription to the Representative List. The colorful traditional masks caught the attention of many participants.