India has been appointed as a member of the International Committee of the UN General Assembly for the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 cycle. The election of the International Government Committee took place during the 9th General Assembly of the 2003 General Assembly held at UNESCO headquarters, Paris, from 5 to 7 July 2022. An announcement was made by the Minister of Culture, Tourism and DoNER Shri G.K Reddy.
Against four vacant seats in the Asia-Pacific group, six countries, namely India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand have submitted their names. India received 110 votes out of 155 State parties present and voted. The 2003 International Government Committee of the 24-member Conference is elected by the General Assembly in terms of geographical representation and rotation. The Committee Members of the Committee are elected for a term of four years.
Some of the core functions of the Local Government Committee include promoting the objectives of the Convention, providing guidance on best practices, and making recommendations on measures to protect intangible cultural heritage. The Committee also evaluates applications submitted by Member States for the writing of intangible Heritage List and proposals for programs and projects.
In the past, India has twice served as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Summit. One from 2006 to 2010 and one from 2014 to 2018. During the period 2022-2026, India built a clear vision for the protection and promotion of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Some of India’s key areas of focus include promoting public participation, strengthening international cooperation through intangible heritage, promoting academic research on intangible cultural heritage, and aligning the work of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Goals. This idea was also shared with other Regional Conference Groups before the election.
India ratified the 2003 Intangible Heritage Convention in September 2005. As part of the first States to ratify the Convention, India has demonstrated a strong commitment to intangible heritage issues and has actively encouraged other parts of the State to embrace it. . With 14 documents on the Inheritance List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, India also tops the list of intangible cultural heritage. After the writing of the Durga Puja in 2021, India sent the name of Garba from Gujarat for discussion in 2023.
As a member of the Intergovernmental Committee, India will have the opportunity to closely monitor the implementation of the 2003 Summit. In an effort to strengthen the scope and impact of the Conference, India seeks to consolidate the power of diverse actors around the world to effectively protect intangible values. And by recognizing the inequalities in the texts listed on the three Summit of the Convention, namely, the Emergency Protocol, the Representative List and the Safeguarding Practice Register, India will endeavor to promote international dialogue within the Parties to the Conference to better reflect diversity and value of living values.
