India gets elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Source: The post is based on the article “India gets elected to the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage” published in PIB on 7th July 2022

What is the News?

India has been elected as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2022-2026 cycle. 

What is UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage?

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What is the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention?

Composition: The Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention consists of 24 members and is elected in the General Assembly of the Convention according to the principles of equitable geographical representation and rotation. 

Duration: The members are elected for a term of four years.

Functions: Some of the core functions of the committee include 1) Promoting the objectives of the Convention, 2) Providing guidance on best practices and 3) making recommendations on measures for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. 

– The Committee also examines requests submitted by States Parties for the inscription of intangible heritage on the Lists as well as proposals for programmes and projects.

Note: In the past, India has served two terms as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee of this Convention. One from 2006 to 2010 and the other from 2014 to 2018

When did India ratify this convention?

India ratified the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in September 2005. 

Currently, India has 14 inscriptions on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

After the inscription of Durga Puja in 2021, India submitted the nomination for Garba of Gujarat to be discussed in 2023.