Dear Colleagues:

Among the working papers now distributed to all Member States by UNESCO in
preparation for the biennial General Conference in the Autumn is the
recommended text of the proposed UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of
the Intangible Heritage of the World. This is a highly significant
proposal - regarded as the most important development of international
cultural heritage law since the adoption of the World Heritage Convention
in 1972.

As drafted, this will affect not just the protection and promotion of
local, national and international intangible heritage such as traditional
and oral customs, crafts, performances and other practices etc., but also
all museums, historic buildings and sites, libraries and archive services
that are in any way associated with or documenting and recording these.

Because of this, it seems very unfortunate that over the four years of
planning and development of the Draft Convention some of the key
international organisations that will be affected, such as ICOM, IFLA
(Libraries), ICA (Archives) and ICOMOS (Monuments & Sites) do not seem to
have been consulted, presumably because their actual and potential future
involvement was not recognised and understood.

It therefore seems very important that ICOM and the other international
organisations concerned play a very active role in the debate on the new
Convention during the coming General Conference of UNESCO, in order to
ensure that these interests are fully represented in the proposed new
International Committee that will be established by the Convention.

The full text of this proposed new Convention is available in all six
UNESCO official languages on the UNESCO website in .pdf format as follows:

English text:

"Preliminary Draft International Convention for the Safeguarding of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage and report by the Director-General on the
situation calling for standard-setting and on the possible scope of such
standard-setting"

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001307/130784e.pdf

Version francais:

"Avant-projet de convention internationale pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine
culturel immatériel et Rapport du Directeur général sur la situation devant
faire l'objet d'une action normative et sur l'étendue possible d'une telle
action"

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001307/130784f.pdf


Texte en espanol:

"Anteproyecto de convención internacional para la salvaguardia del
patrimonio cultural inmaterial e informe del Director General sobre la
situación que debe ser objeto de una actividad normativa, así como sobre el
posible alcance de dicha actividad"

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001307/130784s.pdf




Patrick Boylan
(Chairperson, ICOM-International Committee for the Training of Personnel -
ICTOP)

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