The role of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage has evolved from its mandate regarding cultural heritage generally. ICOMOS was created in a world that had experienced the destruction of significant heritage places during World War II and faced the threat of destruction throughout the Cold War period. The Second Congress of Architects, Conservationists and Technicians of Historical Monuments held in Venice in May 1964 produced the Venice Charter and established ICOMOS.

The 2018 inscriptions of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) on the UNESCO lists has raised again global attention to variations of Hindi-influenced masked dance in Southeast Asia, which retell the story of Rama, the god-reincarnated king who defeats the demon king Ravana.

Modernization and other internal and external influences have caused vernacular houses in the Asia- Pacific region to be replaced. Today, their traditional status has been taken over by houses constructed using newly introduced materials and styles, even in remote villages. Although a house, as a physical object, may be considered to be a tangible heritage, the vernacular house is a product that encompasses intangible components, including the knowledge, skills, and local traditions associated with their construction, use, and maintenance by the particular community. The conservation or protection of vernacular houses is, in other words, tantamount to safeguarding their rich culture rather than merely the preservation of static buildings. \n\nVernacular houses in the tropics of Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands are often built using native plants, and they require occasional rebuilding and regular maintenance. The knowledge and skills required for the construction of a vernacular house building are rarely documented. Instead, the expertise is generally stored in memory and in the activities that are undertaken by an individual, family, or community. This is transferred through practical experience down the generations and is only shared among the members of a community. Our initiative focuses on the reconstruction of vernacular houses in conjunction with local communities, creating opportunities to understand all the requisites of building these traditional structures by thoroughly recording the construction process. \n\nChanges that have occurred in individual values, the lifestyles of ethnic communities, and their surrounding environments have created a situation in which the resources that are necessary for the construction of vernacular houses are less easily available or no longer available. It is common for vernacular houses to be perceived as outdated, old-fashioned, and underdeveloped. A vernacular house can no longer be built and used in the same way that it was when it was the only choice of housing. We need to identify ways in which to sustain traditional house building practices and to utilize this knowledge by examining its potential and its meaning in the modern context. This paper introduces our approach to the reinstatement and reconstruction of vernacular houses and to the revival of related activities in conjunction with local communities in Fiji, Thailand, Vanuatu, and Vietnam and illustrates some of our findings. In the process, the study identifies what it takes to build and sustain vernacular housing.

Lum, also called medicinal bathing, is an important part of Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Medicine) with a long history. In Tibetan, “Lum” indicates the traditional knowledge and practices of bathing in natural hot springs, herbal water, or steam to adjust the balance of mind and body, to ensure health and treat illnesses. Lum medicinal bathing is popular among Tibetan people because of its wide indication, safety, and effectiveness.

Building a canoe for the palolo rise, an event that occurs twice in a year, is rarely described and documented in moving and still images. With accompanying text capturing knowledge shared by a Master Craftsman, Lesā Motusaga of Sa‘anapu village in Samoa, this paper provides insights into the Intangible Cultural Heritage associated with the building of a paopao, dugout canoe, for a rich fishing tradition. \nPalolo, a delicacy that rises pre-dawn from coral beds seven days after the full moon in October and November, is known as the caviar of the Pacific, an apt description given the high price people are willing to \npay for this rare seafood. Briefly, it is a seafood with significant socio-cultural value now enjoying high, if not inflated, economic value. \n\nThe natural environment is not a typical classroom but is, insofar as Intangible Cultural Heritage is concerned, an important setting where knowledge is transmitted, particularly knowledge of the environment and tapu or sa, the sacred laws or forbidden acts designed for its protection and conservation.

After gaining independence and under the initiative of the president, Uzbekistan commenced on a large-scale project to revitalize historic cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. These efforts resulted in the restoration of hundreds of historic sites, and they created better conditions to research, safeguard, and propagate folk arts, knowledge, and skills of traditional craftsmanship, which were traditionally transmitted by word of mouth, from master to apprentices. In 1995 the government of the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted a law that grants taxation immunity to crafts-men working individually. The law gave a huge impetus to the revival and development of popular craftsmanship.

The snake often evokes strong negative images because of its appearance. However, this animal symblises positive cultural values, especially in Asia, where people consider snakes to be transmitters of good fortune. Asian snake beliefs can be traced back to ancient India from where the beliefs spread to China(where the snake evolved into a dragon) and later to Korea.

Based on the notion of culture as a complex multi-layered phenomenon, we admit that some cultural elements or expressions may fluidly migrate and adapt to different local settings, not necessarily or exclusively serving as a marker of an ethnic identity. Moreover, an emerging concept of shared cultural heritage allows us to disclose positive potential for joining efforts in safeguarding and enlivening the cultural heritage of the people. Connecting various national and local cultures along the Silk Roads aims exactly at gaining the joy of sharing the values, wisdom, creativity; at nurturing mutual interests and empathy among cultures and people; and at searching for common threads across the rich multitude of manifestations of cultural heritage of a vast region. The joint initiative by ICHCAP and IICAS to launch the Silk Roads ICH Networking Program needs support and actions by the wide range of stakeholder organizations and groups. Two options might be considered for a Silk Roads ICH Festivals network—either establish its own training program, capitalizing on the European Festivals Association’s experience or—cooperate with EFA on arranging a special edition of their Festival Academy focused on ICH and open for young managers from within the new network.

Recalling the excerpt from the 2003 Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Convention, "intangible cultural heritage ...is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history..." ICH is about people's values, particularly people's harmonious relations with nature. When our body is not in balance in the Philippines, healers or doctors take our pulse or pulso. \n

During its seventh session in 2012, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage had discussions on the increasing concern over the commercialization of intangible cultural heritage. Many issues were debated at that time, illustrating the growing awareness among States Party of the need to provide guidelines on ethical approaches to the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. The UNESCO Secretariat was therefore invited “to initiate work on a model code of ethics.”

The period of cultural awakening in Central Asia, which began in the Middle Ages six hundred years before the European countries, facilitated the development of a large group of genius scientists whose names were written in gilded letters in the annals of world history. One such genius is Abu Ali Ibn Sina, who blessed creativity on almost all fields of science and raised medicine to great heights. During the time of Abu Ali Ibn Sina (known in Europe as Avicenna), medicine in the Central Asia region reached perfection in all respects. It was strongly influenced by Greek, Roman, Jewish, Syrian, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, and Indian medicine, among which the ancient scientific and practical manual Avesta was the main point in this maturation process.\n

Koliniasi L.T. Fuko explained the significance of traditional fishing methods of Tonga for achieving sustainable development. The purpose of this discourse is to promote awareness of Tongan Traditional Fishing Methods to ensure the sustainability of food security from the ocean.