While the circle is a quantifiable and concrete geometrical shape, the abstract idea of the circle has many different meanings, interpretations, and symbolic significance in Indian philosophical systems. These ideas have also culminated in varied manifestations of the concept into intangible cultural heritage. Garba is a ritual dance form where the knowledge and belief systems regarding the circle find choreographic expression. It is a social-community dance performed primarily by women in the Gujarat region in India. Performed during the nine-day Hindu festival of Navrātrī, the dance is primarily a celebration of feminine energy and an offering to the feminine divinity. It is also performed during the celebration of Sivaratri and weddings and in certain pregnancy rites.

The Vietnamese Institute for Musicology and the Binh Dinh Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism have jointly organized Bai choi Folk Art of Vietnam and Similar Art Forms around the World, an international conference held on 13 and 14 January 2015 in Qui Nhon City, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam.

The Phnom Penh Vientiane Workshop and Charter were driven by participants who represented museum and heritage leadership from linguistically and culturally diverse communities of South-East Asia and Timor-Leste. Its integrity, from preparation to follow-up, has been overseen by a leadership of entirely Asian linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It was the first of such major initiatives in Asia by the International Council of Museums (ICOM). It addressed the concern that models and methods from developed or rich countries, where heritage contexts are well resourced, may not necessarily work for cultural communities and groups in low economic indicator countries. This concern was prioritised with the significance given to stakeholder or carrier and transmitter communities in the UNESCO 2003 Convention.

L’anthropologie s’est intéressée à l’alimentation sous diérentes perspectives. Parmi celles-ci figurent notamment les pratiques alimentaires et les manières de table, la diversité des traditions culinaires, la variété des produits consommés, les interdits alimentaires et les repas rituels. Y ƒgurent aussi la place de l’alimentation dans la construction des rapports sociaux, l’importance de la commensalité, la pratique de l’hospitalité, le don de nourriture et l’échange des préparations et des recettes culinaires. Y ƒgurent également l’alimentation comme un indicateur de différentiation sociale entre individus et groupes sociaux, un révélateur d’inégalité et de hiérarchie, en somme un instrument de pouvoir.

Gender equality is a core value of the international community, being one of the 17 sustainable development goals and crosscutting into 9 other goals such as zero hunger, health and nutrition, quality education and decent work. The 2003 Convention also stresses that heritage safeguarding and transmission activities shall be compatible with human rights and relevant policies shall be without discrimination, covering the concept of gender equality. More specifically, Chapter 6 of the Convention’s Operational Directives states, “States Parties shall endeavor to foster the contributions of intangible cultural heritage and its safeguarding to greater gender equality and to eliminating gender-based discrimination.”(UNESCO, 2016) A 2018 report from the UNESCO evaluation body mentioned the following in its review of nomination files. Firstly, majority of nomination files lacked explanation regarding gender roles and the participation of both genders in nomination and safeguarding. Second, the Convention does not expect equal participation by both genders, but rather hopes to understand the different ways the heritage is experienced by the respective genders, what the gender roles are, and whether they have equal rights with respect to safeguarding (UNESCO, 2018). Although gender is a topic of great interest internationally, there hasn’t been much discourse on the relationship between intangible heritage and gender. Thus, this presentation looks at the value of gender considerations in intangible heritage safeguarding.

Since Korea has undergone the fierce contemporary history through the Japanese colonial era and the Korean War, the Korean government enacted the Cultural Heritage Protection Act in 1962 for safeguarding and transmitting Korean cultural heritage. In this act, the term intangible cultural heritage (ICH) was officially coined as a legal concept, and provisions were prepared to designate and safeguard ICH at the national level. Thus, the Korean legal system for safeguarding ICH was established forty years before the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003).

The main contents of this publication are reports from thirty-two nations collected by ICHCAP from 2009 to 2015 as part of its annual projects to collect information on intangible cultural heritage safeguarding in the Asia-Pacific region. We have also compiled information from other reports and conference materials collected by ICHCAP to present key data, such as national inventories and information on related organizations, in an easily accessible format.

The island nation of the Cook Islands comprises fifteen islands centered around Rarotonga in the South Pacific Ocean, and is in free association with New Zealand. Among a population of 8,128 (2022 estimate), over 80% is ethnically Cook Islands (or part) Māori; therefore, English and Cook Islands Māori (Rarotongan) are designated as official languages. Following this brief information about the country, I would like to share the story of heritage recognized through a recent workshop.\nFunding was kindly given by UNESCO through the Tauranga Vananga – Ministry of Cultural Development (MoCD) to implement the safeguarding of ICH in the Cook Islands, focusing on the area of performing arts. This is an opportunity for which we are most grateful to UNESCO, in the knowledge that this is a way of protecting our cultural heritage for our future generations to access and learn from.\nSince 7 February 2022, a total of three ICH capacity-building workshops/trainings have been held for successful applicants as a way of introducing and learning more about the significant role ICH plays in and with the communities.

School should be a happy place where students are willing to engage in activities, learn, share, and develop into citizens who make a useful contribution to society. Most people spend a significant proportion of their youth, and sometimes some of their adult years, in the education system. It is, therefore, not a surprise that quality education is one of the goals identified as part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Interestingly, this objective—Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4)—focuses not only on quantitative indicators (e.g., ensuring that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education) but also on qualitative aspects of education. It is essential to give a central place to strengthening education’s contribution to the fulfillment of human rights, peace, and responsible citizenship; this can be achieved through, among other aspects, the acceptance and appreciation of the cultural diversity of the world.

The tradition of jewelry making in India began with the prehistoric factories of the Harappan civilization which produced metal and bead jewelry and has continued unbroken over five thousand years in the continuity of its form, technique, and symbolism. Some of the earliest excavations of bead and stone factories have uncovered evidence of sophisticated tools like burins, scrapers, cylindrical drills, and micro-drills used to drill holes in beads and etch designs on precious and semiprecious stones. These beads, along with sheet gold and gold wire twisted into intricate earrings, necklaces, bangles, waistbands, and more, represent the humble beginnings of the Indian jewelry tradition. Jewelry has since been used to demonstrate affection, status, power, and skill.

One passageway can have different meanings due to the different mind-set of different persons. Likewise, a change in a viewpoint transforms an ordinary object into something symbolic. The reasoning is the same when a thing nothing more than a ‘movement’ lastly becomes a ‘flower’ and ‘significant’ once it is called by its name.

The main contents of this publication are reports from thirty-two nations collected by ICHCAP from 2009 to 2015 as part of its annual projects to collect information on intangible cultural heritage safeguarding in the Asia-Pacific region. We have also compiled information from other reports and conference materials collected by ICHCAP to present key data, such as national inventories and information on related organizations, in an easily accessible format.