Mr. Keum Gi Hyung had been working as the Director-General of ICHCAP since January 2019 until December 2021. Before joining ICHCAP, he served as the Director-General of Tourism Policy Bureau from 2017 to 2018 and Public Communication Policy Bureau from 2016 to 2017 at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea. He also served as the Director of Korean Cultural Center in Vietnam from 2009 to 2012. He also worked as a Senior Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Bangkok Office from 2005 to 2007. His academic background is in media and communication with Master's degree in University of Leicester in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Jyldyz Doolbekova is an anthropologist, researcher, and consultant with a background in traditional ecological knowledge, place-based education, and local development to support and preserve the biocultural diversity and the well-being of mountain local communities in Kyrgyzstan. \n\nShe participated in the research within the project "Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Contribution to SDGs - Community Education and Development" initiated and supported by International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia-Pacific (IRCI, https://www.irci.jp/). The results of the study entitled "Visionary Local Communities in Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kyrgyzstan" (2020), and "The Evolving Role of Community Museums in Intangible Cultural Heritage Preservation: A Case Study from Kyrgyzstan" (2021) were presented at the International Symposium in Tokyo (online).\n\nShe has 15 years of experience with the Christensen Fund Central Asia Program (California, San Francisco) as a Special Advisor, Program Manager, and Regional Coordinator. Before joining The Christensen Fund, she was the University Projects Officer for the Aga Khan Humanities Project (AKHP), based at project headquarters in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), where she developed and implemented programs in conjunction with Central Asian universities to promote pluralism in ideas, cultures, and people through innovative humanities curricula rooted in traditional arts and knowledge. \n\nShe received a Ph.D. in anthropology, ethnology, and ethnography with a thesis on "Traditional ecological culture of the Kyrgyz (on the example of the Murghab Kyrgyz in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries)" at the Institute of Cultural Heritage of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic; received the equivalent of her MA from Kyrgyz National University Department of History and also earned a Master’s in International Relations from the International University of Kyrgyzstan. \n\n

Ms. Gulnara Ibragimova is the manager of the “International Education Center” at the Educational Complex “Ilim” a UNESCO Associated School. She is also the focal point for the UNESCO Associated Schools Network in Kyrgyzstan.\n\nEducational Complex “Ilim” was established in 1993 and has a long institutional history. Since 1995, it is part of the UNESCO Network of Associated Schools (ASPpnet). Currently, it coordinates the network activities in Kyrgyzstan among its 15 members. The Complex itself includes primary, secondary and high schools as well as kindergarten.\n\nThe school aims to ensure that students have a full conceptual understanding of the subjects they study and helps them to develop new skills that can be applied in real life. Since “Ilim” joined the ASPnet schools Network it also became a key promoter of UNESCO values in the country. It implements multidisciplinary projects related to intercultural learning, human rights, sustainable development, etc.\n\nGulnara is responsible for maintaining international communications, implementing supplementary education programs, and cultural exchanges, and developing academic mobility - attracting foreign teachers, with the aim of convergence educational standards, improving the quality of education as well as the organization and implementing of international cooperation projects with UNESCO. She is also responsible for maintaining contacts with the National Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic for UNESCO in the realization of joint activities and reporting.\n\nIn 2020-2021 she has supported a pilot project of UNESCO “Integrating the Living Heritage into Education in Asia and the Pacific Region” in Kyrgyzstan, by identifying schools for the project and monitoring their work progress. \n\nFrom 2013 to the present, she is also the director of the “Koldo Shop” Public Foundation, which work is aimed at supporting people from socially vulnerable segments of the population, and these are people with disabilities, single mothers, pensioners, and large families with financial difficulties. The Foundation created a trading and educational platform for artisans from this target audience. \n\n

Born in the Great Cold Mountains, Sichuan, Dr Qubumo Bamo originates from the Nuosu, a subgroup of the Yi people. She obtained her Ph. D. in Folkloristics at Beijing Normal University in 2003. She is Senior Fellow and Director of the Oral Traditions Research Center at the Institute of Ethnic Literature (IEL), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). She also acts as Vice President of the China Folklore Society (CFS), an accredited NGO and a member of the Evaluation Body of the Committee. \n\nConcentrating on the links between the written and oral traditions of the Yi, she has conducted long-term targeted field study on various aspects of Bimo (ritualists) scripture culture and Yi oral narratives. She is the author of The Golden-Eagle Spirit and Poetic Soul: A Study of Archaic Poetics in the Yi's Scriptures (2000), Spirit Picture and Ghost Board: A Survey of Incantation Epos and Ritualized Paintings in Nuosu Yi Area (2004), and more than 130 articles. Her translation of Gregory Nagy’s Homeric Questions was published in 2008. Her newest book, entitled Verbal Dueling and Epic Performance, is in press, and is a revised edition of her dissertation, based on a targeted field study carried out in her hometown. She has recently been working as a principal expert on the National Key Project for Developing Metadata Standards for Documentation of China Ethnic Minority Oral Traditions. \n\nDr Bamo teaches courses on oral tradition, folkloristics, and ICH studies at University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS) for the PHD and MA graduate students. Topics of current research include epic tradition, oral poetics, ICH safeguarding and cultural policy. Her essays on ICH is in print (Beijing: Culture and Art Publishing House, 2021).\nSince 2004, she has been extensively engaged in the field of Intangible Cultural Heritage at local, national, and international levels, possessing competence and consulting expertise in policy-making, training design, lecture delivering, as well as programme evaluation for governmental organs, professional institutions, centers of communities, and universities. Since 2007, she has been active in the China Delegation to statutory meetings and events under the 2003 Convention. As one of the ICH Team (CFS4ICH) leaders in the China Folklore Society, she plays a central role in annual tasks.

Aidai Asangulova is one of the famous craftswomen in Kyrgyzstan and the head of the “Kiyiz Duino” Public Foundation. \n\nThe goal of PF “Kiyiz Duino” is to revive and safeguard traditional knowledge and skills related to crafts and the cultural space around it. “Kiyiz Duino” aims to draw general public attention to Kyrgyz traditions and customs; show people how a person can coexist with the surrounding nature in harmony, use its gifts without causing it harm; explain how important it is to take care of nature and preserve its purity for future generations.\n\nThe Foundation holds various community-based events, such as workshops on making Kyrgyz traditional clothing, or festivals to popularize traditional rituals and practices from local to national levels. They also actively cooperate in the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage with governmental and nongovernmental institutions, participate in field trips, conduct research, and document ICH elements. \n\n“Kiyiz Duino” has contributed greatly to the preparation of nomination files as “Ak-kalpak craftsmanship, traditional knowledge and skills in making and wearing Kyrgyz men’s headwear” and “Elechek, Kyrgyz female headwear: traditional knowledge and rituals”.\n

Secretary-General of the National Commission of the Kyrgyz Republic for UNESCO

Aida Alymova is an anthropologist and a director of the Public Foundation "Consortium of Museums". She has a Ph.D. in History and her research topic was about the life and culture of the peoples of Central Asia in the late XIX - early XX centuries. For her work on the development and popularization of museums in Kyrgyzstan, she was elected as president of the National Committee of ICOM in Kyrgyzstan in 2019. Aida Alymova is also awarded a diploma from the Ministry of Culture of the Kyrgyz Republic for outstanding achievements in the field of culture. She also acts as a Museum expert at the Turkic Academy based in Nursultan, Kazakhstan.\n\nCurrently, as a director of the Consortium of Museums, she promotes museum development activities, with an aim to ensure the social purpose of museums as institutions for cultural, educational, and scientific functions. She coordinates and implements museum activities to solve professional and social issues and problems in the museums of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Cecilia V. Picache is the Senior Tourism Operations Officer of the City Tourism and Development Office (CTDO) of the City Government of Imus, Province of Cavite, Philippines. Before joining CTDO in 2020, she was in charge of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Program (2008-2017) and the National Living Treasures Award Program (1993-2014) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. For 24 years, she carried out fieldwork among ethnic groups in the Philippines. She earned her B.A. in Journalism and M.A. in Cultural Heritage Studies (magna cum laude) from the University of Santo Tomas. She was a research fellow of the Asia Cooperation Program on Conservation Science of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Korea in 2010.

Prof. Danilo Pesce is Assistant Professor at Politecnico di Torino (Italy) and visiting scholar at the Business School, City, University of London. His research interests are mainly focused on the organizational and industry-level changes triggered by digital technologies adoption in the cultural heritage sector.

Shrabana Datta is a social anthropologist by training and development professional by practice. Currently working at UN Women on Gender Based Violence Against Women and Girls (GBVG) and Gender Equality, she earlier worked on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, resilience, social inclusion, and sustainable development in South Asia. With her experience in multi-sectoral approaches for sustainable development, she used responsible tourism as a tool to safeguard intangible cultural heritages and social inclusion within her realm of work while working as a consultant for AJIYER Fair Trade Ltd. Besides, she is passionate about bio-cultural conservation in the Himalayas. She studied Social Anthropology and Geography at Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Germany and has dual M.A. degree on Global Studies from Albert-Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany and University of KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Dr. Urtnasa Norov received his tertiary education at the State Pedagogical University in Moscow (1972-1977) and later graduated with a doctoral degree from the Academy of Social Science in Moscow (1984-1987). He served as Director General of the Culture and Art Department in the Ministry of Culture of Mongolia (1993-1997), served in the Department of External Cooperation (1997-2001), and held the title of Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO (2001-2011). His research fields include culture, cultural heritage, civilization, and so on. He is currently serving as President of the Mongolian National Committee for the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

Ms Yau is graduated with a BA (Japanese Studies), MA (Cultural Management) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and PgDip in Cultural Heritage Management from The University of Hong Kong (HKU). She is an accredited heritage conservationist (HKICON), Project Management Professional (PMI) as well as a member of the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement (Docomomo) Hong Kong Chapter. \n\nMs Yau has been involved in heritage revitalisation, management and education since 2009. Her experience covers both tangible and intangible cultural heritage conservation in both urban and rural areas. Her achievements includes project development and execution of rural sustainability programme at Lai Chi Wo – awardee of 2019 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation Award; establishment heritage museum and community network for Mei Ho House Revitalisation Project – awardee of 2015 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation Award; project planning for Bridges Street Market News-Expo Museum; as well as lecturer and academic coordinator for Cultural Heritage Management related programmes and training in the Asia Pacific region.