The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage marks its twentieth anniversary this year
The Ministry of Culture, the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO and the Lithuanian National Culture Centre invite all to join together this year to mark the twentieth anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. This Convention is one of the most popular UNESCO legal instruments, which the Republic of Lithuania was among the first to ratify in 2004, and which has been ratified by more than 180 other countries during the last 20 years. Preparing for the memorable occasion, in 2022 the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, updated and authenticated the translation of the Convention text into Lithuanian.
In accordance with the Convention, the following Lithuanian contributions were inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: sutartinės, Lithuanian multipart songs (2010); cross-crafting and its symbolism (2008); Baltic song and dance celebrations (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, 2008). The application for a fourth contribution, the tradition of making straw gardens, was submitted to UNESCO in 2022 for evaluation. The Ministry of Culture expects the tradition to be inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List at the end of this year.
In accordance with the provisions of the Convention, the Lithuanian Intangible Cultural Heritage Inventory was established in 2017, to encourage awareness of the variety of Lithuanian intangible cultural heritage as well as recognition and safeguarding of its significance, and to strengthen communities. Lithuanian municipalities are invited to establish their own local intangible cultural heritage inventories, to further safeguard intangible cultural heritage, and to bring together non-formal education, communities and non-governmental organisations, without whose participation the transmission of living heritage to other generations is impossible.
States Parties to the Convention, including Lithuania, were invited to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on a national and a local scale and to support activities marking the anniversary orientated to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.
Photograph courtesy of Greta Vaisėtaitė / Vilnius Ethnic Culture Centre
Last updated: 25-04-2023