The online seminar for safeguarding ICH in the Asia-Pacific region launched in December 2022 aims to address various issues and the latest trends in ICH research in the Asia-Pacific region. Its second and third seminars were held on 17 and 23 March 2023 respectively.

In the second seminar, Mr Chris Ballard (The Australian National University) gave a comprehensive lecture on the theme ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in a Climate of Emergency’, focusing on the crucial role of ICH such as traditional knowledge in climate change adaptation. Mr Hiroki Takakura (Tohoku University, Japan) as a commentator broadened the discussion to natural hazards or disasters and ICH, touching on the cases in Japan after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

The third seminar was composed of presentations and a panel discussion around the theme of Good Safeguarding Practices in the 2003 Convention. Three presentations on experiences and examples of safeguarding initiatives were given by Ms Gulnara Aitpaeva and Ms Cholponai Usubalieva-Gryshchuk (Aigine Cultural Research Center, Kyrgyzstan), Ms Renee Talavera (National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Philippines) and Mr Patrick Maundu (National Museums of Kenya). The panel discussion facilitated by Ms Ritu Sethi (Craft Revival Trust, India) further explored various safeguarding measures to ensure the transmission of ICH to future generations.

Recordings of the seminars will be made available, the link of which will be shared on the IRCI website and ‘Asia-Pacific Research Forum for ICH Safeguarding’ Facebook group. Online seminars for safeguarding ICH in the Asia-Pacific region will be continued in FY 2023. Details on the next seminar will be posted on the IRCI website and the Facebook group. We look forward to your participation in the upcoming seminars.

For any questions or suggestions concerning this seminar or upcoming seminars, please do not hesitate to contact IRCI (irci@nich.go.jp).