The Asia-Pacific Research Forum for ICH Safeguarding, a platform for research promotion and cooperation established in 2022 by the International Research Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI), is organizing its first international conference, ‘New Frontiers of Research for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage’ at the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, on 13–15 February 2025. The conference is co-organized by the National Museum of Ethnology and sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan.

Organized as an academic and interdisciplinary conference, this international event aims to explore new approaches and methodologies for research and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, reflecting the changes and developments in ICH research and safeguarding over the past 20 years since the adoption of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH. With growing awareness of the vital role that ICH plays in social, economic, and environmental development, the conference will cover a wide range of topics, including issues and challenges related to economic development, emergencies, gender, migration, and more, aligned with the thematic initiatives and priorities highlighted by UNESCO. The conference provides a unique platform for researchers working on ICH, both within and outside the framework of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention, to gather in one place and engage in critical yet constructive discussions and exchanges of views and perspectives on the future of ICH research and safeguarding.

The conference welcomes on-site and online participation of ICH researchers and experts, and anyone interested in the theme of the conference. Interested individuals are required to register by submitting the registration form below by 2 February 2025 for on-site participation and by 12 February 2025 for online participation.