International Cooperation
Advisory body for UNESCO’s intangible heritage
Project Overview
The Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation was accredited as an UNESCO’s advisory body (NGO) for intangible heritage in June 2010, and was selected by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage as an evaluation body for intangible heritage, a body that examines applications for intangible heritage registration as the representative of the Asia-Pacific region. In 2019, the Foundation was elected as the chairman of the UNESCO’s evaluation bodies for intangible heritage, thus performing a variety of activities including networking domestic and foreign institutions for intangible heritage and publishing English-written booklets describing items of possible consideration as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in order to share and expand the values of protecting intangible cultural heritage.
Major Activities
Since 2018, the Foundation has been working as an evaluation body examining the appropriateness of applications that countries submit for registration of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In 2020, the Foundation published a white book in which its activities related to the UNESCO are summarized.
The Foundation has formed a council with UNESCO-accredited NGOs in Korea to share issues related to intangible cultural heritage, while participating in the Intergovernmental Committee and the Conference of Parties to communicate with foreign NGOs and institutions specialized in the fields of intangible heritage.
The Foundation holds workshops to strengthen capabilities of cultural transmitters to share information and reinforce the network on registration of intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
The Foundation publishes English-written booklets and holds symposiums on items of possible consideration as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in order to enhance recognition related to protecting intangible cultural heritage.
