UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

• 18 Dec 2020

Why in News

Hawker Culture in Singapore has been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at the 15^th session of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) that was held online.

Key Points

• Hawker Culture in Singapore:
  
  • It is a living heritage shared by those who prepare hawker food and those who dine and mingle over hawker food in community dining spaces called hawker centres.
  • It reflects Singapore’s multicultural identity as a people and nation, and resonates strongly with Singaporeans across all races and social strata.
• UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage:
  
  • This coveted list is made up of those intangible heritage elements that help demonstrate diversity of cultural heritage and raise awareness about its importance.
  • The list was established in 2008 when the Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage came into effect.
• Intangible Cultural Heritage of India, recognized by UNESCO:

• The Ministry of Culture has also launched the draft National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India.
  
  • The National ICH List is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage.
  • This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of the Ministry of Culture.

UNESCO

• UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.
• UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
• It has 193 Members and 11 Associate Members. India joined UNESCO in 1946.
  
  • In 2019, the USA and Israel formally quit UNESCO.
• It is headquartered in Paris, France.
• UNESCO-IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) is leading a global effort to establish ocean-based tsunami warning systems as part of an overall multi-hazard disaster reduction strategy.
  
  • Recently, UNESCO-IOC approved the recognition of two communities of Odisha viz., Venkatraipur and Noliasahi as Tsunami Ready Communities.
• Other Initiatives of UNESCO:
  
  • Man and Biosphere Programme:
    
    • Biosphere Reserves focus on the harmonised management of biological and cultural diversity.
    • Out of 18 notified biosphere reserves, India has 12 biosphere reserves under the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), the latest one included is Panna Biosphere Reserve.
  • World Heritage Programme:
    
    • World Heritage Sites promote the conservation of natural and cultural sites of outstanding universal value.
    • India has 38 world heritage sites, including 30 cultural properties, 7 natural properties and 1 mixed site. The latest one included is Jaipur city, Rajasthan.
  • UNESCO Global Geopark Network:
    
    • UNESCO Global Geoparks give international recognition for sites that promote the importance and significance of protecting the Earth’s geodiversity through actively engaging with the local communities.
    • India does not have any UNESCO Global geopark.
  • UNESCO's Network of Creative Cities:
    
    • The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
    • The Network covers seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music.
    • There are five Indian cities in UCCN as follows:
      
      • Hyderabad – Gastronomy (2019).
      • Mumbai – Film (2019).
      • Chennai - Creative city of Music (2017).
      • Jaipur - Crafts and Folk Arts (2015).
      • Varanasi - Creative city of Music (2015).

Source:IE