The year 2023 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage – twenty years since the Convention was adopted, on October 17, 2003, by the 32nd session of the General Conference of UNESCO. It is the opportunity for UNESCO, States Parties to the Convention and all stakeholders involved in the safeguarding of living heritage to highlight that living heritage belongs to all. Organized under the theme We Are #LivingHeritage, the anniversary is also the occasion to reflect on the role of the 2003 Convention in raising awareness about the diversity and richness of intangible cultural heritage and in fostering international cooperation.
Living heritage is about people, resilience and knowledge passed on from generation to generation. For this reason, the anniversary is also an invitation to governments, NGOs, universities, bearers, practitioners and those who appreciate living heritage to organize activities, join UNESCO’s social media campaign (hashtag #LivingHeritage) and follow anniversary events, online or in person.
Lithuania’s ministry of culture, together with the National UNESCO commission and the National Culture Centre invite everyone to celebrate this anniversary.
This Convention is one of the best-known UNESCO legal instruments, which Lithuanian was one of the first (of 180) countries to ratify in 2004. Last year, Lithuania renewed and authenticated the Convention’s translation into Lithuanian.
Pursuant to the Convention, in 2001 the Lithuanian art of cross-crafting and symbolism was entered in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The tradition of song and folk festivals of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia was added to the list in 2003, with Lithuanian multipart songs, called “sutartinės”, inscribed in 2010. An application has been submitted for the inclusion of the Lithuanian tradition of stringing straw ornaments or “gardens” as they are called (sodai). The ministry of culture expects this branch of folk art to be accepted for the list by the end of this year.
To celebrate UNESCO’s 20th anniversary, the ministry encourages all Lithuanian municipalities and cultural centres to draw up lists of their local intangible cultural features and ensure their preservation through educational activities and community events and initiatives.
