The 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will begin today at the Red Fort in New Delhi. The session will be chaired by Vishal V. Sharma, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO.
India has nominated Diwali – the festival of light, brotherhood, compassion, and collective celebration – as its submission for the UNESCO Intangible Heritage list this year.
Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the proposal, earlier reviewed by independent evaluation bodies, will be discussed during the session, and the government is confident of a positive outcome.
The six-day event aims at examining nominations submitted by States Parties for inscription on the UNESCO ICH Lists, reviewing the status of existing elements and providing international assistance for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.
The inaugural ceremony for the session was held at the Red Fort in New Delhi yesterday. Speaking on the occasion, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that besides being home to many UNESCO heritage sites, India has itself undertaken many projects to preserve and conserve heritages across the world.
Dr Jaishankar also expressed happiness with Indian cities of Hyderabad and Lucknow for being recognised as UNESCO Cities of Gastronomy. The Minister also lauded UNESCO for protecting the intangible heritage.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that the meeting reinforces the country’s commitment to protecting the living traditions. He added that it is important to protect these traditions so that future generations can inherit the traditional wisdom of the world.
