The meeting is hosted in Belgrade, Serbia, on 21-23 June 2023, by the Ministry of Culture of Serbia and jointly organised by UNESCO, through its Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, and the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-Eastern Europe.
The South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) was established in 2007 under the auspices of UNESCO, in order to support the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) in the region. The Network aims to enhance a common understanding of opportunities and challenges linked to the safeguarding of ICH as a key asset of South-East European cultural diversity, serving as a regional platform for sharing knowledge and good practice. Since 2018, the annual meetings introduced a capacity-building approach on specific subjects and progressively extended attendance to other relevant experts from the region, aiming to contribute more effectively to the advancement of ICH safeguarding.
Following up on the previous edition, this year’s session will continue exploring the nexus between intangible cultural heritage and education, with a special focus on secondary/professional/TVET and tertiary education across the South-East Europe region. The meeting is aimed at the 2003 Convention’s Focal Points (or other appointed representatives) from Member States under the purview of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, namely, Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria, Croatia; Cyprus; Greece; Malta; North Macedonia; Republic of Moldova; Romania; Serbia; Slovenia; and Türkiye. In addition, representatives from Austria and Italy will join as observers.
In the year of the 20th anniversary of the approval of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the meeting will also offer the opportunity to reflect on the progress so far achieved in the region and the priorities that lie ahead.
Picture: Homeland Museum Knjaževac