Hangzhou welcomes more facilitators to join ICH in safeguarding work
China Daily
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Training of Trainers Workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage for Facilitators from the Asia-Pacific was held at Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, from July 2 to 6. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

Co-organized by the UNESCO and International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific under the auspices of UNESCO (CRIHAP), supported by the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, the Training of Trainers Workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage for Facilitators from the Asia-Pacific was held at Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, from July 2 to 6.

More than 40 participants including trainees, expert professors, media and officials took part in the opening ceremony on July 2. Liang Bin, director-general of CRIHAP, hosted the event and extended his warm welcome to all the trainees who came all the way to Hangzhou city.

Trainees exchanges views with each other during the Training of Trainers of Workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage for Facilitators from the Asia-Pacific held at Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province on July 2. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

"I am so glad to see that more people have joined us in protecting intangible cultural heritage as they are the embodiment of cultural diversity," Liang said, adding that as of June 2018, a total of 32 training sessions have been held so far, covering 33 countries and benefiting more than 1,027 people. And it marks the second time that China played host to the trainers' workshop on ICH for Facilitators from the Asia-Pacific.

As a regional and international organization and coordinating agency in the field of ICH under the auspices of UNESCO, CRIHAP is committed to conducting international training activities in the field of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), proactively building up a regional and international exchange and cooperation platform, engaging in the implementation of the Global Capacity-Building Strategy of UNESCO for strengthening national capacities for implementing The 2013 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and making contributions to ICH safeguarding undertakings in the Asia-Pacific and worldwide.

All the participants including trainees, officials and experts take a group photo at Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province on July 2. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

In recent years, based on the local conditions, the People's Government of Zhejiang Province has spared no effort in ICH safeguarding work.

According to Chen Yao, director general of Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Zhejiang boasts 2017 national-level cultural heritages in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List, ranking 1st across the nation.

Liang Bin, director-general of CRIHAP, delivers the speech during the opening ceremony of the Training of Trainers of Workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage for Facilitators from the Asia-Pacific at Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, on July 2. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

"Zhejiang has developed its own way to safeguard ICH and we would like to promote the mode to wider access, increase the public's awareness on ICH and integrate ICH into our daily lifestyles," Chen added.

The training focuses on several issues including UNESCO's capacity building, follow-up of the 2017 global strategy meeting with facilitators and its recommendations, network development, sustainable development, national-level policy support, international assistance, building the capacity to integrate intangible cultural heritage in development policies and program, and the inclusion of intangible cultural heritage in education.

Susanne Elizabeth SCHNÜTTGEN-KÖSTER, chief of the Capacity Building and Heritage Policy Unit of UNESCO Secretariat, speaks at the opening ceremony of the Training of Trainers of Workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage for Facilitators from the Asia-Pacific at Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province on July 2. [Photo by Zhang Xingjian/chinadaily.com.cn]

The training also sets out to enrich the ICH faculty building in the Asia-Pacific, provides opportunities for participants to practice how to teach the basic concepts, requirements, mechanisms and policy support of the Convention, and offers the platforms for trainees from different countries to exchange views with one another.

Susanne Elizabeth SCHNÜTTGEN-KÖSTER, chief of the Capacity Building and Heritage Policy Unit of UNESCO Secretariat, expressed her gratitude for CRIHAP's efforts to hold the training session and hoped that trainees can learn something useful from the course and get a better understanding of ICH safeguarding work in the future work.