Culture and Sustainability
Intangible Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development: the links
The UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage came into being in 2003. It
- Refers to existing international human rights instruments
- Recognizes that while the processes of globalization and social transformation, create conditions for renewed dialogue among communities, they also give rise to grave threats of deterioration, disappearance and destruction of the intangible cultural heritage
- Recognizes also that intolerance is a cause for destruction of ICH
- Recognizes that there is a deep-seated interdependence between the intangible cultural heritage and the tangible cultural and natural heritage,
- Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) – or living heritage – is the mainspring of our cultural diversity and its maintenance a guarantee for continuing creativity. It is defined as follows:
According to the text of the Convention,
Intangible Cultural Heritage means the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – that communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.
This intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.
The Convention considers solely such intangible cultural heritage as is compatible with existing international human rights instruments, as well as with the requirements of mutual respect among communities, groups and individuals, and of sustainable development.
ICH is recognized as one element of ‘Sustainable Development’.
Sustainable development is a vision of development that encompasses populations, animal and plant species, ecosystems, natural resources and that integrates concerns such as the fight against poverty, gender equality, human rights, education for all, health, human security, intercultural dialogue, etc.
Education for sustainable development is a vision of education that seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions and respect for the earth’s natural resources.
Pursuing sustainable development through education requires educators and learners to reflect critically on their own communities (and their own cultures); identify non-viable elements in their lives; and explore tensions among conflicting values and goals.
