The role of NGOs in ICH safeguarding

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The role of NGOs in ICH safeguarding

• Estonia, September 2010
• Harriet Deacon, correspondent for the Archival
  Platform

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Overview

• The role of NGOs and other stakeholders under the
  Intangible Heritage Convention
• The case of the Archival Platform in South Africa

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The Intangible Heritage Convention
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Strong obligations of States Parties

• Ensure the safeguarding of the ICH in their
  territory
• Identify and define the ICH with the
  participation of relevant communities, groups and
  NGOs
• Draw up inventories of the ICH

States Parties shall
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Other obligations

• Adopt general policy
• Establish / designate institutions for
  safeguarding
• Foster research
• Ensure appropriate access
• Ensure respect for ICH
• Ensure community participation

States Parties shall try (by all means) to ...
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Role of States Parties at national level
Creating a legal administrative context for
safeguarding
Inventorying, identifying, defining ICH elements
Helping implement specific measures to safeguard
ICH elements
Awareness-raising about value of ICH
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Role of States Parties international

• Submitting nomination files
• Applying for international assistance
• Participating in the organs of the Convention
• International cooperation and exchange

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Roles of communities
groups
Identification Inventorying Documentation Research
Revitalization Ensuring sustainability Ensuring
access to places and materials Transmission
through education
Transmission Enactment
Other agencies
Communities
Awareness-raising
Consent for nominations to the Lists
Safeguarding measures
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Roles of NGOs and others

• Identifying and defining
• Inventorying
• Safeguarding
• Preparing nomination files
• Research
• Capacity building
• Collaborations and networks
• NGOs, if accredited, advise Committee and assist
  Secretariat

Assist communities and States Parties where
requested in ....
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Accredited NGOs
Electoral Group Number of States Parties NGOs accredited NGOs / states parties
W. Europe and N. America 15 52 3.46
Eastern Europe 21 4 0.19
Latin-America and Caribbean 25 9 0.43
Asia and Pacific 21 26 1.24
Africa 26 5 0.19
Arab states 15 1 0.07
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Other possible roles

• Lobbying states to ratify the Convention
• Advocacy about ICH

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The Archival Platform

• A networking, research and advocacy project
  across the heritage and archive sector in South
  Africa

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The Archive is not just about archives
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The work of the Archival Platform

• Weak professional organizations
• Poor links between disciplines
• Poor links between government, academics and
  practitioners
• Poor information flow
• Strong institutional hierarchies

research
advocacy
public engagement
networking
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(No Transcript)
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An international audience
Visits to the AP website from cities across the
world, Jan-Aug 2010
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Our role in ICH safeguarding

• Networking and information sharing
• Involvement in national ICH policy in South
  Africa, 2009
• Project on Ancestral Stories
• Correspondent Thokozani Mhlambi involved in a
  project promoting traditional African bow music

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Contacts

• director_at_archivalplatform.org
• Facebook Archival Platform
• Twitter the_archive
• www.archivalplatform.org