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Government UK has issued the response to consultation on the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
GOV.UK writes:
This document is the response to the consultation on the process to establish inventories of living heritage in the UK as part of the UK implementing the UNESCO 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The consultation consisted of 16 online roundtables attended by over 500 people, and over 1,100 survey responses submitted via the online portal and by email. We have taken the approach to try to respond to as many of the points and questions raised during the consultation as possible. As a result, we are aware this is a long document. At the next stage of the inventory process, when we open the call for submissions, we will publish shorter, more concise and accessible guidance for engaging with the inventory.
We want the ratification of the 2003 Convention to start a conversation throughout the UK about our cultural heritage – the folklore, performance, customs and crafts that play an important role in the identity, pride, and cohesion of communities across the UK – and how we collectively safeguard this intangible cultural heritage, which we will refer to as ‘living heritage’. This consultation has formed part of the beginning of the conversation around living heritage in the UK and we have worked closely with the Devolved Governments to agree this response.
Living heritage is a broad area that covers a number of different policy areas so there will often not be a one-size-fits all answer, but we will approach the inventories and wider implementation of the Convention with the principles of being community-based, inclusive, respectful and open. Our overall approach has been to focus on the practicalities of establishing the inventories and we have agreed some key points about the purpose:
- The inventories will support the identification and recognition of living heritage in the UK via a ‘stock-taking’ process, and help raise awareness and support future safeguarding conversations
- The criteria for inclusion does not include a value judgement, assessment or categorisation of significance, importance, or any similar metric
- The benefits of inclusion in the inventories are likely to vary for each item and community, but may include greater awareness, recognition, as well as opportunities for greater engagement and collaboration
- The inventories will be iterative and there will be regular open calls for communities to submit their living heritage. They are not a mapping tool, register or record of living heritage in the UK and are not intended to be an encyclopaedia or archive
- An item being included in the inventories does not automatically mean there is any responsibility or obligation from any organisation, body or government to directly support that item
- The inventories are a domestic process which are separate to the lists held at UNESCO
We will continue to refer to the Convention text for the agreed definition of intangible cultural heritage or living heritage, whilst acknowledging that the definition is (perhaps deliberately) open to interpretation. But we will not be using terms such as ‘traditional’, ‘contemporary’, ‘authentic’ or ‘heritage’ when defining what is or is not living heritage or what should be included in the inventories. We will adhere to the position adopted by the Convention and not accept submissions solely for organised religions and systems of belief as a whole, but welcome submissions of cultural practices relating to religion. We will welcome submissions that use language as a vehicle, and will support a number of local, indigenous languages with translation (as well as working bilingually in Welsh in line with statutory requirements), but we will not include languages in of themselves in the inventory.
Criteria
There was strong support in the survey responses to the proposed criteria with over three quarters of respondents in favour. Noting comments and suggestions, we have kept the proposed criteria, merged two for practicalities and added three more to provide additional clarity.
- Must be currently practised. To be considered for the inventories the item must have a living community who hold the knowledge or know-how of the item to be carried out, and who are able to pass on the item to future generations. Submissions should provide information on the current and future viability of the item, and will be able to indicate whether the community submitting the item considers it to be endangered, e.g. that it is in danger of dying out without significant change in the current level of transmission.
- Can originate from anywhere and be from anytime, but must include information about the history and transmission within the community concerned. The item does not need to have a minimum age or have been passed down a minimum number of times and it can originate from anywhere and anyone.
- Must be the living practice itself. A submission to the inventories should include information about the associated elements of the item where relevant, but the item of living heritage can not only be the associated tools, instruments, costumes, materials etc. nor only be the outcome, output, creation or result.
- Must be compatible with existing internationally agreed human rights standards. For example, with the rights of others to non-discrimination and equal treatment, privacy, freedom of thought and expression, and participation in social and cultural life.
- Must have free, prior and informed consent from the community. The submission must provide evidence that the practicing community has consented to the item of living heritage being submitted to the inventories.
- Any commercial benefit from the living heritage item, must be for the primary benefit of the community.
Code of ethics
We also heard a range of comments and suggestions in relation to other criteria, but there was a lack of consensus or objective basis to assess an item against the criteria, so we have instead compiled a code of ethics. The code of ethics is for submitting communities to consider, and may help to inform future conversations around safeguarding, but will not form part of the criteria for inclusion in the inventories.
- Should respect animals, nature, and the environment
- Should respect existing, national legal frameworks and promote positive health, well-being, and safety for themselves and others
- Should build peace, respect, social cohesion and inclusivity, and avoid discrimination within their own living heritage practice(s), wider communities, and when collaborating with other living heritage practitioners
Categories
The key discussions in this subject involved finding a balance between retaining the UNESCO categories for ease of collaboration, and making the categories and wording as useful and accessible as possible for the UK context. We will retain the five UNESCO categories and add two further ones on ‘Sports and Games’ and ‘Culinary Practices.’ We will also rename and simplify the wording for the categories, including adding explicit reference to Land and Beliefs.
- Oral Expressions Living heritage relating to both spoken-word and non-verbal communication that are used to pass on knowledge, cultural and social values and collective memory. Examples could include proverbs, riddles, songs, nursery rhymes, or storytelling.
- Performing Arts Living heritage relating to performance and human creativity. Examples could include different musical practices, dance, or drama.
- Social Practices Living heritage that is often shared and practised by a group. Examples could include calendar or seasonal customs, festivals, celebrations or rituals.
- Nature, Land, and Spirituality Living heritage relating to the environment and belief. Examples could include building techniques, land management systems, knowledge about certain animals and plants and ecologies.
- Crafts Living heritage relating to the skills, knowledge and making of things, either by hand or with assisted tools. Examples could include specific practices of weaving, wood carving, pottery, blacksmithing, or stonemasonry.
- Sports and Games Living heritage relating to games, competitions or activities needing physical effort and/or skill. Examples could include sporting events or recreational games.
- Culinary Practices Living heritage relating to the preparation and consumption of food and drink. Examples could include the making of specific dishes or the sharing of food and drink socially.
