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Call for Case Studies on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage and Climate Actions from Asia-Pacific Region

06 November 2023

UNESCO is inviting interested teams and individuals to submit case studies from Asia and the Pacific that illustrate the roles and risks of intangible cultural heritage in the context of climate change. This call is co-launched by Integrated Research on Disaster Risks (IRDR) and 3 centers under the auspices of UNESCO – International Training Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (CRIHAP), International Information and Networking Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (ICHCAP) and International Research Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (IRCI).

Background

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a broad concept, and it includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe and the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts. Climate change and increased variability in the frequency, intensity and extent of climate-related disasters have represented a major challenge to the safeguarding of ICH worldwide. Yet, the international instruments concerning climate change rarely mention intangible cultural heritage, including both the risks to it caused by climate change and its contribution to address this global phenomenon. In this respect, UNESCO in collaboration with IRDR, CRIHAP, ICHCAP and IRCI will collect case studies from the Asia-Pacific region that can illustrate the dual nature of this intimate and complex relationship between ICH and climate change.

Focus of the case studies

This call looks in particular at three key dimensions: i) roles for ICH; ii) risks for ICH; and iii) strategies for safeguarding ICH in the context of climate change.

Specifically, evidence is sought from a number of case studies that might elaborate responses to one or more of the following questions:

What roles does ICH play in identifying, assessing and monitoring climate change?
What roles does ICH play in promoting communities’ adaptation and resilience to climate change?
What roles does ICH play in mitigating carbon emissions and disaster risk?
What are the direct and indirect impacts (including cultural, social and economic) and risks to ICH practice, transmission, safeguarding and viability from climate change over the long term?
What changes to ICH are required for adaptation to climate change?
What are local and regional strategies for safeguarding ICH in the context of climate change?

Case studies template

Language: English

Length: 3,000 to 5,000 words

Content:

Title of case study
Relevant details including author(s) and affiliation, contact details, geographical location, etc.
1 page summary of the case study
Background to the case study
Statement of the problem
Objectives of the case study
Research design and methodology
Ethics considerations and human rights issues
Strengths and limitations of the case study
Findings
Discussion / Conclusions
Recommendations
References / Bibliography
Photos/ Videos (including copies of consent forms)

Submission details

All submitted case studies are to be sent to beijing.culture@unesco.org before 30 January 2024.

Potential for participating in publication and/or international conferences will be discussed with authors of selected case studies.

For more detailed information, please refer to the DOCUMENT.

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