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UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Session 2025
December 16 , 2025
15 hrs 0 min
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- India hosted the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) of UNESCO for the first time at the Red Fort, New Delhi.
- The session coincided with the 20th anniversary of India’s ratification of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH).
- Twenty-four member States examined 67 living heritage elements during the session held from December 8–13, 2025.
- These included 11 elements on the List of ICH in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, 53 elements on the Representative List of the ICH of Humanity, and 1 programme on the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.
- Two elements were shifted from the Urgent Safeguarding List to the Representative List, including Mwazindika spiritual dance (Kenya) and Dong Ho folk woodblock printing (Vietnam).
- Nine multinational elements were inscribed, and seven countries—Barbados, Chad, Comoros, El Salvador, Gabon, Libya, and São Tomé and Principe—received their first-ever inscription.
- With these additions, 849 cultural practices from 157 countries are now listed as UNESCO living heritage, with Africa contributing nine elements from 13 countries.
- Specific Elements Inscribed are:
- Amateur theatre – Czechia
- Cuarteto music – Argentina
- Cuban Son (music and dance) – Cuba
- Joropo – Venezuela
- Mvet Oyeng musical art – Cameroon and Gabon
- Rod Marionette Theatre of Brussels – Belgium
- Bisht weaving and related practices – Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, United Arab Emirates
- Zaffa wedding tradition – parts of Africa and the Middle East
- Gifaataa New Year festival – Ethiopia
- China (Xiamen) will host the next ICH committee session in 2026.
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