MEDITERRANEAN LIVING HERITAGE (MedLiHer) IMPLEMENTING THE CONVENTION FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE IN EGYPT, JORDAN, LEBANON AND SYRIA Opening Seminar – UNESCO May 2009

Euromed Heritage 4 MedLiHer: one of the 11 projects selected by the European Commission’s EuropeAid Co-operation Office within Euromed Heritage 4 programme Euromed Heritage’ principles and objectives in keeping with the spirit and purposes of the Convention: To facilitate the appropriation by people of their own cultural legacy through easier access to education and knowledge on cultural heritage

MedLiHer MedLiHer intends to help preserve and promote cultural and historical heritage in the Euro- Mediterranean area by:  supporting implementation of the 2003 Convention in the region  encouraging institutional capacity-building and transfer of knowledge and experience between communities in the Mediterranean

What does national implementation of the Convention means? Drawing up inventories of ICH Introducing safeguarding measures at national level Preparing nominations for inscription on the Convention lists (the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity) Proposing safeguarding programmes, projects and activities as examples of good practice Reporting by States Parties on implementation of the Convention.

Partners Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO Jordan National Commission for UNESCO Lebanese Ministry of Culture Department for Safeguarding of Folk Heritage and traditional knowledge, Syrian Ministry of Culture Maison des Cultures du Monde (France) UNESCO coordinates and implements the Action with support from its field Offices in Beirut, Amman and Cairo

Starting point  Med partners have a wide range of knowledge and expertise concerning the management of ICH  Some have benefited from cooperation with UNESCO in safeguarding their ICH but are not yet familiar with the mechanisms of the Convention  To date, there is no coordinated information on structures, programmes and experience connected with managing ICT A survey of national capacities is therefore vital for: setting up projects that will take due account of each country’s needs, priorities and constraints; offering solutions tailored to each individual situation.

Which needs are highlighted by the implementation of the 2003 Convention?  Training in Convention mechanisms for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage  Establishment of appropriate structures at national level  Training in ICH safeguarding, characteristics and issues  Awareness-raising among communities and peoples in general A survey of national capacities is therefore vital for: setting up projects that will take due account of each country’s needs, priorities and constraints; offering solutions tailored to each individual situation.

Objectives  Support the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of ICH in Med countries having ratified it  Strengthen their institutional capacity to:  effectively participate in international mechanisms for the safeguarding of ICH  develop safeguarding activities and elaborate safeguarding measures with the participation of communities and groups

3 Phases Phase I (12 months): assessment in Med partner countries of existing structures, programmes and experiences connected with safeguarding of ICH Phase II (6 months): identification of national needs and priorities using evaluations of the assessments, development of a national strategy for safeguarding ICH, elaboration of project documents and creation of an online network Phase III (18 months): implementation of the national projects designed based on previous phases and final evaluation to gauge the impact of the projects and the regional cooperation network.

PHASE I Surveys in Med partner countries  Adoption of an assessment grid to guide the national surveys during the Opening meeting at UNESCO (25-26 May).  Conducting national surveys to assess the situation in each country and determine the needs and priorities (safeguarding strategy and measures). Each State Party should:  Prepare work schedule and detail budget for carrying out national surveys (within a planned budget allowance of 34,000 USD)  Conducting of surveys by partner States, using the prepared grid  Submission of detailed reports on surveys by 30 th November 2009

PHASE 1 Semester ActivityImplementing body Preliminary PhasexxxxUNESCO Opening meetingxUNESCO Identification of needs and priorities in view of the national assessments xMediterranean States Parties National assessments xxxxMediterranean States Parties Submission and evaluation of national assessments xxUNESCO Mediterranean States Parties

PHASE II Development of national project proposals and establishment of a network Evaluation meeting (April/May 2010) to identify national needs and priorities using the evaluations of the surveys  Identification and selection of four representative safeguarding projects (national and/or multinational)  Identification and selection of four representative safeguarding projects (national and/or multinational) Online network for exchange of information and experience through a multilingual web portal (Arabic, English, French) Preparation of project proposals (within a planned budget allowance of 165,000 USD/project) by the Med partners on the basis of the evaluation meeting’s work to be submitted by June 2010.

PHASE III Implementation of national/international projects and final evaluation Implementation of safeguarding projects as identified and developed by the partners from June 2010 to September 2011 Preparation of nominations for the Convention’s List  Attention will be paid to nominations and projects safeguarding elements of ICH shared by several countries  Attention will be paid to nominations and projects safeguarding elements of ICH shared by several countries Final evaluation meeting (Oct/Nov 2011) in Paris, organized by the MCM, to gauge the impact of the projects and the regional cooperation network Examination of the national projects in order to determine the results achieved and the lessons learned and to make recommendations for follow-up

PHASE 2 & 3 Semester 3Semester 4Semester 5Semester 6 ActivityImplementing body Preparation of the web interface xUNESCO MCM First evaluation meeting xA MED State Parties to be selected Development of proposals for safeguarding projects xUNESCO MED State Parties Creation of a network and a multilingual portal web xUNESCO MCM Implementation of safeguarding projects x xMED State Parties Final evaluation meeting xMCM

Each partner’s role State Parties :  conducting national surveys  identifying representatives of the local institutions/organizations working in the field of ICH  developing national strategies for safeguarding ICH  implementing national projects  contributing to the web user interface MCM :  organizing the final evaluation meeting.  providing its expertise in developing national and multinational projects for elements of ICH shared by several countries.

Expected outcomes Strengthening of the institutional capacities Development of at least 4 national projects Inscription of elements of the region’s intangible cultural heritage on the Convention lists. Recognition at regional level of the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. Higher assumption of ownership of ICH by the relevant communities Positive social and economic impact at local level Improvement of the region’s international profile and knowledge of its intangible cultural heritage

UNESCO INTANGIBLE HERITAGE SECTION 1, rue Miollis Paris Cedex 15 France Tel: (0) /32 Fax: (0)