UNESCO: INTANGIBLE HERITAGE CONVENTION:

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 008416 SIPDIS SENSITIVE FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SCUL ETRD SENV SOCI PGOV CJAN UNESCO SUBJECT: UNESCO: INTANGIBLE HERITAGE CONVENTION: CHALLENGES FOR USG POLICY GOALS ¶1. (SBU) Summary. The UNESCO Intangible Heritage Convention (IHC),which is designed to ensure the safeguarding of the international cultural heritage, will likely enter into force mid-2006. After that, IHC Member States will establish "Operational Guidelines" that will set the basis for the creation of a "Representative List of International Cultural Heritage" and a separate list of "Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding." Despite the obvious possibilities for conflicts, there was no detailed discussion of balancing "safeguarding" and other priorities, such as trade or development, at a 8-9 December Experts Group meeting. The IHC will replace UNESCO's annual "Masterpieces of Oral Traditions" awards, which caused criticism and hurt national feelings following the Nov 25 rejection of the Spanish application for flamenco dancing. End summary. ¶2. (U) The IHC has been ratified by 27 out of the 30 countries necessary for entry into force. See para. ¶11. Intangible Heritage Sector Chief Rieks Smits told poloff 9 December that several additional countries are "far along" in the ratification process. He expects entry into force no later than mid-2006. ¶3. (U) The goal of the IHC is to protect intangible cultural heritage, in a manner similar to that used to protect physical sites under UNESCO's flagship Convention, 1972 World Heritage Convention. (Note. There are now 822 World Heritage Sites. End note.) When the IHC goes into effect, Member States will prepare national inventories of intangible cultural heritage. An Intergovernmental Committee, chosen from among Member States, will pass on Member State applications to include specified traditions on the "Representative list of International Cultural Heritage." The Committee will also draw up a List of International Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding." ¶4. (SBU) So far, most of the ratifying states are from the developing world (see para. 11),with some notable exceptions. UNESCO observers fear that these developing states might not be able to provide the necessary wherewithal and focus to craft comprehensive and workable Operational Guidelines for the IHC. (Note. Implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention is dependent on the application of voluminous, detailed and carefully crafted Operational Guidelines. End note.) ¶5. (SBU) The Operational Guidelines will likely address very difficult topics, such as how to balance safeguarding intangible heritage with development and will require calm, considered deliberation. The IHC provides for application of the principles of sustainable development, but this obviously requires further definition. A UNESCO Experts' Group met 8-9 December, apparently to start the thinking process going. (Comment. The UNESCO professional in charge of the IHC, a hardworking accomplished academic, seems to appreciate the difficulty of these issues and to want to see them discussed thoroughly and openly. End comment.) ¶6. (U) The Experts recommended that the Guidelines specify that all traditions included on the Representative list must be consistent with widely accepted international human rights norms. (Note. As a UNESCO specialist remarked, this would likely eliminate well more than half of the world's cultural traditions. End note.) The group also recommended that the tradition included on the Representative List should be passed from generation to generation, still living and part of the life of the community, and that a plan exists to safeguard the tradition. The written recommendations on these points are expected to be ready mid-January 2006. ¶7. (U) UNESCO's Masterpiece of Oral Tradition awards will end when the IHC goes into force next year. The "masterpieces" will be folded into the IHC representative list. Further background on the "Masterpiece" program and the IHC can be found at: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php- URL_ID=16429&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201. html ¶8. (SBU) Many criticized the "Masterpieces" announced at a 25 November UNESCO ceremony as geographically too limited and esoteric and not representing real, live culture. The Spanish application for flamenco dancing was rejected, as was the Argentinean application for tango dancing two years ago. The Mexican application for its national cuisine also did not get the nod. ¶9. (SBU) UNESCO insiders declined to share their understanding's of the jury's reasoning in making the awards, but it appears that "endangered" traditions, especially those which have remained unchanged for many generations, are favored. ¶10. (SBU) The rejection of the Spanish application for flamenco dancing brought forth strong national feelings from some UNESCO Spanish staff. One highly placed Spaniard on UNESCO's staff told poloff Nov 29 that while there is disappointment when a site x or y in a country does not get World Heritage Site status, there is something close to anger when UNESCO tells a country, in effect, that its national traditions don't make the grade. ¶11. (U) Countries who have ratified the IHC IN order of ratification): Algeria Mauritius Japan Gabon Panama China Central African Republic Latvia Lithuania Belarus Republic of Korea Seychelles Syrian Arab Republic United Arab Emirates Mail Mongolia Croatia Egypt Oman Dominica India Viet Nam Peru Pakistan Bhutan Nigeria Iceland ¶12. (SBU) Comment. The IHC will likely soon go into force. We will likely want to talk to our partners (see above) about crafting Operational Guidelines that do not allow the important purposes of the IHC to be lost because they have been subsumed in the loud "globalization" arguments. KOSS