Signed by 170 states, the 2003 UNESCO Intangible Heritage Convention aims to protect the traditional practices, knowledge, and skills that form the mosaic of a community's culture. Blake and Lixinski assemble a team of experts to examine the landmark treaty article-by-article, in a text of vital importance to anyone working in the field.

• I: Introduction


• Introduction


• II: Commentary


• The Preamble


• 1: James AR Nafziger: Article 1: Purposes of the Convention


• 2: Francesco Francioni: Article 2(1): Defining Intangible Cultural Heritage


• 3: Benedetta Ubertazzi: Article 2(2): Manifesting Intangible Cultural Heritage


• 4: Antonio Arantes: Article 2(3): Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage


• 5: Folarin Shyllon: Article 2(4): Defining States


• 6: Lucas Lixinski: Article 3(a): Relationship to Other International Heritage Instruments


• 7: Lucas Lixinski and Janet Blake: Article 3(b): Relationship to Intellectual Property and Environmental Instruments


• 8: Guido Carducci: Articles 4-8: Organs of the Convention


• 9: Jorijn Neyrinck and Chiara Bortolotto: Article 9: Accreditation of Advisory Organizations


• 10: Cécile Duvelle: Article 10: The Role of the Secretariat in the Implementation of the Convention


• 11: Guido Carducci: Article 11: Role of States Parties


• 12: Marie Cornu and Rieks Smeets: Article 12: Inventories


• 13: Anita Vaivade: Article 13: Other Measures for Safeguarding. Developing Intangible Cultural Heritage Relating Policies and Legislation at National Level


• 14: Michelle L. Stefano and Wend Wendland: Article 13: Ethical and Legal Considerations in Researching, Documenting, and Ensuring Access to Intangible Cultural Heritage


• 15: Amy Strecker: Article 13(d)(ii): Respecting Customary Practices


• 16: Janet Blake: Article 14: Education, Awareness-raising and Capacity-building


• 17: Marc Jacobs: Article 15: Participation of Communities, Groups and Individuals - CGIs, not just 'the community'


• 18: Gabriele D'amico Soggetti: Article 15: Participation of Communities, Groups and Individuals - Participation and Democracy


• 19: Federico Lenzerini: Articles 16-17: Listing Intangible Cultural Heritage


• 20: Hanna Schreiber: Article 18: Programmes, Projects and Activities for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage


• 21: Alessandro Chechi: Article 19: Cooperation


• 22: Ana Filipa Vrdoljak: Articles 20-24: International Assistance


• 23: Andrzej Jakubowski: Articles 25-28: Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund


• 24: Janet Blake and James AR Nafziger: Articles 29-30: Reports by the States Parties and the Committee


• 25: Noriko Aikawa-Faure: Article 31: Transitional Clause: Relationship to the Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity


• 26: Folarin Shyllon: Article 32-34 Final Clauses


• 27: Ben Boer: Article 35: The Federal Clause


• 28: Folarin Shyllon: Article 36-40: Final Clauses


• III: Additional issues related to the 2003 convention


• 29: Antonio Arantes: Formation of the Notion of Safeguarding Adopted by the ICH Convention


• 30: Lucas Lixinski: The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Human Rights: Relativism and Collectivism 2.0?


• 31: Matthew Bevins: Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention Emblem


• IV: Conclusion


• 32: Janet Blake and Lucas Lixinski: Tightropes of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention

Janet Blake is Associate Professor in Law at the University of Shahid Beheshti in Tehran. Since 1999, she has worked closely with UNESCO on the development and drafting of the 2003 Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention and acted as Rapporteur to the two Restricted Drafting Group meetings that developed the First Preliminary Draft of the Convention in 2002. She co-authored the recent review on the implementation of Intangible Heritage Convention for UNESCO. She is the author of International Cultural Heritage Law(OUP) and Commentary on the UNESCO 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage(ILA, 2006).
Lucas Lixinski is Associate Professor at Faculty of Law, UNSW Sydney. He holds a PhD in International Law from the European University Institute. He is the author of Intangible Cultural Heritage in International Law (OUP 2013) and International Heritage Law for Communities: Exclusion and Re-Imagination (OUP 2019). He is Rapporteur of the International Law Association Committee on Participation in Global Heritage Governance.