TEHRAN – Iran’s cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO holds an incalculable value for the global community, Feng Jing the Chief of the Culture Unit of UNESCO in Bangkok said on Monday.

During the 5th Ordinary Governing Council Meeting of the Regional Research Center for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in West and Central Asia held in Tehran, he provided his comments while attending virtually, CHTN reported.

Iran’s cultural heritage holds immense significance not just for its people but for the world as a whole, he added.

These registrations by UNESCO reinforce the value and importance of Iranian cultural heritage, he mentioned.

Here is hoping for the continued collaboration between the Islamic Republic of Iran and UNESCO, he noted.

Representatives and experts from several Asian countries attended the meeting held in Tehran’s Laleh Hotel on June 26 and 27.

So far, a wide variety of Iranian elements from traditional skills of building and sailing Iranian Lenj boats in the Persian Gulf to Radif of Iranian music, and from pilgrimage to the St. Thaddeus Monastery to the art of the miniature have gained a place on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity aimed at protecting the cultural achievements of the nation.

According to the UN cultural body, an intangible cultural heritage refers to “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 or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.”

Approved by the UNESCO General Conference on 17 October 2003, the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage works on both national and international levels.

At the national level, state parties are supposed to take necessary measures to ensure the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage present in its territory. These measures include the identification of the intangible cultural heritage that exists in its territory, the adoption of appropriate policies, the promotion of education, and so on. At the international level, this convention promotes cooperation, which includes “the exchange of information and experience, joint initiatives, and the establishment of a mechanism of assistance” to other state parties.

ABU/AM