This article was written by Paralegal Chiara Gallo in the Art & Luxury Team.
On 7 June 2024, the 2003 UNESCO Covention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage entered into force in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is now the 183rd country to adopt the Convention, which aims to safeguard cultural practices, expressions, knowledge and know-how transmitted from generation to generation.
As part of its implementation, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) plans to add two more categories of protected Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) to the already existing five UNESCO categories (i.e. oral traditions and expressions; performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; traditional craftsmanship). These two new categories are: traditional games and sports, and culinary traditions.
The implementation of the Convention involves the inventorying of the ICH present in the UK followed by the ongoing safeguarding of the same intangible heritage. Much loved traditions such as the Christmas pantomime, Welsh male voice chorus, the art of making tartan and the Notting Hill Carnival are expected to be included in the UK ICH list. However, the UK’s initial focus will be on the national implementation of the Convention while moving forward to nominate UK ICH to the UNESCO global list in the next few years.
By ratifying this Convention and allowing communities across the UK to nominate their most treasured local heritage, the Government has shown commitment to valuing intangible customs in the UK more deeply and to opening the door to greater international engagement by raising awareness about the diversity and richness of ICH in fostering international cooperation.
One field that will benefit from the implementation of the Convention is the museums sector. Indeed, the Museum Association has recognised this development in the UK as a potential game-changer, especially considering that museums and galleries are already closely engaged with ICH (e.g. the Highland Folk Museum’s demonstrations of Waulking Songs and the Scottish Maritime Museum’s boat-building school). Other relevant ICH implications for such institutions include greater engagement opportunities within the realms of ecological issues, repatriation and restitution, and interpretation of communities’ dialects and music.