TRADITIONAL ARTS ASSOCIATION
UNESCO - ICH MEETING REPORT
June 2018
 
Summary

 

This report, on the occasion of the accreditation of the Traditional Arts Association by UNESCO, was held in the "7th General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage" held at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, France, on 4-6 June 2018. na (7th General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage) includes participation and activities carried out in this process.
 
General Information
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the "Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage" at its 32nd General Conference in Paris on October 17, 2003. Turkey No. 5448 dated January 19, 2006 Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Convention of the Law on the appropriate been involved in this process; It became an official party on March 27, 2006. According to Article 13 of the Law on the Organization and Duties of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, No. 4848, the General Directorate of Research and Education continues its activities as an executive unit.
 
Accreditation Process of Traditional Arts Association
With the recommendation and support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Non-Governmental Organization to Be Accredited to Provide Advisory Services to the Committee initiated in 2016 by the Traditional Arts Association.
 
First of all, the membership lists of the association were updated and a database was created. Then, all the activities (project, publication, competition, exhibition, etc.) carried out so far have been translated and adapted to the format of UNESCO-ICH. The draft application form was finalized at meetings with ministry officials and experts in Ankara and an official application was made to UNESCO in April 2017.
 
At the annual general meeting of UNESCO at the end of 2017, the application of our Association has been reviewed by technical and content and it has been announced that it will be among the NGOs whose accreditation will be approved at the next UNESCO-ICH meeting. Upon the invitation made to our association, the 7th General Assembly was attended at the level of the President of the Association and the Secretary General of the Association.
 
7th UNESCO-ICH General Assembly
At the 7th General Assembly held in Paris between 4-6 June 2018, the decisions taken by the committee in previous meetings are brought to the agenda and approved. While the General Assembly lasts for three days, many parallel events are organized on non-governmental organizations working to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage.
 
Association representatives attending the "Tell Your #LivingHeritage Story" meeting on June 4 from these parallel events; They listened to the projects in the fields of music, medicine and education, which are the living heritage of Mali, Colombia and Uganda, and acquired knowledge. In addition, Youth Forum videos were watched in the foyer, which is an extension of this event.
 
In the "Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage for Quality and Relevance in Education" event on June 5, 2018, the issue of placing intangible cultural heritage in education programs was discussed. Indonesia, Senegal and UNESCO, as well as representatives of UNESCO Turkey National Committee Chairman Prof. Dr. Öcal Oğuz took part as a speaker in the panel on behalf of Turkey. After the panel Prof. Oğuz and National Committee Member Assoc. Dr. There have been contacts with the Evolution Meter Özünel. Society as a UNESCO Turkey National Committee and recently at a meeting will be held in Ankara.
 
The event titled "Intangible Cultural Heritage in National Laws" was held on 6 June 2018. At the meeting, a joint project of "OSMOSE", France-Lithuania, and a doctoral dissertation in the field of law, the output of the project, were introduced. Project stakeholders gave information about the stages of the project approaching intangible cultural heritage legally and in the context of national laws.
 
Association representatives also visited NGO stands in the foyer area and exchanged ideas and exchanged ideas. (Poland, Azerbaijan, South Korea, Senegal, Scotland, etc.)
 
Process After GSD and UNESCO-ICH Accreditation

 

The steps to be taken by our Association, whose accreditation was approved in the last session of 6 June 2018, can be summarized under the following headings:

 

 

 

- An official letter will be written to the UNESCO-ICH Committee Chair, and our Association will be notified that it is ready to provide consultancy in the field of traditional arts and crafts.

 

 

 

- A meeting will be held with the UNESCO Turkish National Committee in Ankara and ideas will be exchanged on how we can support it.

 

 

 

- accredited NGOs working in the field of intangible cultural heritage in Turkey will bring together an international organization that planned the event.

 

 

 

- As a condition of accreditation, NGOs are required to submit a report to the UNESCO-ICH committee every four years. The report to be submitted in 2022 will be included in the Association's agenda.

 

Ahmet Akcan - Dr. Aslihan Erkmen

 

Traditional Arts Association