01478nas a2200121   4500000000100000008004100001100001900042700001900061700001900080245014700099520109600246022001401342                                       d1 aBogdan Drazeta1 aJelena Cukovic1 aBranko Banovic00aIntangible cultural heritage safeguarding policies: a comparative overview of models employed in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina3 aThe Western Balkan region has faced challenges stemming from the dissolution of the socialist Yugoslavia and ongoing ethnic-nationalistic tensions. Cultural heritage has been a central point of dispute. Despite nominally implementing the same UNESCO heritage safeguarding policy framework, ICH systems in the Republic of Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina were found to differ significantly. Examining and contrasting ICH systems with comparative critique in mind, we searched for a common model for regional cultural policies. ICH safeguarding systems in the three countries were also analysed according to additional guidelines for inventorying ICH that were provided by UNESCO in 2021, in order to help streamline regional heritage management towards the implementation of sustainable development goals. Our research shows that all three states struggle with inclusivity, but in different ways. Comparative implications for preventing the renewal of heritage-based conflicts in postconflict societies are considered and the regional policy model proposed for further testing.1  a1028-6632