An historical overview of the preparation of the UNESCO "International Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage"

UNESCO travelled a long road before finallysecuring, in 2003 and without a dissenting vote,the adoption of an International Convention forthe Safeguarding of the Intangible CulturalHeritage. The first document drafted by UNESCOaimed at establishing an international instrumentrelated to intangible cultural heritage goes as farback as 1971.In 1989, after lengthy, laboriousdebates, UNESCO established the firstinternational normative instrument: theRecommendation on the Safeguarding ofTraditional Culture and Folklore. Ten years later,the authoritative international conference entitled‘A Global Assessment of the l989Recommendation’ revisited the conceptunderpinning the instrument and examined theefficacy of its application among Member States.