Ensuring the Viability of Cultural Heritage: The Role of International Heritage Law for Pacific Island States - Island Futures: Conservation and Development Across the Asia-Pacific Region - page 46

obligations include general provisions for cooperation 28 and assistance 29 as well as
specific measures including the establishment of a Fund for the Safeguarding of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage 30 a Representative List of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage of Humanity, 31 and a List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of
Urgent Safeguarding to ensure the visibility of, and raise awareness about, ICH. 32
Importantly, under Article 18, the Committee is to select and promote programs,
projects and activities for the safeguarding of ICH and include best practice means
of implementing them. One such initiative is the Living Human Treasure program
which facilitates the transmission of knowledge, skills and the meaning of ICH by
encouraging member states to officially recognize persons who possess a high
degree of knowledge and skills required for performing or re-creating ICH, and
assisting these individuals to transmit knowledge and skills to younger genera-
tions. 33 Projects and activities in the Pacific region include: language revitalization
projects, establishing and promoting Traditional Money Banks in Vanuatu, safe-
guarding of Vanuatu Sand Drawings, establishing a National Living Human
Treasures system in Fiji and safeguarding of the Lakalaka Sung Speeches with
Choreographed Movements in Tonga. 34 The UNESCO website includes a wealth of
information and resources in relation to inventorying, safeguarding, transmission
and protection of ICH. These include a sample of an outline for inventorying ICH,
a Register of Good Practices of Language Preservation, a register of NGOs, centres
and experts working on safeguarding ICH, UNESCO Database of National Cultural
Heritage Laws and the Asia-Pacific Database on ICH. 35 In addition an online
exchange platform has been established on Facebook © where communities, organi-
zations and individuals can share information on safeguarding ICH. 36
Unlike the World Heritage Convention , CSICH is more focused upon the pro-
cess of safeguarding heritage rather than protecting its products. Two aspects in
particular stand out: the emphasis on community recognition of intangible cultural
heritage and community consent and co-operation in its identification and manage-
ment; as well as the focus on the living nature of cultural heritage and the necessity
for its continued relevance, value and practice (Kurin 2007 ). CSICH therefore sup-
ports the maintenance of cultural diversity both quantitatively and qualitatively by
28 Article 19.
29 Articles 20-24.
30 Articles 25-28.
31 Such list to include items previously listed as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage
of Humanity: Article 31.
32 Articles 16 and 17 respectively.
33 http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00061 .
34 http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?pg=00176&categ=04 .
35 See http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/ , http://www.unesco.org/culture/natlaws/index.php?&lng=en
and http://www.accu.or.jp/ich/en/policies/policies1.html .
36 Intangible cultural heritage and civil society http://www.facebook.com/pages/Intangible-
cultural-heritage-and-civil-society/123664631007622?v=wall .