The largest round of registrations ever held has just concluded and the message was clear: living heritage survives when it is valued, practiced and transmitted.
Years of silent work
Inside the New Delhi hall, applause rolled like a wave as delegates leaned forward in their seats. Somewhere between relief and celebration, some people smiled knowingly at each other – the kind of smile that comes after years of silent work finally finding recognition.
For communities from Yemen to Chile, from Ukraine to Panama, this was not just another meeting. It was a time when songs, rituals, crafts and ways of life, often practiced far from the global spotlight, were expressed loudly on a global stage.
Representatives of the Panama delegation at the ICH session.
“This year has been extraordinary,” said Tim Curtis, regional director of UNESCO in New Delhi. “We just completed the largest number of registrations ever: 67 elements from 78 countries.”
Hand-built houses, collective singing
Irina Ruiz Figueroa, from Panama, has promoted quincha houses, structures built collectively from natural materials, using knowledge passed down from generation to generation.
“These houses are not just buildings,” he said. “They are made by communities, with women and young people working side by side. Safeguarding this practice means ensuring our own communities remain strong.”
Across the hall, joy spread quickly among the Yemeni delegation. Mohammed Jumeh, Yemen’s ambassador to UNESCO, had just received the news that the Hadrami Dan, a living tradition of music, poetry and gathering, had been registered.
“At a time when people only expect bad news from Yemen,” he said, “this recognition has brought happiness. The phones have not stopped ringing. People feel seen.”
For Tim Curtis, these moments capture the essence of what UNESCO calls intangible cultural or living heritage.
“It’s not about monuments or buildings,” he explained. “It’s about what people do. How they celebrate. How they express their identity.”
He emphasized that living heritage should not be frozen: it is passed down from generation to generation, while continuing to adapt and remain meaningful to people today.
ICH NGO Forum to be held during the 20th Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee 2025.
Pride, resilience and survival
For Oleksandr Butsenko, a Ukrainian cultural expert, safeguarding heritage has become more urgent.
“The war has made communities realize how vital this is,” he said. “We have added more than 80 items to our national register in the last three years. People understand that heritage gives resilience, a sense of identity when everything else seems uncertain.”
That feeling of belonging resonated in many conversations.
Doreen Ruth Amule from Uganda described intangible cultural heritage as something that “speaks directly to the human heart.”
“It’s about spirituality, environment, music, behavior — what makes us feel human and connected,” he said. “The process itself strengthens communities.
When recognition changes the future
The recognition, noted UNESCO’s Tim Curtis, is not just symbolic.
“When an element is inscribed,” he said, “it gives pride and visibility. For some practices, it also unlocks support: funding, educational programs and renewed interest from young people.”
Chile’s Vice Minister of Cultural Heritage, Carolina Pérez Cortés, saw first-hand that impact with the registration of the country’s traditional family circus.
Delegation of Chile at the meeting of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee 2025 in New Delhi.
“This practice has been around for more than 200 years,” he said. “Now it is recognized not only by the State, but by the world. That strengthens our responsibility to support circus families and gives them tools to continue.”
Similar hopes surrounded the ancient Commandaria winemaking tradition of Cyprus, newly inscribed after 6,000 years of history.
“This recognition can bring young people back to rural areas,” said Angela Nicolaou-Konnari, an expert from Cyprus. “It makes heritage sustainable, economically and culturally.”
Tim Curtis pointed to this intergenerational link as the real key to safeguarding.
“If young people do not advance, heritage will disappear in one or two generations,” he said. “That’s why education and relevance are so important.”
Puppets are an intrinsic part of intangible cultural heritage.
Heritage in a changing world
Urbanization, migration and climate change loom over many traditions. But Curtis is clear: the safeguard cannot be imposed from above.
“These practices must remain under the control of the communities,” he said. “Technology can help (social networks, digital platforms) but only if professionals decide how it is used.”
That philosophy is already taking shape on the ground.
Masirah Alenezi highlighted how traditional Bedouin weaving supports the dignity and livelihoods of refugee women in Kuwait and Egypt.
In Kuwait and Egypt, Masirah Alenezi described how traditional Bedouin weaving has become a source of dignity and sustenance for refugee women.
In Norway, basket maker Hege Iren Aasdal talked about teaching teenagers how to gather materials from nature before weaving them into everyday objects.
“It’s not just about the basket,” he said. “It’s about knowing your surroundings.”
From Indonesian textiles to Indian leather puppets, the stories converged on one truth: living heritage survives when it is lived, taught and valued.
A festival of humanity
No moment captured that idea more vividly than the Diwali inscription. As India’s UNESCO ambassador Vishal Sharma put it: “Until now, Diwali was a festival of India. From today, it is a festival of all humanity.”
“Heritage connects people. Culture is fundamental.” In Tim Curtis’s opinion, this is precisely why it is important to safeguard: “We are human beings because we are cultural beings,” he said, and in a world of rapid social change, it is necessary to deliberately recognize that living traditions deserve to be protected and passed on to their children and grandchildren.
The art of creating and playing Kobyz from Uzbekistan.
The detailed list of registrations is available here – interest:
China will host the next meeting of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee in 2026.