CONVENTION FOR THE SAFEGUARDING
OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
Paris, 17 October 2003
MISC/2003/CLT/CH/14
CONVENTION FOR THE SAFEGUARDING
OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE
The General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization hereinafter referred to as UNESCO, meeting in Paris, from 29 September to
17 October 2003, at its 32nd session,
Referring to existing international human rights instruments, in particular to the Universal
Declaration on Human Rights of 1948, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights of 1966, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,
Considering the importance of the intangible cultural heritage as a mainspring of cultural
diversity and a guarantee of sustainable development, as underscored in the UNESCO
Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore of 1989, in the
UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity of 2001, and in the Istanbul
Declaration of 2002 adopted by the Third Round Table of Ministers of Culture,
Considering the deep-seated interdependence between the intangible cultural heritage and the
tangible cultural and natural heritage,
Recognizing that the processes of globalization and social transformation, alongside the
conditions they create for renewed dialogue among communities, also give rise, as does the
phenomenon of intolerance, to grave threats of deterioration, disappearance and destruction of
the intangible cultural heritage, in particular owing to a lack of resources for safeguarding
such heritage,
Being aware of the universal will and the common concern to safeguard the intangible
cultural heritage of humanity,
Recognizing that communities, in particular indigenous communities, groups and, in some
cases, individuals, play an important role in the production, safeguarding, maintenance and re-
creation of the intangible cultural heritage, thus helping to enrich cultural