The Polish foreign ministry said in a statement that the Executive Board of UNESCO on October 12 decided to establish the International Day of the Intangible Cultural Heritage as an initiative by Poland and an "interregional coalition" built by Poland and consisting of Botswana, Bangladesh, Morocco, South Korea, Panama, Rwanda and Slovakia.
The statement added that intangible cultural heritage "encompasses practices, skills, and traditions handed down from generation to generation, as well as valued objects and places that strengthen the sense of belonging to a group or community."
The Polish foreign ministry noted that "this year marks the 20th anniversary of adopting the UNESCO Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage."
"The aim of the decision adopted on the initiative of Poland and the interregional coalition is to disseminate knowledge about the 2003 UNESCO Convention, draw the attention of the international community to intangible cultural heritage, and to encourage additional action to protect the heritage at local and international levels," the Polish foreign ministry's statement said.
It added that "the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage will be celebrated annually on October 17, marking the day when the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage was adopted."
The Polish foreign ministry also said in its statement that UNESCO's decision "confirms Poland’s commitment to the promotion and protection of cultural heritage."
Poland ratified the convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in 2011, according to the Polish foreign ministry.
"At present, the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage includes five elements from Poland," the statement said. "The last of these, timber rafting, was added in December 2022."
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has also honoured Poland's nativity scene, Corpus Christi, tree beekeeping and falconry traditions.
(gs)
Source: gov.pl