UNESCO Participates in Oman’s Sub-Regional Forum on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Art

UNESCO Regional Office for the Gulf States and Yemen participated in the Sub-Regional Forum on “Intangible Cultural Heritage and Art: Reality and Challenges,” held in Muscat to mark the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The two-day forum brought together more than 70 academics, researchers, experts, and cultural practitioners from across the Gulf region to explore the role of art in safeguarding living heritage and addressing contemporary challenges facing intangible cultural heritage.

The forum also featured initiatives highlighting the role of art in safeguarding living heritage. In his opening remarks, Dr. Mahmoud Al Abri, Secretary-General of the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, emphasized the role of art in documenting and transmitting cultural traditions, the importance of education in strengthening cultural identity, and Oman’s achievements in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. The event included an accompanying exhibition inaugurated by H.E. Said bin Sultan Al Busaidi, Undersecretary for Culture at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, showcasing student artworks from the UNESCO Associated Schools artistic twinning initiative and photographs from the regional “Athar fi Al Jiwar” (Heritage Next Door) competition, both promoting awareness and appreciation of living heritage.

As part of the forum, Jawida Mansour, Programme Associate for Culture at UNESCO Doha, contributed to the panel discussion entitled “UNESCO’s Vision for the Sustainable Safeguarding of Living Heritage in Its Spatial Contexts.” During her presentation, she shared UNESCO’s tools and methodologies for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage within the communities and places where it is practiced and transmitted. She emphasized the importance of community participation in identifying, safeguarding, and promoting living heritage, as well as in ensuring the intergenerational transmission of traditional knowledge and cultural practices.

Mansour also highlighted UNESCO’s people-centered approach to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, which recognizes the close connection between communities, cultural expressions, and their cultural landscapes and environments.

In her remarks, she further referred to the recent visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik of Oman to UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and the announcement of the Sultan Haitham–UNESCO Prize for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, underscoring Oman’s continued commitment to supporting international efforts for the safeguarding of living heritage and promoting cultural diversity worldwide.

The forum was organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and the Ministry of Education, represented by the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair on World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Management in the Arab Region at the German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech). It coincided with the annual celebration of the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage, observed each year on 17 October.