The South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage was established in 2007 by UNESCO, through its Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, to support the implementation of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the region. The annual meetings of the network contribute to enhance a common understanding of opportunities and challenges linked to the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage as a key asset of South-East European cultural diversity, promoting the sharing of knowledge and good practices on national measures to implement the Convention, and serving as a platform to develop capacities and reinforce regional and cross-border cooperation.
So far, annual meetings of the Network have taken place in Arbanasi, Bulgaria (2007); Safranbolu, Türkiye (2008); Zagreb, Croatia (2009); Râmnicu-Vâlcea, Romania (2010); Belgrade, Serbia (2011); Athens, Greece (2012); Sofia, Bulgaria (2013); Limassol, Cyprus (2014); Venice, Italy (2015); Supetar, Croatia (2016); Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2017); Ljubljana, Slovenia (2018); Cremona, Italy (2019); online (2020).
The organization of this series of regional meetings is possible thanks to the annual contribution of Italy to the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe. Since 2013, the annual workshops of the Network are organized in cooperation with the Regional Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-East Europe, based in Sofia (Bulgaria) and operating under the auspices of UNESCO as a Category II Centre.
Activities and related news
Periodic Reporting as a Strategic Tool for safeguarding Living Heritage in South-East Europe – 15th annual meeting of the Network, Online (2021)
Post-meeting news with presentations, concept note and agenda
Intangible Cultural Heritage in emergencies: Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and addressing questions of ICH and resilience in times of crisis - 14th annual meeting of the Network, online, based in Venice, Italy (2020).
- Pre-meeting announcement with concept note and agenda
- Post-meeting news with presentations, list of participants, and final report
Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage at local level: governance frameworks and community engagement - 13th annual meeting of the Network, Cremona, Italy (2019).
The role of museums in safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in South-East Europe - 12th annual meeting of the Network, Ljubljana, Slovenia (2018)
Funding the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage - 11th annual meeting of the Network, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2017)
Intangible cultural heritage and World Heritage: synergies and coordination between the UNESCO 2003 and 1972 Conventions - 10th annual meeting of the Network, Supetar, Croatia (2016)
- Pre-meeting announcement
- Post-meeting news with conclusions, presentations, list of participants, and final agenda
Intangible cultural heritage and the diversity of cultural expressions: synergies and coordination between UNESCO 2003 and 2005 Conventions - 9th annual meeting of the Network, Venice, Italy (2015)
Intangible cultural heritage and education: experiences, good practices, lessons learned - 8th annual meeting of the Network, Limassol, Cyprus (2014)
New strategies for sustainable development, tourism and partnerships - 7th annual meeting of the Network, Sofia, Bulgaria (2013)
Reports and conclusions
Intangible Cultural Heritage in emergencies responding to the COVID-19 pandemic: addressing questions of ICH and resilience in times of crisis - Report on the 14th Annual Meeting of the South-East European (SEE) Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage (2020)
Funding the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage – Conclusions of the 11th Annual Meeting of the South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage(2017)
Intangible Cultural Heritage and World Heritage: synergies and coordination between the UNESCO 2003 and 1972 Conventions - Conclusions of the 10th Annual Meeting of the South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage (2016)
Intangible Cultural Heritage and the Diversity of Cultural Expressions: synergies and coordination between UNESCO 2003 and 2005 Conventions – Conclusions of the 9th Annual Meeting of the South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage (2015)
Intangible cultural heritage and education: experiences, good practices, lessons learned - Conclusions of the 8th Annual Meeting of the South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage (2014)
New strategies for sustainable development, tourism and partnerships – Conclusions of the 7th Annual Meeting of the South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage (2013)