RP 61st state to join UN convention on heritage protection

By Veronica Uy
INQ7.net

THE Philippines has become the 61st state party to the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.

In his report to the home office, Philippine Ambassador to France and permanent delegate to UNESCO Jose Abeto Zaide said UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura acknowledged receipt on August 18 of the country's original instrument of ratification of the convention, which is expected to take effect for the Philippines this November 18 as per Article 34 of the convention.

"Director-General Matsuura, who was in Manila last May, welcomes the Philippines as the 61st state party to the convention, which already counts a broad and diverse range of membership from Lithuania to Gabon, Oman to Nicaragua," he said.

After the UNESCO sounded the alarm over the loss of cultural heritage, it sought through the convention to protect and preserve oral traditions and expressions, including language, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, as well as know-how linked to traditional crafts.

The Philippines' Hudhud chants of the Ifugao and the Darangen epic of the Maranaos were among the 90 masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity proclaimed by the UNESCO.

"The Philippines as a major biodiversity trove is complemented by its cornucopia of cultural diversity. The Philippines intends to actively contribute to the success of the Convention, in order to preserve our rich cultural heritage for the benefit and enjoyment of all humanity," Zaide said.

Matsuura noted the "urgent need for [cultural heritage's] international protection given the threat posed by contemporary lifestyles and the process of globalization."

"It is absolute necessary to fill in the legal void concerning this essential aspect of cultural diversity and to offer to living cultures inherited through tradition adequate means of preservation," he added.

Aside from the Philippines, the state parties to the convention also include France, China, Japan, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Romania, and Algeria.