Development of Regional Digital Network to Strengthen Participation in Safeguarding Intangible Heritage / Strengthening Regional Trust and Cooperation to Implement Programs

Head of the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center said the center covers 24 countries, and our responsibility toward this geographic and cultural scope is an important and shared one.

According to the reporter of Aria Heritage, the seventh regular meeting of the Board of Governors of the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center was held in the presence of Ali Darabi, Acting Minister and Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Atosa Momeni, Head of the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center, Hassan Fartosi, Secretary General of the UNESCO National Commission in Iran, and a group of ambassadors of the member countries, this morning, Tuesday, October 21, 1405, in Tehran's Laleh Hotel.

At the beginning of this meeting, Atusa Momeni pointed out the importance of continuing regional cooperation in the field of intangible cultural heritage and stated: We have gathered to review our responsibility towards the communities in which we live and to find solutions to better fulfill our common obligations.

Emphasizing the importance of continuing institutional activities and strengthening regional cooperation, he added: Despite travel restrictions and some challenges, we must maintain the path of cooperation, expand our communications and adhere to the commitments we have accepted within the framework of the Council of Governors.

The head of Tehran Intangible Heritage Center expressed his appreciation for the cooperation and companionship of the member countries: Tehran Intangible Heritage Center includes 24 countries and our responsibility towards this geographical and cultural area is an important and joint responsibility. Therefore, we must provide conditions for intangible heritage to be transferred between societies and the field of knowledge exchange, meaningful participation and regional cooperation will be strengthened.

Momeni also emphasized the necessity of interaction with museums, local communities, non-governmental organizations and policy-making institutions and said: We must use the capacity of dialogue and participation of stakeholders to achieve common goals in the field of protecting intangible heritage.

Referring to the efforts made to operationalize the principles of the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, he noted: the results of these efforts will be reviewed in the Council of Governors so that, while evaluating past performance, the ground for improving activities and increasing the effectiveness of future programs will be provided.

The head of the Tehran Intangible Heritage Center listed the creation of a regional digital network to facilitate the participation of non-governmental organizations as one of the programs of interest and added: strengthening regional cooperation through the center can help to expand communication between countries and increase the participation of communities in the process of protecting intangible heritage.

He also pointed to the importance of evaluating the achievements and financial performance of the center, and emphasized the need to take advantage of the experiences and lessons learned from the past courses and said: Planning for future actions, including the formulation and implementation of 2027 programs, should be done according to the needs of the region and the common priorities of the member countries.

Momeni further considered the transfer of indigenous knowledge, attention to traditional procedures related to health, protection of food systems and ecosystems, and strengthening the capacity of cooperation between countries as important axes of regional activities.

In the end, he emphasized the necessity of deepening the activities and increasing the sustainable influence in the communities, and expressed hope that the seventh meeting of the Council of Governors will lead to the strengthening of mutual trust and the expansion of regional cooperation in the field of protecting intangible cultural heritage with constructive dialogues.

Also, four specialized meetings were held on the 21st and 22nd of October in two shifts, in the morning and in the evening, in order to approve the work of the meeting, electing the chairman and vice-chairman of the Board of Governors, amending the rules of procedure and extending the membership period of the members, presenting the activity report and financial disbursement, reviewing the action plan proposed by the Center and approving the action plan for the years 2026-2027, proposing and presenting the opinions of the member states to develop the action plan of the Center for the fiscal year 2027 and 2028 and determining the date and place of the next regular or extraordinary meeting of the Board of Governors. will be