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.
