The workshop was attended by government officials from culture and tourism departments of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Pakistan Administered Kashmir. The objective of the workshop was to facilitate exchange of information among stakeholders, strengthen coordination mechanisms at the Federal and Provincial levels, and develop recommendations for effective implementation of the 2003 Convention in Pakistan.
Pakistan ratified the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in October 2005, reflecting the State's commitment towards safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH). In 2018, the Kalasha practice of Suri Jagek was inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Safeguarding. Previously, the cultural practices of Nowruz and Falconry , were inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - jointly nominated by several countries, including Pakistan.
Between 2010 - 2022, UNESCO organized several training workshops for government institutions at the federal and provincial level on effective implementation of the 2003 Convention in Pakistan. In 2018, the National Heritage and Culture Division (NHCD) signed an MoU with the UNESCO Category-II institute International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (CRIHAP) and organized training workshops on community-based inventorying and ICH safeguarding. Despite these efforts, there remains a need for a formal coordination mechanism between the Federal and Provincial departments. The workshop organized by UNESCO was an important step towards establishing this mechanism.
Over a period of two days, the UNESCO Islamabad Culture Unit led training sessions on the key principals and operational directives of the 2003 Convention, the responsibilities of the State pertaining to the Convention, and the need for building a comprehensive inventory of ICH based on UNESCO's recommended guidelines. During the workshop, community representatives spoke about falconry, Nowruz, and Suri Jagek, and the challenges faced in promoting and protecting these cultural practices. Senior representatives from all provinces and regions highlighted the efforts being made by each department to promote ICH. There was a consensus among all participants that funding, training, and capacity building are needed to better equip government departments and communities to safeguard ICH. Day One of the workshop ended with a stirring musical performance at Lok Virsa. Renowned sarangi player Dr Taimur Khan demonstrated the musical stylings of the stringed instrument and highlighted the need to safeguard sarangi as knowledge of making, playing, and understanding the classical instrument is dying out in Pakistan.
On the second day of the workshop, participants presented plans for promoting and protecting ICH in their respective regions. Representatives from Lok Virsa spoke of the important role of the institution in spearheading initiatives to promote cultural practices and cultural professionals. In a collaborative effort led by UNESCO, participants drafted a set of recommendations for more effective implementation of the 2003 Convention in Pakistan. The recommendations focus on regular consultations among stakeholders for monitoring, review, and information sharing; capacity building for government staff; awareness raising among communities; fundraising and resource mobilization; and policy advocacy. The recommendations were presented to Mr Muzaffar Ali Burki - Joint Secretary of the National Heritage and Culture Division and acting Executive Director of Lok Virsa. Mr Burki appreciated the efforts of UNESCO and Lok Virsa in arranging the workshop, and reaffirmed the State's commitment towards safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in Pakistan.
