International Symposium on “The Role of Local Communities in Safeguarding Intangible Heritage within Heritage Ensembles and Monuments”

8 – 11 November 2026
Villa Rufolo, Ravello, Italy

ICOMOS Italy and the International Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICICH) warmly invite the participation of all ICOMOS members, experts, stakeholders, communities, and institutions engaged in cultural heritage. Abstract submissions are due 15 August 2026 to icichagmitaly.2026@gmail.com. The full call along with detailed modes of participation are outlined below and may be downloaded in English, French, Italian, and Spanish. 

Introduction

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), UNESCO’s advisory body for the World Heritage Convention, brings together national and scientific committees dedicated to safeguarding cultural heritage for the benefit of humanity’s history, identity, and sustainable development.

Within this framework, the International Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICICH) was established to highlight the vital role of intangible heritage as a living force that sustains the meaning, vitality, and continuity of tangible heritage ensembles and monuments. Intangible heritage and cultural diversity are inherent, inseparable and an essential part of the cultural, social, and economic dimensions of communities, and its safeguarding is central to resilience, identity, and sustainability across generations.

The ICOMOS Charter on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Monuments (2024) provides a global reference point for integrating intangible heritage into heritage management. It underscores the importance of local communities as custodians of traditional knowledge, practices, and values that give life to monuments and heritage ensembles. In the face of climate change, migration, and global conflicts, these communities are indispensable for linking tangible and intangible heritage and for developing adaptive strategies rooted in lived experience.

In recognition of these priorities, the Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) of ICICH will be held in conjunction with the International Symposium: The Role of Local Communities in Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage within Heritage Ensembles and Monuments.  This combined program reflects ICICH’s dual commitment: strengthening its organisational governance while advancing scientific dialogue on the pressing challenges facing intangible heritage today.

The symposium will begin by situating intangible heritage within the global framework of ICOMOS and ICICH, then explore regional perspectives from around the world, and finally turn to Italy as the host country. Italy’s millennial heritage and long-standing expertise in integrating conservation with development provide a meaningful setting for this dialogue. By linking global challenges to local realities, the event will highlight how communities safeguard and revitalise intangible cultural heritage associated with monuments and ensembles, ensuring resilience and sustainable futures.

The AGM and Scientific symposium aim to raise awareness, share knowledge, and suggest practical strategies adaptable to various settings. Together, they will contribute to ICOMOS’s wider mission of protecting heritage as a foundation for identity, community well-being, and sustainability.

Symposium Program

The international symposium will be held over three days, organised as follows:

DAY 1 – ARRIVAL & OPENING / AGM

• Arrival and Registration of Participants
• Welcome Reception & Inaugural Ceremony (authorities and organizers)
• Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) of ICICH

DAY 2 – FOUNDATIONS & IDENTITY

• Morning Session (09:00 – 12:30) – Theme I: The ICOMOS Charter on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Monuments (2024)
  • Introduction to the Charter
  • Guide for Implementation
  • Challenges and Criticisms in Diverse Contexts
• Afternoon Session (15:00 – 18:30) – Theme II: Intangible Heritage as a Driver of Identity, Creativity, Resilience and Development
  • Heritage Crafts of Origin/other knowledges as drivers of resilience, building skills and materials/ traditional medicine
  • Performing Arts & Festive Traditions and other expressions in public spaces and contexts due to migration
  • Communication and Dissemination Challenges

DAY 3 – DIALOGUE, PROFESSIONALS & GLOBAL CHALLENGES

• Morning Session (09:00 – 12:30) – Theme III: Rescue and Enhancement of Intangible Cultural Heritage as a Pathway to Intercultural Dialogue, Face of Global Conflicts and Threats (heritage rescue, war conflicts, migrants, climate change)
  • Role of intangible Cultural heritage in heritage conservation
  • Communities and Custodians as Generational Bridges
  • Networks of Custodians and Community Organizations
  • Craft Fairs and Festive Events around Monuments
• Afternoon Session (15:00 – 18:30) – Theme IV: The Role of Professionals, Community Leaders and Experts in Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage
  • Professionals as mediators between local communities and global institutions
  • Scientific knowledge (formal and informal) supporting traditional practices in the face of climate change
  • Building interdisciplinary approaches for resilience and sustainable futures

CLOSING CEREMONY (19.00 – 21.00)

• Conclusions by Coordinators of Each Theme
• Recommendations for ICOMOS and ICICH
• Final words from the Authorities and ICICH Bureau

Modes of Participation in the Symposium

1. General Attendance: All members of ICOMOS and other stakeholders in cultural heritage are welcome to attend and contribute to the symposium, as well as other professionals, experts, institutions, organisations, and communities related to cultural heritage. All people that sent papers and works accepted to the symposium will be registered in advance. Other professionals that want to attend the symposium can write to the organization to be registered.
2. Abstracts for Paper Presentations: Authors are required to submit abstracts for papers, posters, or audiovisual contributions to the organizers by 15 August 2026. Please ensure that an abstract describing the proposed presentation is sent before this deadline. Abstracts may be submitted in English, Spanish, French or Italian. Notification regarding acceptance will be communicated no later than 1 September 2026.
3. Abstracts for Paper Presentations must not exceed 300 words and should be prepared using Times New Roman font, size 12. The papers are expected to address themes specified in the symposium agenda. 
4. All participants who wish to submit a paper but are unable to attend the symposium must submit a 300-word abstract for publication in the symposium’s digital book. The full paper should not exceed six pages, including images and references.
5. All participants interested in displaying posters either inside the building or in the courtyards of the Villa Rufolo are required to submit a sample of the poster. The poster should approximately measure 100 x 150 cm or a similar size, and participants must also indicate whether the poster can be hung or displayed in the courtyard.
6. All participants that cannot attend to the symposium can send an audiovisual with its presentation or examples of cultural heritage (monuments, festivals, crafts, ritual ceremonies, etc.) that will be shown on screen during the symposium. The extension of these audiovisuals should be no more than 10 to 15 minutes.
7. All abstracts, posters and audiovisuals will be evaluated by a commission integrated by local organizers and ICICH / ICOMOS.

This symposium seeks to foster collaboration between international professionals, local communities, and institutions, ensuring that cultural and natural heritage are preserved, celebrated and transmitted to future generations.

All documents and communications must be directed to: icichagmitaly.2026@gmail.com

Download the full call here:

• Call for Abstracts – English
• CONVOCATORIA A LA PARTICIPACIÓN – Español
• APPEL À COMMUNICATIONS – Français
• BANDO PER LA PARTECIPAZIONE – Italiano

ICICH / ICOMOS Bureau

• President Ángel Cabeza Monteira (Chile)
• Vice President Ana Lucía González Ibáñez (México)
• Vice President Oluwatoyin Zainab (Nigeria)
• Secretary-General Mrinalini Atrey (India)
• Treasurer Anna Yau (China)
• Coordinator ICICH / ICOMOS Symposium in Italy: Carla Maurano

The deadline for submitting abstracts for the international symposium, The Further Evolution of Authenticity through the Lens of Heritage Ecosystems has been extended until September 3 (Tuesday), 2024.

The symposium will be held in Takasaki, Japan, on January 10 and 11, 2025, and aims to explore the challenges we face by focusing on the concept of a heritage ecosystem. A heritage ecosystem is understood to encompass the cyclical and organic relationships among various elements that constitute the rich cultural and natural environment of the region and that are connected to the heritage. Because challenges to heritage are ever-changing, the concept of a heritage ecosystem offers a powerful framework for better coping with the challenges that confront us today and those to come.

Read the full call for papers on the website. 

ICHCAP will, in collaboration with the UNESCO Apia Office, hold a two-day ICH Webinar Series on Maritime ICH on 29 and 30 October 2020. The theme of the web seminar is “Maritime Living Heritage: Building Sustainable Livelihood and Ecosystems in the Asia-Pacific Region”. ICHCAP is calling for presentation submissions for the seminar by 21 September 2020 (Korea Standard Time).

Click here to read the full call

12-13 novembre 2020
Paris, Institut national du patrimoine, amphithéâtre Colbert

Colloque de la direction générale des Patrimoines du ministère de la Culture, en partenariat avec l’Institut national du patrimoine et le CNRS

La manifestation portera sur les « nouveaux » risques pesant sur le patrimoine, entendu au sens le plus large, incluant ses dimensions matérielle, immatérielle, numérique et naturelle. Elle traitera des risques qui sont apparus ou se sont renforcés depuis le début du siècle, résultant de catastrophes naturelles ou de facteurs anthropiques − intentionnels ou non −, sur leur accélération, leur accumulation, leur convergence, ainsi que sur les réponses apportées aujourd’hui par la communauté des professionnels et plus largement, par l’ensemble des acteurs du patrimoine culturel.

Calendrier
Les propositions de communication doivent être envoyées avant le 30 mai 2020.

Elles se présenteront sous la forme d’un texte de 1000/1500 signes.

Les propositions devront être envoyées par courriel à Béatrice Berchon: beatrice.berchon@culture.gouv.fr

Lire l’appel complet

ICICH members are invited to submit an abstract for the colloquium that ICICH is holding with the Australia ICOMOS National Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage on 3 October 2020 at the Sydney Opera House as part of the ICOMOS General Assembly in Sydney this year.

The topic for the colloquium is Intangible Cultural Heritage: Shared Issues at Place – we look forward to papers exploring issues and examples related to:
• How diverse intangible heritage is expressed in shared urban spaces?
• What is it like to bring a community’s intangible heritage to a new place, such as to a new country or from a rural area to a city?

Papers at the colloquium will assist ICICH and the national ICH committees to understand the state of ICH practice across ICOMOS. As such, with speakers’ agreement, we will also be publishing the papers on the ICICH and national committee websites.

Would you please forward your abstract of 200 words in English or French or Spanish by 7 February 2020 to:
Lance Syme and Marilyn Truscott 

Six ISCs of ICOMOS: ICORP, ISCARSAH, ISCEAH, ICTC, ISCES+CC and CIPA, will be hosting a joint meeting on “Advancing Risk Management for the Shared Future” on 1 October 2020 / ICC Sydney

Abstracts may be submitted (max. 300 words in English), including the following topics:
   (1) Climate Change and Cultural Heritage
   (2) Disaster Risk Management and Resilience
   (3) Post-disaster reconstruction and authenticity
   (4) Post-disaster management
   (5) Relevant subjects

Abstract Deadline: 3 February 2020

Read the full call for papers and submit your abstract on their website.

HERITAGE 2020 – 7th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development follows the path paved by prior editions of this event. HERITAGE 2020 aims at maintaining a state of the art event regarding the relationships between forms and kinds of heritage and the framework of sustainable development concepts, namely the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Conference will be held in Coimbra, Portugal, on July 8-10, 2020, in a partnership with the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Coimbra. 

HERITAGE 2020 is a peer-reviewed conference.

Abstracts may be submitted under the following topics:

01- Heritage and governance for sustainability
02- Heritage and society
03- Heritage and environment
04- Heritage and economics
05- Heritage and culture
06- Heritage and education for the future
07- Preservation of historic buildings and structures
08- Heritage and cultural tourism
10- Heritage and global warming: a calling for new actions on cultural safeguarding
11- Displaced communities: preserving cultural heritage as part of human rights
12- Special Chapter: Jewish heritage
13- Special Chapter: Academic Heritage

Abstracts are due December 15, 2019.

Learn more on the conference website.

L’atelier DAHLIA, à sa deuxième édition, est organisé par le groupe de travail DAHLIA qui est soutenu par l’Association EGC et il a pour objectif de permettre à la communauté cartographiée dans le cadre du groupe de travail de se retrouver, mais aussi de donner la parole aux étudiants en thèse afin d’exposer leurs thématiques. Dans le cadre de cet atelier, des travaux autours des humanités numériques et du patrimoine culturel seront présentés ; ces travaux devraient s’encadrer dans les thématiques d’EGC, notamment la gestion et l’analyse de données ou des connaissances provenant des SHS/patrimoine.

Les thèmes de l’atelier sont les suivants :

• acquisition de données lors d’un processus d’étude et d’analyse du domaine SHS et du cas d’étude précis en collaboration étroite avec les experts du domaine ;
• acquisition et analyse de connaissances métier/expert SHS concernant les processus/tâches ;
• intéroperabilité des données provenant de plusieurs sources SHS ;
• extraction des connaissances à partir des données SHS : fouille, apprentissage ;
• annotation sémantique de données du patrimoine ;
• restitution par visualisation de données (principalement du patrimoine) en vue de compréhension, analyse, etc. ;
• visualisation d’œuvres, immeubles, etc. en 2D/3D ;
• extraction et analyse des interactions du public lors des événements culturels ;
• étude des processus de diffusion des informations dans les réseaux sociaux.

dates prévisionnelles:

• Date limite de soumission des articles : 03/12/2019
• Notification aux auteurs : 18/12/2019
• Version finale : 08/01/2020

http://dahlia.egc.asso.fr/atelierDAHLIA-EGC2020.html

During the ICH-NGO Forum meeting (Bogota, Colombia, 7 – 14th December 2019), there will be a session on Sunday morning, 8 December 2019, dedicated to the topic of “ICH in an urban context: Cultural diversity and social cohesion.” This session has been prepared in cooperation with the National Heritage Board of Singapore and is a timely topic.

Over half of the population of the world now lives in urban areas—cities with millions of inhabitants and diverse communities. Cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Bogota, and Rotterdam are facing multiple social and cultural challenges, not least due to processes of migration, the challenge of superdiversity, and social cohesion. Thinkers about superdiversity see evidence of emerging cosmopolitan cultural practices that build on social practices brought by migrant groups to new locales. These cultural practices are often reflected in public festivals and festivities. Festivals like Diwali are not just celebrated in India; they have become a permanent feature of Little India precincts all over the world. Similarly, other traditions such as Carnival or the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival are celebrated in major cities across the world.

During the ICH-NGO Forum meeting, there will be a session on Sunday morning, 8 December 2019, dedicated to the topic of “ICH in an urban context: Cultural diversity and social cohesion.” This session has been prepared in cooperation with the National Heritage Board of Singapore and is a timely topic. Over half of the population of the world now lives in urban areas—cities with millions of inhabitants and diverse communities. Cities such as Bangkok, Singapore, Bogota, and Rotterdam are facing multiple social and cultural challenges, not least due to processes of migration, the challenge of superdiversity, and social cohesion. Thinkers about superdiversity see evidence of emerging cosmopolitan cultural practices that build on social practices brought by migrant groups to new locales. These cultural practices are often reflected in public festivals and festivities. Festivals like Diwali are not just celebrated in India; they have become a permanent feature of Little India precincts all over the world. Similarly, other traditions such as Carnival or the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival are celebrated in major cities across the world.

Cities can be defined as contact zones where the global meets the local. As the text of the 2003 Convention noted, “processes of globalization and social transformation, alongside the conditions they create for renewed dialogue among communities, also give rise, as does the phenomenon of intolerance, to grave threats of deterioration, disappearance and destruction of the intangible cultural heritage.”

While intangible cultural heritage is often presented as a mainspring for cultural diversity, what about intangible cultural heritage in an urban context? What is intangible cultural heritage in an urban context and how is it transmitted and safeguarded? How can it contribute to social cohesion and renewed dialog among communities? Is there a role for city governments in adopting certain cultural policies?

During the session there will be six (or possibly more, which may then be accommodated in parallel sessions) short presentations, up to 10 minutes each, from cases from all over the world. Already scheduled are presentations from Singapore and Bogota. The session will be moderated by Albert van der Zeijden (ICH-NGO Forum, Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage) and Kirk Siang (National Heritage Board, Singapore). The moderators of this session are still looking for presentations from other regions, such as Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. NGOs attending the Intergovernmental Committee meeting in Bogota, and wanting to give a presentation, are invited to present an abstract (with a maximum of 200 words) before November 1 to Albert van der Zeijden, at a.vanderzeijden@immaterieelerfgoed.nl.

Call for Papers, videos and e-exhibitions

Submission Deadline 10th October 2019

MEMORIAMEDIA project (MI/IELT) has a peer reviewed e-journal dedicated to promote, communicate and document projects, studies and archives of INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE (ICH). For this issue, authors are invited to submit unpublished papers, videos or e-exhibitions about DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES and INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE for publication Dec 2019.

Read the full call here