EDUCATIONAL ROLES OF PRESERVING CULTURAL HERITAGE UNDER DISCUSSION

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The 2018 Sub-Regional Meeting for Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding in Northeast Asia kicked off today, August 28, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting is focusing on the theme ‘ICH in Education: Towards Joint Collaboration for Promoting ICH in Formal and Non-Formal Education’. It is being co-organized by the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO, International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia-Pacific Region (ICHCAP), UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports. During the meeting, it has been reported that children of seven schools in Orkhon Valley Cultural Landscape were given extra-curricular trainings and seminars on cultural heritage and its safeguarding. The activity was conducted within ‘Heritage in a Box’ toolkit, being implemented by the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO and UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office. Mr. Kwon Ho, Director-General of ICHCAP, pointed out that safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, understanding about it and the promotion are becoming a special event for counries of Asia-Pacific Region especially in Northeast Asia. Globalization and urbanization are so intensively running in the region. It will have a risk to lose the heritage in the progress of rapid development, if the countries do not focus attention on their national cultural heritage. Therefore, it is very crucial for every country to promote and pass its cultural heritage down to younger generation. Moreover, the countries are facing the need to retain its cultural heritage towards education and the action will begin from even the country promote itself properly. At the 2-day meeting, the countries are discussing about cooperation in protecting and retaining their cultural heritage and creating an international network for cultural heritage. The meeting is being attended by high-level representatives such as Marielza Oliveira, Director of UNESCO Beijing Cluster Office and Country Representative in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Korea, Susanne Schnuttgen, an official with the Department of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris as well as Duong Bich Hanh, Chief of UNESCO Bangkok Office. B.Batchimeg