More balanced geographical representation of NGOs

The Working Group for more balanced geographical representation of accredited NGOs was established on 19th of December 2020 during the fifteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Other online working group meetings have been held on 27th April and 18th June, with presentations from different NGOs about the local and regional realities that accredited NGOs face. Preparation work for the working group was made prior to the establishment, as the NGO Finnish Folk Music Institute prepared a background note on the subject and carried out an online survey to give the working group a starting point of ideas to reflect upon.

In the future the working group aims to work on how to overcome the ongoing geographical imbalance in NGO representation in the ICH NGO Forum and the UNESCO 2003 Convention by creating capacity building material and practical information for the NGOs in the underrepresented countries and by reflecting on and discussing the different roles of the NGOs in different countries and regions. Mission statement of the working group will be prepared and approved during the sixteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee in Colombo Sri Lanka.

Cholponai U-R / Aigine CRC: cholponai.ug@gmail.com
Matti Hakamäki / Finnish Folk Music Institute: matti.hakamaki@kaustinen.fi