Opinions & Interviews

MINSK, 28 July (BelTA) – In 2018 Belarus will seek election to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Alla Stashkevich, Head of the Cultural Heritage Department at the Institute of Culture of Belarus, said at the roundtable hosted by BelTA’s press center on 27 July.

“In 2018, Belarus will run as a candidate to the intergovernmental committee. Being a committee member enables you to be involved in all processes and to promote national interests at the international level more effectively. This is one of the instruments of international influence,” Alla Stashkevich said.

Belarus was a member of this international body from 2005 to 2009. “It was very good for us: the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding was extended with the first Belarusian element – the rite of the Kalyady Tsars in the village of Semezhevo, Kopyl District, Minsk Oblast. Now, when we already have some experience and when we know what we want, we can achieve much more,” the expert noted.

The importance of participating in the work of international organizations was stressed by Vadim Pisarevich, Deputy Head of Multilateral Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, Executive Secretary of the UNESCO National Commission. “The logic is simple: if you want the result, you need to become a member of the body that makes decisions. Therefore, we certainly will be running to the intergovernmental committee and promote our files,” he stressed.

Belarus is preparing several nomination files for inclusion in the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage lists. The country nominated the file “Celebration in honor of the Budslau icon of Our Lady (Budslau fest)” for inclusion in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The country is also working on the files on Belarusian pipe as part of the multinational file “Bagpipe Culture” to nominate in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, on Yurievsky Khorovod (village of Pogost, Zhitkovichi District), and on forest beekeeping together with Poland.