UNESCO status for bell ringing? Latest communication on Intangible Cultural Heritage is below (things move slowly BUT maybe we get there eventually). Soon as we are clear on the process to follow we can decide action to take.
Hello everyone,
We still don't yet have a date for opening the call for submissions for the inventories I'm afraid, due to factors outside our control. The delays are frustrating, but we are ready to go and pushing for a date as soon as possible. So I wanted to email and tell you a bit more about what's coming - and then we'll hopefully be in touch again in the very near future to let you know when we go live.
The website is looking great, and has a lot of guidance, FAQs and information - including some fun fictional case studies that we've made up as examples! There will also be a range of ways to engage in person - we'll have bi-weekly online information sessions (a daytime and an evening slot) where you can come along to find out more, and there will be targeted sessions and workshops later on to help with specific areas like gaining community consent. Plus, we have 11 Community Support Hubs around the UK who will be another place for you to get advice and support, and to connect with others to collaborate on submissions - information about who they are and how to join the sessions will all be published when we go live.
The call for submissions will also stay open for around 4 months - we tried to find a balance between having sufficient time and not dragging things out too long. But don't forget that the inventories will be a live ongoing process - we'll have regular calls for submissions going forward if you're not able to submit this time around.
In terms of how the process will work - this is described in the consultation response we published earlier this year. It's a bit of a long read as we wanted to respond to as many as we could of the questions and ideas that we received, but the executive summary at the beginning gives a quick overview of the key points and outlines the criteria / code of ethics and categories so if you just read that you'll know roughly what to expect.
Hope that's useful - and we'll be in touch again soon. Thanks for your patience and ongoing interest.
Many thanks
Phil Foxwood
Head of World and Living Heritage
Media and International Directorate