Sri Lanka elected to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Sri Lanka was elected to one of four (04) seats available for the Asia-Pacific, in the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, for the period 2018-2022, at the election that took place in Paris during the 7th General Assembly of UNESCO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Eight countries contested from the Asia-Pacific Group, namely, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Malaysia, Palau and Sri Lanka. With Palau withdrawing its candidature earlier today, seven countries stood for election. The countries that succeeded in being elected are: China, Sri Lanka, Japan and Kazakhstan, securing 123, 122, 107, and 98 votes respectively.

This is a significant milestone for Sri Lanka as it was able to garner more votes than Japan while falling behind China by just one vote. This is also the first time that Sri Lanka contested for a seat in the Committee since becoming a State Party to the Convention in 2008 . Political analysts pointed out that this demonstrates the confidence the international community has placed on Sri Lanka under the new unity government that has made great strides with regard to democracy and good governance. 

Sri Lanka was able to get more votes than established Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia due to efforts undertaken by the current government to strengthen the rule of law, human rights and reconciliation, analysts said. 

The Foreign Ministry said that Sri Lanka recognizes that intangible cultural heritage is an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalization, and that an understanding of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities helps promote intercultural dialogue, and encourages mutual respect for other ways of life. 

The decision to seek election to the Committee at this juncture is driven by the Government’s commitment to the process of reconciliation in the country through which Sri Lanka endeavours to preserve and promote ancient traditions of all communities in the country while fostering respect and understanding of each other’s ways of life, practices, customs and traditions.