Work Plan for FY 2023
1. Activity Focus and the Overview of Research Projects
The Work Plan for FY 2023 is developed under the scheme of IRCIʼs new Medium-Term
Programme (FY 2022–2026), which was approved at the 10th Governing Board
Meeting of IRCI (17 November 2021).
A total of five projects are proposed for FY 2023: two projects under Activity Focus I(Promoting Research for ICH Safeguarding), and three projects for Activity Focus II(Research on the Safeguarding of ICH for Building Sustainable and Resilient Societies)(Table 1). Being at the second year of the current five-year term, major research
activities are conducted in the projects that commenced in FY 2022, while someprojects are at the final stage of concluding major activities (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Timeline of research projects in Medium-Term Programme 2022–2026
FY 2022
FY 2023
FY 2024
FY 2025
FY 2026

Activity Focus I. Promoting Research for ICH Safeguarding
Sustainable Research Data Collection for ICH Safeguarding:
Focusing on Central Asia and Small Island Developing States

Creation of the Asia-Pacific Regional Hub of Research for the Safeguarding of ICH

Activity Focus II. Research on the Safeguarding of ICH for Building Sustainable andResilient Societies
Research on ICH Contributing to SDGs: Intangible Cultural
Heritage for Sustainable Cities and Communities

Research on ICH Safeguarding andDisaster Risk Management (FY 2020-2023)

Research on ICH Affected by the COVID-19
Pandemic

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Table 1. List of research projects in FY 2023
Activity Focus I. Promoting Research for ICH Safeguarding
Sustainable Research Data Collection for ICH Safeguarding: Focusing on Central Asia andSmall Island Developing States
Creation of the Asia-Pacific Regional Hub of Research for the Safeguarding of ICH
Activity Focus II. Research on the Safeguarding of ICH for Building Sustainable andResilient Societies
Research on ICH Contributing to SDGs: Intangible Cultural Heritage for Sustainable Cities
and Communities
Research on ICH Safeguarding and Disaster Risk Management
Research on ICH Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic

Activity Focus I: Promoting Research for ICH Safeguarding
Promote research for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage through conducting
the following activities regarding the practices and methodologies of safeguarding, incooperation with research institutions and researchers actively working in the field of
intangible cultural heritage in the Asia-Pacific region:(i) Instigate research activities through regional/international conferences,
workshops, seminars and publications, while strengthening IRCIʼs function as a
hub of research for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the AsiaPacific region by forming a consortium of research institutes in the Asia-Pacificregion(ii) Collect research information in the Asia-Pacific region, paying special attention
to developing counties and small island developing states (SIDS) and aiming at
enhancing their research capacity, while examining and developing strategies
for optimising the use and sharing of research data(iii) In implementing activities mentioned above, special attention is paid to thefollowing:(a) foster young ICH researchers in the Asia-Pacific region, and(b) actively promote IRCIʼs activities through various media including social
networking systems, in collaboration with academic societies and otherstakeholders(Section III (1), Medium-Term Programme (FY 2022-2026))

The Activity Focus I aims to further promote the research for safeguarding ICH in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Following the Mapping Project (FY 2013–2018) and the first cycle of the Sustainable
Research Data Collection (FY 2019–2021), the second cycle of the project (FY 2022–2024) has been focusing on Central/Inner Asia and the Small Island Developing States(SIDS). For both regions, major data collection is commenced in FY 2023.

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Under the Creation of the Asia-Pacific Regional Hub of Research for the Safeguarding of
ICH (FY 2022–2026), a programme for young researchers is implemented toencourage their active participation in the research of ICH safeguarding, while online
seminars are continued. It is expected that ICH researchersʼ networks andinterdisciplinary exchange in the Asia-Pacific region are enhanced through theimplementation of these specific programmes.
Activity Focus II: Research on the Safeguarding of ICH for Building Sustainable
and Resilient Societies

Conduct research for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the Asia-Pacificregion that is in line with and contributing to ongoing international frameworks, including
the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction 2015-2030, and Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which are outlined in
UNESCOʼs Medium-Term Strategy (41C/4) and Programme and Budget (41C/5).
(Section III(2), Medium-Term Programme (FY 2022-2026))

Under the Activity Focus II, various research projects investigating specific cases of ICH
contributing to sustainable and resilient societies are implemented.
Research on ICH Contributing to SDGs: Intangible Cultural Heritage for Sustainable
Cities and Communities (FY 2022–2024) explores the contribution of ICH to the target
11.4 of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through case studies focusing on the
integrated management of safeguarding tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Following the preliminary research undertaken in FY 2022, major field research is
conducted in target communities and countries. An international symposium will beheld to share the results of the case study and to discuss integrated approaches for
safeguarding tangible and intangible cultural heritage leading to sustainable community
development.
Research on ICH Safeguarding and Disaster Risk Management (FY 2020–2023) marks
the final year of investigating potential risks and positive aspects of ICH in the disasterrisk management (DRM) context. Based on the field research undertaken in FY 2022, aregional workshop is held to discuss specific action plans to safeguard ICH fromdisasters and to incorporate ICH and its safeguarding in the communityʼs DRM
strategies.
Research on ICH Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic (FY 2022–2023), which has been
managed as an independent project after implementing a preliminary survey in FY 2021,
also is at the final year of the project. A regional conference is planned to discuss therelation of ICH and epidemics, while sharing the findings of the field research undertaken
in FY 2022 on ICH under COVID-19.
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The international symposium, regional workshop and conference programmed under the
projects in Activity Focus II are planned as onsite events, because active interaction
among participants is extremely significant for discussion. However, these events may
be held online or in a hybrid format, depending on the situation of the COVID-19
pandemic.

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2. Individual Project Outlines

Activity Focus I. Promoting Research for ICH Safeguarding

Sustainable Research Data Collection for ICH Safeguarding: Focusing on Central
Asia and Small Island Developing States
Period of implementation: FY 2022–2024
Geographic focus: Central/Inner Asia; Small Island Developing States (SIDS) within
the Asia-Pacific region
Background: Since 2013, IRCI has been collecting research data on ICH in various
countries in the Asia-Pacific region to map the current situation of research in this field,
thereby contributing to the enhancement of research for ICH safeguarding. As oftoday, IRCI Research Database covers 48 countries; however, the amount and thequality of the collected information remain uneven throughout the region, andparticularly the information from Central Asia and the Pacific Islands are still limited.
Moreover, there are some island nations, such as Timor-Leste and the Maldives, fromwhich research information has not been collected. In addition, despite sharing
research information plays a crucial role in ICH safeguarding and for the advancementof related research, information concerning ICH research and safeguarding is noteffectively shared among research institutions.
Purpose: The project aims to:1) compile information related to research for safeguarding ICH and make collected
research data accessible through IRCI Research Database, thereby facilitating
better assess the up-to-date trends and situation of ICH safeguarding in eachcountry;2) enhance capacities of research institutions in the Asia-Pacific region to accumulate
information relating to ICH safeguarding, and to analyse research data to identify
areas requiring further input and development for safeguarding their ICH; and
3) encourage information sharing related to ICH and its safeguarding among research
institutions in their countries and also within the Asia-Pacific region, leading to thedevelopment of further research programmes and active discussions on ICH
safeguarding.
Progress: New cooperating institutions in Central/Inner Asia have been identified in
Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. In Kyrgyzstan, thecounterpart institution has been implementing the project activities since FY 2021 andundertaking the final phase of data collection activities in FY 2022. With theparticipation of research institutions in these countries, an online workshop isorganised on 10 August 2022 to discuss suitable data collection methodology for
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Central/Inner Asia and the direction of data collection activities in the following years.
After the workshop, a certain number of research information is collected as a trial,
while a list of bibliography on ICH is compiled in each country.
Regarding SIDS, various issues and challenges are noticed, such as limited humanresources in the field of research and an imbalance of available research information bycountry. For identifying potential cooperating institutions, IRCI has consulted
knowledgeable experts including the UNESCO office in Apia and researchers
specialising in the Pacific. In order to discuss and develop an appropriate approach forcollecting research information in cooperation with institutions in SIDS, an online
working session is planned in December–February.
Specific activities for FY 2023: Given that the situation in Central Asia and SIDS areconsiderably different in terms of institutional settings and associated research
programmes, specific activities undertaken in these two regions are developed
separately, to maximise the effect of the project.
For Central/Inner Asia, the following activities are planned:
1) Major research data collection is undertaken by applying the data collection
methodology developed after the online workshop in FY 2022.
2) Each counterpart establishes a data collection network by cooperating with research
institutions in their country and conducts data collection activities with them.
3) A sub-regional workshop inviting counterparts and their collaborators is organised
to report the result/progress of the data collection and discuss the current state of
ICH research and associated challenges in each country and in Central Asia as awhole.
4) In the process of collecting research information, a national workshop may beorganised by the counterpart, inviting its collaborators and other ICH researchers.
For SIDS, the following activities are planned:
1) Reflecting the result of the online working session held in FY 2022, IRCI finalises adata collection scheme suitable for SIDS in consultation with counterparts.
2) Each counterpart will commence data collection activities following a new scheme
developed for SIDS.
3) IRCI may assist counterparts as necessary by maintaining close communication andlocating specific reference materials.
Specific outputs: Research information collected in Central/Inner Asia and SIDS in FY
2023 is uploaded to the IRCI Research Database and becomes accessible to the publicby the end of March 2024. A project report compiling the results of data collection will
be published online by the end of FY 2024.

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Project partners/cooperating researchers and organisations:-

Research institutions, including national universities, museums, and archives inCentral Asia as well as SIDS as counterparts.

-

ICH experts specialising in SIDS as resource persons.

*See attached PDM (IRCI/2022/11GB/7/Annex 2a) for the detailed project design andbenchmarks.

Activity Focus I. Promoting Research for ICH Safeguarding

Creation of the Asia-Pacific Regional Hub of Research for the Safeguarding of
ICH
Period of implementation: FY 2022–2026*The project implementation should be reviewed and revised towards the end of FY
2024.
Geographic focus: Entire Asia-Pacific region
Background: Research is considered one of the measures for safeguarding ICH;
however, opportunities to share/learn about the research for safeguarding ICH in the
Asia-Pacific region are still limited. IRCIʼs mission is to instigate and coordinate
research into practices and methodologies of safeguarding endangered intangible
cultural heritage elements present in the Asia-Pacific Region, and thus, strengthening
its capacity and function as a ʻresearch centreʼ is crucial for promoting research
activities.
IRCI has carried out in the past 10 years various research activities in cooperation withresearchers and various research institutions within the Asia-Pacific region, including
universities, museums, government sections, and NGOs, while organising a series ofexpert meetings, researchers forums, and conferences aiming at promoting researchfor safeguarding ICH. In this project, such efforts are strengthened by forming a
consortium of research institutes and researchers in the Asia-Pacific region.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to further promote the research forsafeguarding ICH and to strengthen ICH researchersʼ network, by developing a
consortium of ICH researchers and research institutions in the Asia-Pacific region, andby programming a series of activities focusing on ICH and its safeguarding such as
seminars, research forums, symposia, and international/regional conferences that are
principally open to any interested individuals. Making use of online webinar format,
various programmes under this project invite a wide range of participants, including
researchers, government officials, museum staffs, and ICH practitioners within the
Asia-Pacific region. Programmes specifically targeting young researchers in the region
are also considered, to encourage their active contribution to ICH safeguarding.
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Progress: As the first step of the project implementation, IRCI established a forum
named ʻAsia-Pacific Research Forum for ICH Safeguardingʼ, which serves as a platform
for better communication and professional interaction between researchers, research
institutions and individuals related to ICH safeguarding in the region.
The planning committee consisting of experts from Australia, Fiji, India, Japan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Malaysia was organised to develop various programmes under the
project, and the first committee meeting was held in July 2022. Further meetings areplanned twice within FY 2022, which should finalise specific contents of online
seminars and the direction of the programme for young researchers.
Online seminar series inviting researchers leading the field of ICH are to be launchedlater in FY 2022, as the first programme under the project.
A Facebook Group is created for effectively disseminating the information on specificprogrammes and calling for active participation of ICH researchers.
Specific activities for FY 2023: 1) Online seminars on ICH are continued. At least two
seminars are planned, one of which may be linked to mark the 20th anniversary of the2003 Convention.
2) A programme targeting young researchers is implemented. It aims to encourage
young researchers to become more engaged in the research for safeguarding ICH
by providing them opportunities for the interdisciplinary exchange and for theirresearch to be recognised. Event styles such as online meeting sessions and paper
competitions are under consideration. Specific contents of the programme are
finalised in consultation with the planning committee.
3) Planning Committee Meetings are held for three times, through which plans for thefollowing activities are developed:(a) an international conference/symposium to be held in FY 2024; and(b) online seminars to be continued in FY 2024.
Specific outputs: Seminar recordings are made available online; Conference
reports/proceedings
Project partners/cooperating researchers and organisations: Selected ICH
researchers/institutions in the Asia-Pacific region as planning committee*See attached PDM (IRCI/2022/11GB/7/Annex 2b) for the detailed project design andbenchmarks.

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Activity Focus II. Research on the Safeguarding of ICH for Building Sustainable andResilient Societies

Research on ICH Contributing to SDGs: Intangible Cultural Heritage for
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Period of implementation: FY 2022–2024
Geographic focus: Entire Asia-Pacific region
Background: While the importance of cultural heritage for sustainable cities andcommunities has been recognised in SDG 11.4, by and large it refers to the tangible
aspects of heritage, and how ICH contributes in this process has not been investigatedin detail. Since ʻYamato Declaration on Integrated Approaches for Safeguarding
Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritageʼ was adopted in 2004, the importance of theintegrated approaches for safeguarding tangible and intangible cultural heritage has
been recognised. For more than a decade, however, there has not been much progress
to deepen our understanding in this topic. Sustainable cities and communities in thecontext of SDGs would provide an ideal ground to enhance the discussion on the
integrated approaches for safeguarding tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Purpose: The project investigates the role of ICH for sustainable cities andcommunities, particularly focusing on the cases of the management of
cultural/historical landscapes, and demonstrates how ICH could contribute to theachievement of SDG 11.4. Assuming that local communities having well-known
tangible heritage such as historical architectures, cultural landscapes and World
Heritage sites are more aware of the management of their heritage, the project
explores various ʻintangibleʼ aspects that shape their heritage. The project is expected
to provide some insights for elaborating the discussion on integrated approaches for
safeguarding tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
Progress: Cambodia, Fiji, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka have been selected for casestudies. IRCI has been communicating with collaborators in each country to discuss the
specific research focus in the case study, including research locations, methods, andbudget for research. In addition, IRCI has been studying a series of projects relating to
the traditional living space and cultural landscape of Ainu people in Hokkaido as one of
the cases in Japan incorporating ICH into sustainable community development.
As a kick-off event, an international symposium is to be held in late January to discuss
issues related to the safeguarding of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and how
such approaches could contribute to SDG 11.4, while reporting the result of preliminary
survey conducted in 4 countries mentioned above. Taking this opportunity, an
additional closed session is planned to discuss detailed research plan to be conductedin FY 2023.
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Specific activities for FY 2023: 1) Field research involving the major data collection isconducted in Cambodia, Fiji, and Malaysia, based on the plan developed by the end of
FY 2022. As part of the research process, local workshops inviting related stakeholders
including the community members and ICH practitioners could be programmed, todiscuss specific issues and challenges associated with the management of theirheritage.
2) Some cases are explored in cities/communities in Japan, where some activities or
projects dealing with ICH in relation to tangible heritage are in place.
3) An international symposium is held in Japan to discuss the role of ICH in managing
tangible heritage sites and cultural landscapes, with a view to contribute to thesustainable development of the communities, by sharing the results of case studies
undertaken in the project. Participants are also invited from Japan to exchange
ideas for utilising ICH for sustainable cities and communities.
Specific outputs: A project report, including a collection of case studies and theresults of the international symposium.
Project partners/cooperating researchers and organisations:-

ICH researchers in target countries (counterpart and collaborator)-

ICH experts who are also familiar with tangible heritage (resource person)-

Government officials related to culture (tangible or intangible cultural heritage)-

Community members*See attached PDM (IRCI/2022/11GB/7/Annex 2c) for the detailed project design andbenchmarks.

Activity Focus II. Research on the Safeguarding of ICH for Building Sustainable andResilient Societies

Research on ICH Safeguarding and Disaster Risk Management
Period of implementation: FY 2020–2023
Geographic focus: Entire Asia-Pacific region
Background: There has been a growing international awareness about the disasterrisk management (DRM) of cultural heritage. In this context, UNESCO has initiatedinternational discussions concerning the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage(ICH) in emergencies. Alongside this development, in FY 2016 IRCI launched a threeyear research project on ICH and DRM 1, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region that is1

https://www.irci.jp/research/naturalhazard/preliminary2016-2017/;https:/www.irci.jp/research/naturalhazard/workshop2018/10 / 14

frequently exposed to various natural hazards. The outcome document of this 20162018 project 2 included a series of recommendations for the safeguarding and themobilisation of ICH in disasters. Building upon the outcomes of this previous project,
IRCI started in FY 2020 the second phase of the project.
Purpose: The project investigates in detail the potential risks and positive aspects of
ICH in the DRM context, by taking into account the 5 ICH domains defined in the 2003
Convention, and the disaster cycle of preparedness, immediate response and recovery.
Through the detailed examination of specific cases, the project aims to develop specificaction plans to incorporate ICH and its safeguarding in the communityʼs DRM. The
project also provides an opportunity for researchers and experts in both fields of ICH
and DRM to work together and stimulate dialogue between them.
Progress: In FY 2021, IRCI developed the survey guidelines and the worksheet toassess the potential risks and positive aspects of ICH in the context of disasters, andthe desktop study was undertaken by the collaborators in 8 countries of Bangladesh,Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, the Philippines, Vanuatu, and Viet Nam. Based on the
result of this desk study, online workshops were held on 5 August and 7 September
2022, to discuss the result of worksheets and to develop field research plans in eachcountry. Field research is conducted by the end of FY 2022 in 7 countries* to examine
the risks and effectiveness of ICH in relation to disasters at the community level. The
field research encourages the collaboration between ICH and DRM researchers, so thatthe research leads to the development of practical action plans, including thedevelopment of DRM strategies incorporating ICH.
* Related developments in Japan in the area of ICH and DRM are shared throughout
this project in cooperation with the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural
Properties, and the Cultural Heritage Disaster Risk Management Center both belonging
to the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage.
Specific activities for FY 2023: Based on the results of the regional workshop andfield research undertaken in FY 2022, following activities are planned.
1) A regional workshop is organised to be held in Japan to examine the result of the
field research by inviting researchers who undertook the field research, experts in
ICH and DRM fields, and UNESCO. The discussion reflecting the result of casestudies should exemplify certain models for safeguarding ICH from disasters, while
elucidating challenges that remain for developing DRM and ICH safeguarding
strategies for the community as well as at the national and international levels.
2) A project report is published, which may become the compilation of research papers

2‘Statements and Recommendations for Safeguarding ICH in Disasters and Mobilising ICH for Disaster Risk Reduction’https://www.irci.jp/jp/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/IRCI_Sendai_Recommendations_Final.pdf

11 / 14reflecting the discussion at the regional workshop, contributed by collaborators andexperts.
Specific outputs: Project report
Project partners/cooperating researchers and organisations:-

ICH and DRM researchers/institutions in the Asia-Pacific Region (collaborator andcounterpart in target countries)-

Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (project partner)-

Individual researchers in: Cultural Heritage Disaster Risk Management Center,
NICH; National Museum of Ethnology; Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku
University; International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University(resource person)*See attached PDM (IRCI/2022/11GB/7/Annex 2d) for the detailed project design andbenchmarks.

Activity Focus II. Research on the Safeguarding of ICH for Building Sustainable andResilient Societies

Research on ICH Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic
Period of implementation: FY 2022–2023
Geographic focus: Entire Asia-Pacific region
Background: From the beginning of 2020, the worldwide spreading disease, COVID19 has brought confusion to all human lives and continues to impact ICH in various
ways. Reports and voices from researchers, local communities and practitioners of ICH
stating the changes and modification on ICH during the past two and a half years dueto the COVID-19 are making appearance and gaining attention. Especially, an online
survey conducted by UNESCO 3 has not only gathered information on the difficulties

and challenges faced by ICH practitioners, but reported positive alterations and new
discoveries related to ICH. 4 Discussions on ICH and the COVID-19 have drawn

attention globally, and further research is urgently needed to enhance the safeguardingof ICH especially in relation to the COVID-19.
Purpose: Taking COVID-19 as a disaster, this project investigates the impact of
COVID-19 on the safeguarding, transmission, and the practice of ICH, paying attention

3

https://ich.unesco.org/en/living-heritage-and-the-covid-19-pandemic-01179

4

UNESCO has published a report providing recommendations on how to integrate ICH in post-recovery plans.
https://ich.unesco.org/doc /src/Living_Heritage_in_the_face_of_COVID-19_-_High_Resolution.pdf

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to various changes and alterations brought about by COVID-19 that could be negativeor positive. By closely documenting the ever-changing situation of ICH practice and its
transmission in relation to COVID-19, this project also aims to demonstrate theflexibility and the adaptability of ICH and related communities. Following these twotargets, this project tries to build up our knowledge on ICH in relation to pandemics ingeneral, which should enable us to respond to the future pandemics.
Progress: In FY 2021, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted as part of the
DRM project, to grasp the overall situation of ICH in the selected countries as well as
actual voices given by ICH practitioners and communities on their experience during
the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey was undertaken by collaborators in 9 countries ofBangladesh, Fiji, Indonesia, India, Iran, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Papua New
Guinea. The survey results are under analysis, while preliminary report has beenreleased.
Field research is being conducted in FY 2022 in the above-mentioned countries tofurther document the situation of cases as reported in the questionnaire.
Specific activities for FY 2023: 1) A regional conference is held in Japan to discuss
the impact of COVID-19 on ICH to build an understanding of the relation of ICH andepidemics in general, while sharing the result of case studies undertaken in the projecton ICH affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, inviting researchers who undertook thefield research.
2) A project report is published, summarising the result of the field research
conducted in FY 2022 and the above-mentioned regional conference.
3) Visual materials such as videos and photos collected during the field research in FY
2022 are edited as short movies and photo albums, to be made available on IRCIʼs
website, to disseminate the project result to a wider audience.
Specific outputs: Project report; Visual materials for disseminating the project result
Project partners/cooperating researchers and organisations:-

Researchers and research institutions in the Asia-Pacific region*See attached PDM (IRCI/2022/11GB/7/Annex 2e) for the detailed project design andbenchmarks.

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3. Cooperation with Sakai City
In accordance with the Medium-Term Programme (FY 2022-2026), and within theframework of its mandate as specified in the Agreement between UNESCO and theGovernment of Japan, IRCI has been contributing to the projects carried out by Sakai
City for promoting ICH to the general public.
In FY 2023, IRCI will collaborate in events and seminars with Sakai City, and display
panels introducing IRCIʼs research activities at the Sakai City Museum, while
disseminating IRCI brochures and other promotional materials to the visitors.
Through these activities, IRCI aims to raise awareness among the general public of theimportance of ICH, while enhancing the visibility of IRCI itself.

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