December

• UNESCO approved the inclusion of garba in its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity
• Declaration of garba as Intangible Cultural Heritage

  1. Submitted dossier on the dance form

  2. Approved under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage

  3. Decision made during the 18th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
• Dossier on garba

  • Prepared by Parul Shah and Prof Utpala Desai
  • Parul Shah is the former dean of Maharaja Sayajirao University's Faculty of Performing Arts
  • Prof Utpala Desai is an independent researcher and visiting faculty on Indian Culture at Gujarat University
• 18th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Kasane, Botswana


  December 5-9, 2023
• The declaration was made under the provisions of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage during the 18th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
• The meeting was held in Kasane, Botswana

  5th -9th December, 2023
• Dossier on the dance form

  Prepared by Parul Shah and Prof Utpala Desai
• Parul Shah


  • Dancer and choreographer, former dean of Maharaja Sayajirao University's (MSU) Faculty of Performing Arts in Vadodara
• Prof Utpala Desai

  • Independent researcher and visiting faculty on Indian Culture at Ahmedabad's Gujarat University
• Filmmaker Manish Baradia


  Made a 10-minute film on the dance form
• The ministry of Culture made Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, the "nodal agency" for working on the proposal for the inclusion of Garba in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)
• Garba


  A form of dance, also a religious and social event that originates in Gujarat and its roots can be traced back to the 15th century. It is performed during Navratri
• Garba


  Originated from the Sanskrit word Garbha meaning the womb
• Garba


  • Customarily marks a girl's first menstrual cycle and later, her imminent marriage
  • Performed during the nine-day Navratri festival which is held annually during the month of Ashwin (September or October)
  • Celebrates fertility, honour womanhood, and pays respect to all nine forms of mother goddesses
  • Performers circle around an image of the mother goddess Durga, an illuminated clay pot or water-filled vessel
  • The dance slowly begins and moderately increases in speed
• Garba is celebrated among the Gujarati communities in countries like, the United States, the United Kingdom, Toronto, Canada, etc.
• Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)


  A practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. It consists of nonphysical intellectual wealth, such as folklore, customs, beliefs, traditions, knowledge, and language
• UNESCO made a survey among States and NGOs to try to agree on a definition of Intangible Cultural Heritage

  2001
• The Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was adopted for its protection and promotion

  2003
• The Convention came into effect with 30 ratifying members

  2006
• Domains in which intangible cultural heritage is manifested

  • Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage
  • Performing arts
  • Social practices, rituals and festive events
  • Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
  • Traditional craftsmanship
• Representative List


  Showcasing the global diversity of ICH, this list raises awareness of its significance and importance
• Urgent Safeguarding List


  Identifying threatened ICH, this list calls for immediate measures to ensure its survival
• UNESCO has also created other intangible culture programs, such as a list called Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001, which was superseded in 2008 by the UNESCO's list Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
• China has the highest number of elements (43) in the list followed by Turkey (30) and France (28)
• General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention

  The sovereign body of the Convention
• Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

  Elected by the General Assembly, half of the 24 members are renewed every two years
• India was elected to be part of the 24 Member Inter-governmental Committee (IGC) in 2022 for a tenure of 4 years
• Other members of the 2022 Intergovernmental Committee (IGC)

  • Angola
  • Bangladesh
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Burkina Faso
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Czechia
  • Ethiopia
  • Germany
  • Malaysia
  • Mauritania
  • Morocco
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Republic of Korea
  • Rwanda
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Slovakia
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vietnam
• India ranks 10th with 15 elements from various parts of India inscribed to UNESCO's representative list of ICH
• Sangeet Natak Akademi is the nodal organisation that files nominations of intangible cultural entities from India, for evaluation by the International body
• Elements from India inscribed to UNESCO's representative list of ICH

  • Ramila, Traditional Performance of Ramayana (2008)
  • Traditional Vedic Chanting (2008)
  • Kutiyattam (2008)
  • Ramman, Religious festival of Garhwal (2009)
  • Kalbelia, folk songs and dances of Rajasthan (2010)
  • Mudiyettu, Kerala (2010)
  • Chhau Dance (2010)
  • Buddhist chanting of Laddakh (2012)
  • Sanskirtana, Manipur (2013)
  • Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making in Punjab (2014)
  • Yoga (2016)
  • Nowruz (2016)
  • Kumbh Mela, Prayagraj (2017)
  • Durga Puja, Kolkata (2021)
  • Garba Dance, Gujarat (2023)
• UNESCO

  United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture
• UNESCO was founded as the successor to the League of Nations' International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation

  1945
• The first session of the General Conference of UNESCO was held in Paris


  1946
• UNESCO

  • Has 194 (including US) Members and 12 Associate Members and is governed by the General Conference and the Executive Board
  • Three UNESCO member states are not UN members: Cook Islands, Niue, and Palestine
  • Two UN member states are not UNESCO members: Israel and Liechtenstein
  • United States that officially withdrew from UNESCO in 2018, rejoined the organization in June 2023
  • Audrey Azoulay is the current Director- General of UNESCO
• It proposes eight steps to keep the global temperature rise within 1.5 degree C ambit

  1. Doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements

  2. Tripling renewable energy capacity globally by 2030
• Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)

  Focuses on enhancing adaptive capabilities, and minimizing vulnerability for sustainable development
• At COP28, this text calls for

  1. Doubling in adaptation finance

  2. Plans for assessments and monitoring of adaptation needs in the coming years
• Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge

  1. Signatories commit to work together to triple the world's installed renewable energy generation capacity to at least 11,000 GW by 2030

  2. Collectively doubling the global average annual rate of energy efficiency improvements from around 2% to over 4% every year until 2030
• The Global Cooling Pledge for COP 28

  66 national government signatories committed to working together to reduce cooling-related emissions across all sectors by at least 68% globally relative to 2022 levels by 2050