India is hosting the 20th Session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). It is being hosted in New Delhi at the historical Red Fort complex from 8 to 13 December 2025. The inaugural session of ICH, held on 7th December, was graced by Hon'ble Minister of External Affairs, Dr S. Jaishankar; Hon'ble Minister of Culture & Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat; Director General UNESCO, Khaled El-Enany; Hon'ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Smt. Rekha Gupta; Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Shri Vivek Aggarwal; Ambassador and Permanent Representative of India to UNESCO, Shri Vishal V. Sharma; and Chairperson, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Ms Sandhya Purecha. Delegations from over 180 countries are attending the event.
The session significantly projects India’s leadership and global concerted efforts to protect and promote both tangible and intangible heritage. The event showcases India’s role in global cultural preservation and commitment to safeguarding living heritage like festivals, arts, crafts, languages, etc. that define identity beyond monuments. The convention is a matter of both prestige and responsibility. The Ministry of Culture, along with its autonomous body, Sangeet Natak Akademi, is the nodal agency for hosting the ICH Session in India.
Addressing the session, Hon'ble Minister of External Affairs, Dr S. Jaishankar, emphasised, “UNESCO’s role in heritage preservation is particularly important and one that has been long recognised by India. We have contributed to its endeavours and, while drawing strength from its best practices… A key dimension of that engagement is preservation of intangible heritage; in doing so, we acknowledge that traditions, languages, rituals, music, craftsmanship, festivals, and performing arts are invaluable aspects of human inheritance. In many ways, they are most important democratic expression of culture…”
Hon’ble Minister of Culture & Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in his address stressed, “Bharat has always believed that cultural heritage is not confined to stones and manuscripts but is alive, vibrant and deeply intangible. It lives in people's voices, in gestures, in recipes, in ceremonies and in craft know-how, passed from one generation to other. It is the lullabies sung by the mother, the artisans’ unique way of shaping the pot, the seasonal festival that brings an entire village together…”
Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Shri Vivek Aggarwal extended a warm welcome to all the dignitaries attending the ICH and read the message of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India.
“Our civilisational journey has been shaped by the understanding that culture is not enriched by monuments or manuscripts but also thrives in the everyday expressions of people such as festivals, rituals, arts and craftsmanship. Intangible cultural heritage matters because it carries moral and emotional memories of the societies, it shapes identity, fosters harmony, strengthens a sense of belonging and transmits knowledge that may not be found in books. It binds communities across generations and offers a sense of community in the rapidly changing world…
It is this heritage that reminds us who we are and what values we must carry to the future. Modernisation, urbanisations, conflict and cultural disruption can cause precious traditions to fade silently, to save intangible heritage is to save world’s cultural diversity. Our motto of Vikas Bhi Virasat Bhi is a commitment to ensure that modernisation strengthens rather than erase cultural roots…”
All the delegates were warmly received with Indian hospitality at the venue and the event began with a lovely rendition of Saraswati Vandana by the Sangam Choir Dept. of Music, Delhi University.
