April 24, 2026 | 01:00 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is vying to become a member of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage for the 2026-2030 term.
The announcement was made during UNESCO's 224th Executive Board Session in Paris on Thursday, April 23, 2026, local time, as part of efforts to strengthen the country's global cultural diplomacy.
Indonesian Minister of Culture Fadli Zon outlined Indonesia's vision and priorities under the theme 'Living Heritage, Shared Future' to an audience of approximately 300 delegates from member states and the UNESCO secretariat.
In his presentation, Fadli emphasized Indonesia's commitment to strengthening community-based preservation of intangible cultural heritage, encouraging equal cooperation, and expanding access to international support for developing countries.
As part of its cultural diplomacy efforts, Indonesia also presented pendet dance and gamelan music at the forum.
The Balinese traditional dance of pendet was inscribed by UNESCO in 2015, while gamelan was inscribed as an intangible cultural heritage in 2021.
Indonesia also proposed the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Center for Community-Based Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Proposed as a Category 2 UNESCO Center, the facility aimed at boosting the Asia-Pacific region's capacity for cultural preservation, knowledge exchange, and cooperation between countries will be located in Indonesia.
The Indonesian delegation was also attended by the Director General of Diplomacy, Promotion, and Cultural Cooperation, Endah T.D. Retnoastuti; the Director of Diplomacy, Raden Usman Effendi; and the Head of Museums and Cultural Heritage, Esti Nurjadin.
Indonesia's active participation in UNESCO is expected to rally support for the country's candidacy and emphasize Indonesia's role in multilateral cooperation in the cultural sector.
Read: UNESCO World Heritage Sites Facing the Heat
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