Living heritage is a reservoir of the world’s cultural diversity. It encompasses traditional knowledge systems and cultural practices, including of Indigenous Peoples. Living practices are an enabler to build pro-planet societies, achieve environmental sustainability as well as improve economic growth and well-being.
Living heritage practices and knowledge systems sustain communities and livelihoods. They provide a sense of identity, foster social cohesion, and promote a sense of continuity across generations. Many of these living practices prioritize the reuse of natural resources, contributing to waste reduction and maintenance of a balance between social, economic, and environmental factors, thus leveraging sustainability.
Under the Indian Presidency of the G20, in the framework of the G20 Culture Working Group (CSW), together with UNESCO as a Knowledge Partner, four Global Thematic Webinars are being held based on the four priority areas identified by India.
On 13 April 2023, the second Thematic Webinar will focus on “Harnessing Living Heritage for a Sustainable Future”. The webinar will foster an inclusive dialogue and aims to identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities in harnessing living heritage for sustainability, highlight best practices, inform the G20 membership upon action-oriented outcomes, towards shaping the joint ministerial declaration of the G20 Culture Ministers’ Meeting in August 2023.
