While acknowledging the terrible impacts of disasters and epidemics on lives, livelihoods, property and landscapes, they are also important moments or watersheds in the transmission of living heritage. Modelling how transmission operates, and understanding the importance of the three-way relationship between communities, materials and knowledge, or “people, place and story”, allows us to appreciate how living heritage can mediate and mitigate the effects of disasters and epidemics. Christopher Ballard, Professor of The Australian National University reflects on the connection between ICH and Disasters. \n\nASSOCIATE PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER BALLARD is a historian but trained as an archaeologist and anthropologist. He has thirty years of experience as a researcher in Melanesia (PNG, Vanuatu, West Papua and New Caledonia). His research interests revolve around indigenous Melanesian historicities - their transformation through cross\u0002cultural encounters; their representation through various media, including film and fiction; and their articulation with contemporary challenges such as land reform, large natural resource projects, and cultural heritage management planning. Currently, he is a Senior Fellow at the School of Culture, History & Language of The Australian National University.

Avalanche risk management of the Alps, inscribed to UNESCO's Representative List of ICH in 2018, is a major topic of interest for Alpine communities which plays a role in forming their identity. Examining the method of disaster management in the Alps, which prepares against natural risks based on experience and knowledge accumulated over centuries.

The sudden emergence of Covid19 pandemic dramatically impacted world systems. In the Philippines, the national government imposed the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and grappled with ways and means to contain the transmission of the disease and sustain the lives in communities. It promulgated the Bayanihan Heal as One Act which allowed local government units (LGUs) a latitude of protocols to implement in the town level. In the Mt. Province of the northern Cordillera Region, communities had been practicing community quarantine popularly called teer or tengao, the compulsory “rest” day according to different needs and contexts. Eric Zerrudo shares the study of Teer/Tengao, which was one of highly contextualized practice that emerged as an integral experience for a specific construct of ICH in the COVID 19.\n\nASSOC. PROF. ERIC BABAR ZERRUDO is the Director of the University of Santo Tomas Center for Conservation of Cultural Property and the Environment in the Tropics (CCCPET) and faculty of the Graduate School-Cultural Heritage Studies program. Concurrently, he serves as the national coordinator of the CBCP Episcopal Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church and heritage consultant for Department of Tourism and NCCA Philippine Cultural Education Program.

The Academic Cooperation Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America and the Caribbean -ReCA PCI LAC-, has the mission of promoting the strengthening of capacities in the safeguarding of ICH, in response to the diversity and complexity of current social contexts. Following the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, it intends to generate synergies between the different actors linked to the safeguarding of ICH with the aim of promoting joint inter- and multidisciplinary cooperation projects at the Higher Education level, involving the communities. Prof. Mónica Guariglio, Coordinator of ReCAPCILAC shares the network's experience in the region. \n\nMÓNICA GUARIGLIOC holds a law degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Buenos Aires. She teaches at the National University of Avellaneda and coordinates the Plural Council of the Network of Academic Cooperation in Intangible Cultural Heritage of Latin America and the Carribean (ReCAPCILAC).

Alisher Ikramov reviews information collected through a survey funded by ICHCAP. While his work primarily reviews ICH festivals, he is also able to gain insights into ways that networks can promote ICH along the Silk Roads. Looking at the importance of local communities and the popularity of such festivals locally, there is concern about a lack of a network to encourage larger tourist attendance. However, there are feelings that festivals do not authentically represent local traditions and products. Therefore, this could lead to an undesirable level of commoditization and as a result lower the quality of the event.

Dibya Jyoti Borah, President of ARHI introduces the role of ARHI in safeguarding of ICH. Established in 2008, ARHI is collaboration of individuals belonging to the indigenous tribe, activist working for the cultural-educational rights of native people. It is a wider platform for all indigenous communities to discuss and reflect upon challenges and problems faced by indigenous communities as well as finding the best means to address those concerns. It is a grassroots organization comprising all small & big indigenous communities.

ichLinks is a one-stop online platform where you can easily meet a wide range of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) information and content shared by and with Asia-Pacific Member States. We coined the term as a portmanteau of “ICH” and “Links”, referring to the mutual connections made among ICH and its stakeholders through the platform.\n\nHere you are only one click away from a wide range of Asia-Pacific ICH information and content with the help of advanced digital technologies. The platform also serves as a common ground in which various ICH stakeholders, e.g. policy-makers, researchers, institutes, NGOs, communities, and practitioners can interact with one another. Where they create greater value out of pan-regional cultural resources, ichLinks shall create a virtuous cycle of a stronger cultural bond and greater peace throughout the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.\n

The South-Western Alps, across Italy and France are an area of long-lasting and significantly dense presence of diverse intangible cultural heritage expressions, resulting from the peculiar forms of relation and adaptation between the communities and the mountain ecosystems. But now, this area faced a number of challenges, Alessio Re & Giulia Avanza introduced the projects for building up resilience on the South-Western Alps territory.

In 2017, Tajikistan ratified the 2003 Convention. Two years later, the Tajik government passed a decree and project to take place between 2013 and 2020. The goals of this project were to safeguard ICH from disappearing; reviving traditions; helping and supporting performers and masters; endorsing cultural elements accessible for wide use; studying and preparing books, films, and musical discs; and organizing folk festivals, cultural competitions, and other exhibitions. The festivals have several social and cultural functions due to their continuity. Infestivals, a person experiences his/her membership in society and feels the collective solidarity. Festivals also include didactic elements, mainly structuring the young generation in the task of responsibility among other members of the society; they should follow prescribed social and cultural norms. At the same time, festival also function on a psychological level, giving people a sense of national or ethnic identity and building social integration, solidarity, thus creating an atmosphere of friendship.

The ICH festivals in the Kyrgyz Republic are a great way to safeguard the cultural heritage. Kyrgyzstan has a rich ICH and embraces all ICH domains including the oral traditions andexpressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive event, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship. Festivals feature various ICH domains such as arts and crafts, cuisine, folklore, felt, hunting with birds, horse games, etc. For instance, the festivals Kyrgyz Shyrdagy and the Oimo International Festival are held with the aim of safeguarding and popularizing traditional knowledge and skills of handicrafts, for safeguarding and promoting traditional games, various birds of prey festivals are held, such as Salbuurun and Kok Boru. Moreover, festivals are dedicated to safeguarding oral traditions, such as Aitysh, the art of improvisation as well as many other festivals reflecting traditional cuisine, folklore, etc.

"Kazakhstan is home to many major local festivals, and the vibrant communities that help these festivals come to fruition are part networks that help promote the festivals. As a result, the local festivals have turned into multinational events. As an example, the World Nomadic Games (WNG) is held biennially and has grown considerably, in 2018, 3,000 athletes from 77 countries. The WNG has contributed to science in cultural heritage and transmission of the ICH in general. Traditional game federations have established networks in a number of counties- Salbuurun Federation (seventeen countries), Kök Börü Federation (ten countries), Alysh Federation (sixty-three countries), Kyrgyz Kürösh Federation (twenty-eight countries), Toguz Korgool Federation (thirty-three countries), Er Engish Federation (thirteen countries) and Ordo Federation (six countries). As a result, ICH festivals became one of the main attractions for international tourists in Kyrgyzstan that contribute to the local economy and to the livelihoods and well-being of concerned communities as well."

The profound difficulties international ICH community faces during the Corona pandemic is truly worrisome. For the NGOs of Korea, the common factor in dealing with the pandemic was for the ICH communities to absorb online activities and become fluent in online platforms for ICH safeguarding. But Bridging the digital gap is still remaining. So Hanhee Hahm, presented experience of COVID-19 and engagement of her with the ICH Community and counter measures against the pandemic society.