"For the past three years, sub-regional network meetings on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in the Asia-Pacific region have been held consecutively in Nandi (Fiji, 2010), Nukualofa (Tonga, 2011), and Rarotonga (Cook Islands, 2012). Through these meetings, the countries in the Pacific region and ICHCAP have recognised the importance of safeguarding ICH as the origin of human creativity and cultural diversity and have shared the need for regional and international cooperation. In particular, the third sub-regional meeting in Rarotonga offers an opportunity to discuss the possibility of using information and communication technology (ICT) to efficiently manage and use ICH information. \nAlbeit with some negative aspects, the so-called information society, established by the development of ICT, is causing remarkable changes such as rapid dissemination of knowledge and information, promotion of communication, and improvement in the quality of life. In particular, the Internet is changing the concept of traditional information service and it is making a new environment. The possibility of networking, cooperation, and digitisation that is raised in this environment brings the fundamental change in the function of acquisition, storage, and dissemination of information.\nICT development also offers a new method in the ICH field. In other words, by using the constantly progressing ICT properly for safeguarding and promoting ICH, it is expected to contribute to establishing a new safeguarding system, fundamentally different from traditional systems. The application of ICT will help people easily access ICH information and knowledge and it will also contribute to enhancing ICH safeguarding and cultural diversity. "

Established in 2000, The Loden Foundation is a registered civil society organization in Bhutan with the objectives of promoting education, cultural preservation, and entrepreneurship among the Bhutanese children and young adults; promoting education and learning at the preschool, school, and post-school stages, and thereby fostering an enlightened and educated society in Bhutan; promoting awareness of the education and the needs of local communities in relation to entrepreneurship, health education, practical skills and crafts, and literacy among remote villages and communities within Bhutan; preserving and promoting the cultures and tradi- tions of Bhutan; and undertaking, if need be, other charitable work that contributes toward the welfare of the public.

Established in 2000, The Loden Foundation is a registered civil society organization in Bhutan with the objectives of promoting education, cultural preservation, and entrepreneurship among the Bhutanese children and young adults; promoting education and learning at the preschool, school, and post-school stages, and thereby fostering an enlightened and educated society in Bhutan; promoting awareness of the education and the needs of local communities in relation to entrepreneurship, health education, practical skills and crafts, and literacy among remote villages and communities within Bhutan; preserving and promoting the cultures and tradi-tions of Bhutan; and undertaking, if need be, other charitable work that contributes toward the welfare of the public. \n

In the past decades, the world has seen unprecedented migration of people from rural communities to urban centres. According to the UN, “the urban population of the world has grown rapidly from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018.” Today, 55% of the world’s population is reported to live in urban areas, and this is expected to increase to 68% by 2050.1) Such migration is particularly intense in the less developed countries, which make the majority of global population, and the rate of urbanisation is highest in Asia.\nIn spite of its historic isolation and renown for conservation of its traditional way of life, Bhutan is no exception to the process of urbanisation. On the contrary, it stands out as a striking example of urban growth. Just over half a century ago, there was not a single town in Bhutan. The country was entirely made up of villages. Even Thimphu, the nation’s capital for nearly four centuries, was a valley of a few scattered villages and the dzong fortress, which housed the government and monastic headquarters. Over 99% of the built environment we see today in the growing metropolis of Thimphu was built after 1960s. The picture of Thimphu taken in 1963 shows the valley of open rice fields, which have today become a concrete jungle. The picture of south Thimphu taken at the turn of the century shows how fast the suburban areas of Thimphu have grown.