The Gangneung Danoje Festival has maintained typical elements of ancient festivals that were held in May (seedtime) and in October (harvest time) during the Samhan period (around 300 CE). In the fifth lunar month, which includes Dano day, local people perform rituals for driving away evil spirits and welcoming the fortune and participate in traditional games and activities. The main deities of the festival are the mountain god, Kim Yusin, who was the general of Shilla and the United Three Kingdoms, and the royal tutor tutelary deity, Beomil, who was a Shilla monk. The first documented record of Dano folklore appears in the Samguksagi (A History of the Three Kingdoms). Other records indicate that Dano has commonly been referred to as ‘Suri’ in local dialects.

In December 2011, Rumah Angklung was founded by a group of young people who loved and cared about the Angklung (a traditional Indonesian musical instrument) and finally had the initiative to create a community. That community is now a serious foundation committed to preserving and developing Indonesian art and culture, especially related to angklung.

Masks and mask dance exist through which they try to realize equality and be free from judgement, allowing you to express yourself as an equal in society regardless of class. The mask dance festival starts on the last Friday of September and lasts for ten days, and over a million people visit domestically and internationally. It has garnered attention from world leaders. Queen Elizabeth II of the UK, George H. Bush and George W. Bush of the USA, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, and other influential leaders have attended. The festival is about mixing modernity with tradition coming together, creating a mosaic of different colors and cultural significance. They use the mask dance festival as a collaborative tool that can bring various cultures together. The mask dance festival also plays a large role in transmitting the heritage to younger generations through various associations that function as a network.

One of the brightest folk festivities, is the Navruz spring holiday festival. Navruz, celebrated on 21 March symbolizes the universal date of birth, for when the departure of winter and arrival of spring was interpreted as the rebirth of nature. Its origin is connected to ancient astronomical observations which are based on solar and stellar motion as well as the motion of the moon. Ideas of peace, solidarity, prosperity, and mercifulness are reflected in each festive Navruz ritual.

Bangladesh, the world’s largest delta is crisscrossed by many great rivers and their innumerable tributaries. With a vast expanse of lush crop fields and hilly borderland thickly covered with virgin forests, it has always been known as a land full of nature’s bounties. Ancient chroniclers have described it as “a land of emerald and silver”, “a garden fit for kings”, or “a paradise among countries”. It is no wonder that this country has always attracted settlers, traders, and conquerors who turned the land into a crucible of diverse creeds and cultures. Despite this, little has been done for the safeguarding of the very rich and varied cultural heritages of our ancestors.

"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."

Globalisation has its benefits. But it could also diminish our heritage in ways that we may not sometimes even be conscious of. Effective minimization of the negative impacts is possible with timely interventions. Sometimes it may be too late before significant elements of our culture are endangered or even disappear. It is this concern that led the world community to come together and adopt the international Convention by UNESCO in 2003 for Safeguarding Intangible Heritage. It is passé to say that globalisation has accelerated to a pace that we are challenged to keep up with it on many fronts. We are quite familiar with the social, economic and environmental issues. In addressing only these three pillars during the 2000-2015 MDG phase of the UN, we now have a lot of catching up to do. Culture as the fourth pillar of sustainable development, even if not detailed enough, is located in the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will guide us between 2015 and 2030. We must endeavour to bring together the implementation of the 2003 Convention and higher education as part of the four-pillar paradigm. Several questions need to be addressed. \n \nCan higher educational institutions such as universities, specialised colleges add value to the UNESCO’s efforts in safeguarding intangible heritage in sustainable development? Can we find synergies between the strategic directions of higher educational institutions and the Overall Results Framework for the UNESCO 2003 Intangible Heritage Convention? In what ways can Regional, Sub- Regional, National and Local networking and knowledge sharing be empowering to safeguard intangible heritage and the rich cultural diversity of the Asia Pacific? Given that language itself is not covered by the Convention but included as a vehicle of the intangible heritage (Article 2.2.a), how best can we maximise on the linguistic diversity of the region promoted through higher educational institutions in minimising the hegemonic impacts of monolingualism that endangers so much of our intangible heritage? \n\nFirst and foremost, it must be underlined that UNESCO and a number of national and international agencies including NGOs have advocated strongly for the inclusion of culture as a separate SDG in the UN 2030 Agenda. None of the 17 SDGs focus exclusively on culture. However, the advocacy has created an inclusive discourse on culture that cuts across the SDGs. The resulting Agenda includes several explicit references to cultural aspects. The following SDG Targets are significant. They provide windows of opportunity to ensuring that we locate culture in the SDGs and in doing so promote the safeguarding of intangible heritage:

With the arrival of the Kasato Maru at the port of Santos in 1908, a progressive process of Japanese immigration to Brazil began. Martial arts, an integral part of Japanese culture, were brought along with those first immigrants (Kobayashi, 2010). Brazil became the country with the largest number of Japanese immigrants, with São Paulo the biggest community of Japanese people outside Japan (Sociedade Brasileira de Cultura Japonesa, 1992).\n

Most countries or ethnic groups have a traditional martial art distinct in style and technique. In Myanmar, the traditional martial art is called Thaing, which is used to classify the indigenous martial systems of ancient Myanmar. Myanmar traditional martial arts have been well established for centuries and handed down through generations. The word “Thaing” in translation refers to the act of moving around in a circle, which also means “total fighting.” Thaing is not only an intangible cultural heritage of Myanmar but also a technique for self-defense, combat, and a traditional sport. More importantly, it is an art that demonstrates a strong nationalistic spirit, bravery, and holistic fitness. As a knowledge system, Thaing is protected and safeguarded by its masters.\n

Central Asia is a region that has served as the centre of social and economic, in particular cultural interrelations of East and West. The nations of this region have a rich cultural heritage and ancient traditions like any nation in the world. The nations of Central Asia - Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan – make up a unified cultural space, defined by great grassland steppes and famous mountains, nomadic culture and common history, relics and traditions. Throughout this region we find petroglyphs, keregsur, steles, ruins and other monuments attesting to the mingling of peoples in the Central Asian steppe since prehistory. The territory of our own nation, Mongolia, has indeed been the centre several nomadic empires at various stages in history, established by different peoples of Central Asia sharing a similar cultural origin – Hunnu, Khitan, Turks, Uighurs, Kyrgyz and Mongols.

In December 2011, Rumah Angklung was founded by a group of young people who loved and cared about the Angklung (a traditional Indonesian musical instrument) and finally had the initiative to create a community. That community is now a serious foundation committed to preserving and developing Indonesian art and culture, especially related to angklung.\nRumah Angklung has a responsibility to continue working and instill pride in people far and wide. “When Culture Becomes a Pride” includes the common threads, ideals, and dreams of Rumah Angklung to make Indonesian culture prestigious. Rumah Angklung could hopefully be a “home” for individuals, groups, or other angklung communities for gathering information, seeking solutions, and experiencing many other benefits of angklung. In these activities, the purpose of angklung preservation and development can be achieved.

ICCN, Interurban Cooperation Network for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, is an international organization of local governments and cultural institutions which includes 31 states, 29 cities and 34 associations. Its main objective is the protection of the intangible cultural heritage around the world and the promotion of sustainable local development. Moreover, it also seeks to achieve cultural peace through mutual understanding and intercultural dialogue between the different populations that are part of it. Julio Nacher shared some good examples of cultural events that successfully held in pandemic situation.