Relative to the creative economy of South Korea, the importance of the Eurasian Turkic states is growing. The reorganized resource-rich countries of the Eurasian continent, ancient nations belonging to the Silk Road, have established themselves from the beginning of the 21st century as political and economic powers in the international arena. CIS countries such as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan were protagonists of the great Silk Road that linked the East and the West that had been cut off from each other in ancient times.

Tugging rituals and games can be found all around the world, constitut-ing a panhuman cultural phenomenon. Especially in Asia, tugging rituals and games are related to rice farming, with most instances located within the farming cultures of Northeast and Southeast Asia. The practice of tug-ging rituals and games is universal and widespread, held to pray for rain or a good harvest or to foretell whether the year’s harvest will be good or bad. While many sim-ilarities exist among each tugging event based on the climate or environment, there is also a distinctness, individuality, and creativity specific to each region, making tugging rituals and games worth preserving as a common element of the intangible cultural heritage of AsiaDue to rapid urbanization and industrialization, however, today the tugging rituals and games of each country are in danger of their transmission being suspended, and there is even a lack of awareness of how important it is to safeguard tugging rituals and games as a part of intangible cultural heritage that is closely linked with agri-cultural rituals. In addition, while there have been previous case studies on tugging rituals and games of Asia, they are mostly limited to specific regions or rarely provide in-depth research, making it difficult to consider the connections between each region.

In many cultures, there is a concept of expected gendered roles where people perform certain functions, parts, or kinds of a cultural or social activity according to their gender. Men are expected to be strong and masculine, and employ the roles which are more related to hard labor, leadership, and literacy. Women, traditionally, assume feminine and maternal characteristics and roles in supporting men in their social events. Although these notions of gender qualities and roles differ from culture to culture, it is often found that the traditional customs which dictate who can and cannot participate in specific parts of the culture are often bounded by gender stereotypes and taboos.

It had taken a few weeks for roads to be cleared of rockfalls and to be made safe enough for vehicles carrying essential goods and supplies in the wake of the June 2013 flash floods and landslides in the western Himalayan region, in particular the mountainous state of Uttarakhand. A small team from the specialist center that I was associated with, the Centre for Environment Education Himalaya, was traveling to a few of the villages that had been affected, which were also villages in which the center had been working for some years before the natural disaster. Those in the small group were anxious. There had been no way to contact people in the villages nor even local administrators in the sub-district offices. Phone lines had yet to be restored, and mobile phone towers were being slowly replaced. Had there been casualties amongst the groups the center had trained? Were homes and school buildings still standing? No-one would know until they reached.

AJIYER Fair Trade Ltd. began working as a social business enterprise for the betterment of Bangladesh communities in 2002. It aims to strengthen the livelihood of rural agricultural practitioners, craftsmen, and artisans; empower women and children; revive cultural heritage; and ensure food and nutritional security.

This presentation basically focuses on two themes: (1) the meaning of loss and risk in the context of cultural dynamics and (2) the possible articulation between cultural safeguarding and social development projects. I argue that the loss or abandonment of ICH elements by cultural communities does not simply point out at the impoverishment of cultural repertories, but often makes manifest social conflicts and changes which may sometimes be desired by some social agents, yet seen as undesirable by others within the same social formation. Furthermore, I believe that the safeguarding of ICH, particularly endangered social practices and traditional knowledge, can be a crucial component of social development programmes, above all in relation to education, in raising family income, as well as in strengthening senses of identity and selfesteem of minority groups.

"This report focuses on where Tonga stands in regard to the 2003 Convention in terms of achievements and challenges faced since the second sub-regional meeting that was held in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, in February 2011.\nTonga has signed two conventions—the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 2003 Convention. There is no doubt of the benefits received from signing these two conventions. The State Parties are experiencing the same problems related to westernisation, globalisation, and migration, and we have to act professionally in trying to maintain, preserve, develop, and promote our traditional cultures; otherwise, our traditions will drift away from us, leaving nothing for the next generation. Hence, the transmission of skills from one generation to the next generation is one of the vital activities to adopt through formal, non-formal, and informal education.\nThe two main education outcome objectives that guide us in performing our tasks in the Ministry of Education, Women’s Affairs are to \n1. Preserve, maintain, support, promote, and integrate Tongan values, culture, and language into all educational programmes and activities\n2. Improve universal basic education and post basic education through curriculum development that includes culture, gender, ICT, language policy, sports, technical vocational education and training skills, life skills, and life- long learning\nThese are the activities that have been done or are being undertaken during the 2011 and 2012 financial year in relation to implementing the 2003 Convention at the national level:\n• Second Sub – regional network meeting held in Tonga, February 2011;\n• Initial discussion related to the field survey project with ICHCAP\n• Completed National Cultural Policy, August 2011\n• Signed Joint Project Agreement between Tonga and ICHCAP, October 2011\n• Completed Phase One of the Joint Project Agreement October – December 2011"

Prabartana is a social enterprise working in diverse sections for revival which includes: arts, crafts, food security, and community-led responsible tourism. The organization provides training to weavers and has contributed to technical enhancement through documentation of patterns in computers instead of the manual style of Jacquard pattern design. As safeguarding action, they involve artisans in exhibitions and workshops for cultural exchange, audio-visual documentation and publication of books, social media-based promotions and audience development through the Web, newspaper articles and festival-relevant brochures. The organization also promotes community-led responsible tourism through AJIYER, where the community has the rights and knowledge to operate tours and promote and conserve cultural heritage, apart from safeguarding their environment.

Singapore as a secular, multi-cultural, and multi-religious city state has had processions as part of its socio-religious fabric since the nineteenth century. Thaipusam, observed in Singapore since the late nineteenth century/and early twentieth century, is one of the most vibrant and longest surviving festivals in Singapore’s history.

From 1990 to 2010, as an ethnologist devoted to the process of heritagemaking, I investigated Alpine communities and their strategies in facing a changing world. In an historical perspective, my eldwork has been oriented to making memories and the ways they worked as strategies of resistance in facing the many uncertainties of the future (Certeau 1990).

My name is Mousumi Chowdhury I am a female chau dancer—chau is a male-dominated form of traditional martial arts-based dance from the eastern reaches of the Indian subcontinent and, as such, there are many burdens that I bear on my shoulders.

"1. UNESCO CONVENTIONS: \nTonga signed two of the Conventions: \n(a) 1972 World Heritage Convention in 2004; and \n(b) 2003 Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. \n2. EDUCATION OUTCOME OBJECTIVES \nThe main objective of signing these Conventions is to preserve, maintain, support, promote, and integrate Tongan values, culture, and language into all educational programmes and activities. \nThe other reason is to improve UBE and PBE through curriculum development, which includes culture, gender, ICT, language policy, sports, technical vocational education and training skills, life skills, and lifelong learning. \n3. KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2011/12 FINANCIAL YEAR \nThese are the key achievements that Tonga has attained this year: \n 2nd Sub regional network meeting held in Tonga, February 2011  Started discussions in relation to Field Survey Project with ICHCAP  Completed report on Field Survey Project, January 2012 \n Completed National Cultural Policy, August 2011  Joint Project Agreement, Tonga and ICHCAP \nPhase One: October to December 2011 \n Held a personnel exchange programme with ICHCAP, October 2011 \n Signed Agreement in Seoul, Republic of Korea, 12 October 2011; \n Established National Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee to be in-charge of the ICH activities under this Joint Agreement Project; "