Dwarka was born to fulfill these dreams and aspirations. Dwaraknath Reddy gave the rural Kalamkari artisans his assurance that the Ramanarpanam Trust would support a socio-economic empowerment program for them—a program in which the entire village could learn to develop a market to provide sustainable support for the rest of their lives. In the five years since its inception, hundreds of artists and weavers have been impacted by the support of DWARAKA—just one of many Ramanarpanam Trust initiatives. The support, in the last few years alone, runs into over Rs 4.5 to 5 million. While mobilizing the artists’ community was the most critical aspect of the empowerment process, there were many other challenges that the DWARAKA team encountered and sought to creatively overcome. The team realized the need to focus on the development of efficient systems and infrastructure in the village, support emergency medical needs and rebuild shelters, explore the infinite range of possibilities for new kalamkari products, and help establish proper marketing channels for these new products.

Khamir was established in 2005 as a joint initiative of Kachchh Nav Nirman Abhiyan and the Nehru Foundation for Development to strengthen and promote the rich artisanal traditions of Kachchh district. The name ‘Khamir’ means ‘intrinsic pride’ in local language and it stands for Kachchh Heritage, Art, Music, Information and Resources. The organizational aim is to provide a platform for the promotion of traditional handicrafts and allied cultural practices, the processes involved in their creation, and the preservation of culture, community and local environments. Also a common roof of a democratic and empowering space has been created, where a range of stakeholders can exchange their ideas and collaborate. The organization works on shift consumer perspectives and raises the cultural value placed on crafts to establish a vibrant, sustainable Indian craft sector in which crafts and artisans alike are highly valued by people worldwide.

Maldives Authentic Crafts Cooperative Society (MACCS) is a handicraft cooperative, developing and marketing authentic handicraft items of the rural artisans. Based in the capital Malé, MACCS was founded by a group of women to assist and promote the development of the local handicrafts industry. Registered in 2011, MACCS promotes local arts and crafts and facilitates market access for local products. MACCS is committed, through its cooperative, to support & educate local communities in the revival of handicrafts and thereby make it a sustainable livelihood activity.

After the Angkor was inscribed on the World Cultural Heritage List, it was necessary to establish working mechanisms to promote national and international collaboration. The creation of Authority for the Protection and Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap called APSARA or APSARA authority in 1995 also corresponds to the request of the World Heritage Committee, which temporarily inscribed Angkor on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger in December 1992. Permanent inscription was at that point depended upon the Cambodian government taking concrete action in the field.\nSince 2008, according to the new structure of APSARA authority, a committee for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage will form with representatives from departments of APSARA—Department of Cultural Development Museums and Heritage Standards, Department of Land and Habitats Management, Department of Agricultural Extension and Community Development, Department of Angkor Tourism Development, and Department of Communication—for conducting APSARA projects or collaborative projects with national and international organizations. An ongoing APSARA project is to develop a policy for sustainable safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in the Angkor region and other regions under its jurisdiction.

Public Fund "Rural Development Fund" (RDF) is a non-profit non-governmental research organization, registered in November 2003.\n\nThe main activity of the RDF is to conduct applied research on various aspects of rural development, and the implementation of projects in the field of rural development and sustainable management of natural complexes that contribute to the development of policy and the decision making at the local and national level, the evaluation of ongoing projects and the development of recommendations to improve their effectiveness.\n\nThe RDF provides interactive adult education tailored to the needs and background of the rural population. The RDF is also involved in various exchange visits, facilitation and organization of international and national conferences, seminars and working group meetings.\n\nRDF has unique experience in conducting the research on pastoral traditional knowledge funded by the Christensen Fund, USA. They carried out the traditional knowledge research with the involvement of local researchers, which was very successful. RDF also conducted a study for the World Bank on traditional natural resource management and existing conflicts over natural resources.\n

AIACA, a nationwide network of handicraft and handloom clusters, directly addresses the need to empower traditional artisan clusters across India through professionalization of their craft based skills for sustainable enterprise development. AIACA specializes in sustainable craft based livelihood initiatives through skill development, design innovation and product diversification, entrepreneurship development, direct market access, access to social entitlements and schemes and policy advocacy. AIACA has a unique national certification proramme, Craftmark (www.craftmark.org), that certifies and improves the economic competitiveness of genuine handmade craft processes and products of India and brings under its fold, artisans, SHGs, cooperatives, associations, social enterprises, and individual practitioners to gain from its business development and promotional services thus creating dignity and pride in the practice of traditional crafts in the long run. AIACA has over 75 Craftmark members (outreach of over 20,000 artisans across 22 states of India) and has documented over 80 traditional craft processes practiced in the country.

The Center for Research and Promotion of Cultural Heritage (CCH), an affiliate institution of thenCultural Heritage Association of Việt Nam, a non-governmental organization (NGO) accredited bynUNESCO in 2011, has been officially operating since 2010. In pursuance of study objectives basednon the community within the framework of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the safeguarding ofnthe intangible cultural heritage, CCH has carried out dozens of ICH projects and study themes fornthe past 8 years. One of the principles of CCH is to be chiefly connected to the study of communities. This has helpednin bringing about good achievements and sustainable development in study projects of CCH.\nLeaders of the Center are specialists in the field of intangible cultural heritage involving in thenimplementation of the 2003 Convention for the past 15 years. The number of projects and programsnimplemented by CCH each year constantly increased with new ones. CCH has become a truly usefulnbridge, linking state management bodies with communities; an organization that always assistncommunities in the safeguarding and promotion of their intangible cultural heritage. CCH isncurrently the leading organization under the Vietnam Association for Cultural Heritage in thensafeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. It has closely collaborated with a wide range ofnorganizations and institutions, especially local communities, in safeguarding projects that involveninventorying, heritage education, preparation of nominations, and exhibition.

Folkland, an international centre for folklore and culture, is an NGO devoted for the promotion ofnfolklore and culture established in 1989. Folkland is based in the south-western province of Indianand has branches in several regions of India and other countries, too. Main domains of Folkland fallnunder performing arts, oral traditions and expressions, social practices, rituals and festivals,ntraditional crafts, and so on. Folkland stands for the promotion of folklore with an objective tonprotect the intangible cultural heritage. lt strives hard to conserve intangible cultural heritage fornthe future generation. It aims for sustainable development through intangible cultural heritage.

\nThe Centre for Intangible Heritage Studies (CIHS) is the first academic center in India on the subject of intangible heritage, based at the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady (SSUSK) in the state of Kerala in India. The CIHS owes its origin to the 2015 National Intangible Heritage Festival organized at the SSUSK by the National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi, which resulted in a Kalady Charter on Intangible Heritage. Since its foundation, three of its major focus works have been intangible heritage education, intangible heritage and sustainable development, and resilient heritage.

Banglanatak dot com is a social enterprise working across India for inclusive and sustainablendevelopment using culture-based approaches. Art for Life initiative of the organization revivesnintangible cultural heritage and develops grassroot cultural industries. The organization isnaccredited by the UNESCO 2003 Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee and has SpecialnConsultative Status to UN ECOSOC. Banglanatak is working in South Asia to develop a network ofnNGOs working for safeguarding ICH and contributing to sustainable development in collaborationnwith ICHCAP and UNESCO.

Bangladesh Institute of Theatre Arts (BITA) is a Non Government Organisation established in 2004. The oraganisation works in the sector of performing arts, crafts and oral tradition for safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Performing arts (like theatre, Kabi Gaan, folk songs etc.) is the specialization area where the organisation works closely using diverse modalities with engagement of grassroots artists from rural and urban area entangling multiple ingredients of cultural heritage like use of traditional musical instruments, folk cultural forms. The organisation has been working with multiple communities which are mainly derived from disadvantaged and neglected section of the society including fisher folk, ethnic minorities, peasants, blacksmiths, grassroots artisans, slum dwellers, children, youth adolescents, women etc from Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Lakshmipur, Noakhali, Feni and Bandarban Hill District. The extensive use of performing arts have been playing significant role reviving and promoting the cultural heritage from one generation to another in order to expedite human rights promotion, social harmony and sustainable development. The ICH safeguarding activities that they undertake are: skill development- technical improvement, knowledge sharing, workshop activities, use of folk elements, etc. They have initiated cultural exchange and are working within and outside the country. BITA also has documentation and publication both in the form of audio and books. As an organisation, BITA has been successful in engaging youth to take part in ICH practices and activities related to safeguarding and promotion activities of ICH as livelihood options.

Arts Council of Mongolia (ACM), an arts and culture NGO, was established by Mongolian arts, civic, and business leaders in 2002 with the support of the Mongolian Foundation for an Open Society. Its mission is to support the sustainable development of Mongolian arts and culture and to preserve the cultural heritage of Mongolia. ACM runs four different program areas: Arts, Community Arts Education, Cultural Heritage, and a Development Program.