Aibek Baiymbetov graduated from the Kyrgyz National University named after Jusup Balasagyn with a Master's degree in International Relations. He also studied at the University of Tsukuba in Japan as an exchange researcher. Besides, he studied the Chinese language and oriental culture in Guangzhou, China. \n\nAibek Baiymbetov has been working in the field of cultural heritage and journalism for more than 10 years, with a focus on safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage, popularizing the traditional knowledge and practices of nomadic culture, as well as creating a value-oriented, modern creative network in the field of traditional music, journalism, animation, film, and theatre art. \n\nRecently, he has been actively working on preserving the biocultural diversity, adapting the cultural meanings to modern perception - through digital and creative products. Aibek Baiymbetov is a co-founder of the musical project "Kyrgyz Kairyk" which focuses on the safeguarding and popularisation of traditional music, he also acted as a consultant in several projects on the restoration and popularisation of Kyrgyz traditional art. \n\nHe took part in many research expeditionary initiatives to study the traditional culture of the indigenous people of the Tian Shan, Pamir, Himalayas, and Altai. He is a founder of the Public Fund "Peace Dialogue and Holistic Development", which has been working for more than 5 years in the field of safeguarding ICH, as well as creating a network of expert councils in the fields of climate, ecology, philosophy and traditional cultural and spiritual practices. He is an author of a short documentary anthology film "Man - Universe". At the moment, he is a researcher at the Department of Cultural Heritage and Humanities at the University of Central Asia. \n\nAibek Baiymbetov's academic and research interests lie in the area of the religious and cultural heritage of Kyrgyzstan/Central Asia - traditional Islam and traditional practices of the nomadic ideology. In the field of biocultural diversity and traditional cultures of indigenous people. Traditional art - Kyrgyz folklore, epic heritage and music. \n\nHe is the winner of the UNESCO 2021 “Silk Road Youth Research Grant” competition among the young researchers, as well as the winner of international and local film festivals in the field of documentary films about ICH. \n

Dale Jarvis is an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Folklore, Memorial University, and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Development Officer for Newfoundland and Labrador, helping communities to safeguard traditional culture. Dale has been working for Heritage NL since 1996, and holds a BSc in Anthropology/Archaeology from Trent University, and a MA in Folklore from Memorial University. In 2014, he served on the UNESCO Consultative Body to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. He regularly teaches workshops on oral history, cultural documentation, and public folklore.

Born in the Great Cold Mountains, Sichuan, Dr Qubumo Bamo originates from the Nuosu, a subgroup of the Yi people. She obtained her Ph. D. in Folkloristics at Beijing Normal University in 2003. She is Senior Fellow and Director of the Oral Traditions Research Center at the Institute of Ethnic Literature (IEL), Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). She also acts as Vice President of the China Folklore Society (CFS), an accredited NGO and a member of the Evaluation Body of the Committee. \n\nConcentrating on the links between the written and oral traditions of the Yi, she has conducted long-term targeted field study on various aspects of Bimo (ritualists) scripture culture and Yi oral narratives. She is the author of The Golden-Eagle Spirit and Poetic Soul: A Study of Archaic Poetics in the Yi's Scriptures (2000), Spirit Picture and Ghost Board: A Survey of Incantation Epos and Ritualized Paintings in Nuosu Yi Area (2004), and more than 130 articles. Her translation of Gregory Nagy’s Homeric Questions was published in 2008. Her newest book, entitled Verbal Dueling and Epic Performance, is in press, and is a revised edition of her dissertation, based on a targeted field study carried out in her hometown. She has recently been working as a principal expert on the National Key Project for Developing Metadata Standards for Documentation of China Ethnic Minority Oral Traditions. \n\nDr Bamo teaches courses on oral tradition, folkloristics, and ICH studies at University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (UCASS) for the PHD and MA graduate students. Topics of current research include epic tradition, oral poetics, ICH safeguarding and cultural policy. Her essays on ICH is in print (Beijing: Culture and Art Publishing House, 2021).\nSince 2004, she has been extensively engaged in the field of Intangible Cultural Heritage at local, national, and international levels, possessing competence and consulting expertise in policy-making, training design, lecture delivering, as well as programme evaluation for governmental organs, professional institutions, centers of communities, and universities. Since 2007, she has been active in the China Delegation to statutory meetings and events under the 2003 Convention. As one of the ICH Team (CFS4ICH) leaders in the China Folklore Society, she plays a central role in annual tasks.

Republican cultural institutions established on the basis of the organization, which has been operating since 1936, first in the form of the House of Folk Art, then the Republican Scientific and Methodological Center of Folk Art and Cultural Enlightenment, by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated February 15, 2017.\nThe scientific-methodical center for the organization of activities is a state institution under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan, whose main task is to comprehensively study the problems of public administration in cultural and art institutions operating in all regions of the country, as well as in the field of culture. to assist in the full implementation of state policy, to ensure active cooperation with public administration and local authorities, to preserve and develop the rich traditions and achievements of our national art, to promote theater, museums, library, creative associations, culture to raise the status of recreation and recreation parks, cultural and recreational centers and concert venues, to submit to the Ministry analytical and critical presentations on the activities of cultural and artistic institutions and to further develop and strengthen their material and technical base further development of creative work carried out by cultural institutions within the framework of its rights and obligations through the development of the necessary recommendations, the formation of a system of training and retraining in accordance with modern requirements and scientific and methodological activities.

Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS) is a scientific institution under thenMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST). It conducts research and scientific activities andnprovides graduate training in culture and arts. It has been carrying out research and developingnscientific foundations for MoCST to develop strategy and build instruments and policies for statenmanagement of culture, family life, sports and tourism. It also safeguards intangible culturalnheritage by means of data/material collection and research. It operates doctoral programs innculture and arts with five majors as follows: Cultural Studies, Cultural Management, Theory andnHistory of Theatrical Arts, and Theory and History of Fine Arts and Folklore.

The Institute of Language and Literature (ILL) at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences is a scientific organization that manages academic researches on philology, literature, and folklore in Mongolia. The ILL was founded as the Institute of Sutra and Script in 1921. The name subsequently institute changed to the Cabinet of Philology in 1930, to the Centre for the Study of Philology and Literature in 1957, and finally to the Institute of Language and Literature in 1961 when the Mongolian Academy of Sciences was established. nSince 1962, the ILL at the Mongolian Academy of Sciences has been implementing fieldwork on folk heritage and local dialects one to three times per year. Sometimes folk tellers and singers have been invited to make audio and video recordings. As a result of these activities, the ILL has built a treasury of audio recordings and manuscripts of Mongolian cultural heritage. For instance, this treasury contains tales, heroic epics, long and short songs, and wise and metaphoric words. Also our researchers have recorded ethnic legends and stories about rituals and customs and festivals. About 1100 hours of audio recordings have been preserved in this fund. We are also preserving 451 units of handwritten books and manuscripts.

Vayali is a folklore group that was started in 2004 exclusively with the intention of preserving the folk arts of the indigenous communities along the banks of river Nila. Vayali nears a decade of active participation in the social arena, reaching far deeper and spreading to a larger number of people.\nVayali, from its birth has constantly expanded, shifting focus to various aspects of indigenous arts and crafts which are at the verge of extinction. The group of folk singers were identified by folk enthusiast Vinod Nambiar, now the Director of Vayali and given a chance to perform at ‘Thali silpasala’, where they performed the artform ‘Chavittukali’. This was the real beginning of Vayali’s journey. What started as a group of folk singers then became an authority in performing various other Folk forms, like Dharikavadhom, Kudachozhi and Maani.