Lkhon khol of Wat Svay Andet continues today because of its significance in the community’s beliefs and identity, but over the last decade it has been experiencing difficulty. Despite of having some support from the state, NGOs, and the community itself, the troop has faced some challenges, such as the lack of dance costumes, ornaments, masks, stages, and musical instruments. Furthermore, the number of performers has been gradually decreasing due to aging and a lack of natural talent, and the younger generations show little interest since the performances generate no income and they are busy with their studies or working.\nTraditionally, the lkhon khol is transmitted orally within a family and through informal, master-apprentice relationships. Community leaders, masters, and the temple patriarch also encourage younger generations to learn lkhon khol skills to ensure that the art form remains part of the community’s living cultural practice.\nApprentices have historically learned their preferential skills at their masters’ house at night, a time they were free from their agriculture work. While the same practice continues, recently amateurs are learning their art skills in groups during the day on Sundays or occasionally Thursday at the temple compound.

Kusunda is one of the former hunter-gatherers of western Nepal. Currently, no single person of the tribe is living in the jungle. Due to lack of marriageable population, Kusunda started marrying people from the villages and gradually settled in villages. nGyani Maiya Sen, 92, is one of the last speakers of the Kusunda language. She is also the last surviving member of the tribe who until nine years of age lived with her parents in the jungle. Currently, Gyani Maiya lives with her grandchildren in a house in Lamahi, Dang. She often teaches Kusunda among children and enthusiasts. Gyani Maiya fears that the Kusunda language will be lost along with her.

The Ban Narasilp (or Narasilp House) community in Wat Suntorn Thammatarn (or Wat Kae Nang Lerng) on Larn Luang Street is a descendant of the Khon-lakorn troupe called the Narasilp troupe. The Narasilp troupe has been transmitting Khon performing arts and craftsmanship for many generations. This area has been home to many classical Thai dance and drama troupes since the early Rattanakosin period of the late-eighteenth century.\nOn 14 June 2018, the Department of Cultural Promotion, Ministry of Culture, awarded the Ban Narasilp descendants and officially opened the Ban Narasilp on Larn Luang Street as a community learning center for learning to make and embroider Khon costumes to maintain continuity and the significance of Khon as a national intangible cultural heritage. In addition, the descendants have been supported with a budget for the training workshop to train a new generation of young artisans in classical Khon and Thai drama costume to safeguard this fine art for humanity.

Ms Yau is graduated with a BA (Japanese Studies), MA (Cultural Management) from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and PgDip in Cultural Heritage Management from The University of Hong Kong (HKU). She is an accredited heritage conservationist (HKICON), Project Management Professional (PMI) as well as a member of the Documentation and Conservation of Buildings, Sites and Neighbourhoods of the Modern Movement (Docomomo) Hong Kong Chapter. \n\nMs Yau has been involved in heritage revitalisation, management and education since 2009. Her experience covers both tangible and intangible cultural heritage conservation in both urban and rural areas. Her achievements includes project development and execution of rural sustainability programme at Lai Chi Wo – awardee of 2019 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation Award; establishment heritage museum and community network for Mei Ho House Revitalisation Project – awardee of 2015 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Conservation Award; project planning for Bridges Street Market News-Expo Museum; as well as lecturer and academic coordinator for Cultural Heritage Management related programmes and training in the Asia Pacific region.

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.

Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (BARCIK) is founded with the mission to protect indigenous knowledge of Bangladesh. It mainly workd in the fields of biodiversity conservation and community development and engages in exploring and incorporating indigenous knowledge and practices into contemporary development programs. Throughout the years, BARCIK has promoted and contributed to integrating indigenous knowledge in development initiatives in its efforts to empowering local and indigenous communities.

The Nagorik Uddyog (NU), a leading human rights NGO, has been working for the protection of rights, dignity, and heritage of the Dalit and other excluded communities of Bangladesh since 1995. NUs activities includes the protection and safeguarding of languages, folk music, drama and dances, heritage dress and food, traditional knowledge, beliefs and rituals, traditional means of livelihoods, folktales and literature, arts, and festivals.

Prokritee, established in 2001, is a Not-for-Profit Company manufacturing and exporting handicrafts. The organisation is committed to moral and social values and supports over 1,500 artisans in rural areas. For the products they use recycled materials such as used sari, waste jute, silk, handmade paper, natural fibers and leaves. They are winners of the WFTO Mohammed Islam Design Award 2015 for our Paper Christmas tree ornament made out of water-hyacinth and handmade paper. The products produced by the artisans are sold in Bangladesh and exported to many countries around the world. Prokritee and its enterprises provide jobs for marginalized rural women; thus improves women’s standard of living and helps them send their children to school. The organisation provides skill development training to artisans. Prokritee creates and promotes income generating projects that benefit the artisans in marginalized situations and adheres to good safety and environmental standards, and have the potential to become self–reliant. The initiatives of Prokritee have a huge impact on social inclusion as well. Some examples are the Hajiganj Handicrafts Crochet Unit (set up in 2006 to support Bihari families who had to flee their homes, during the partition of Bengal), Sacred Mark Enterprises (set up for alternative employment of former sex workers) and Biborton Handmade Paper (set up in Barishal district which is a disadvantaged and vulnerable area). Prokritee also works with the ethnic minority groups like the Santhals in Rajshahi district and some indigenous groups in the Hill Tracks of Chittagong, Bandarban and Rangamati.

Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan is an operating arm of the Geneva-based Aga Khan Trust fornCulture (AKTC) and an agency of wider Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Pakistan. Sincenits inception in early 1990s, AKCSP has been leading conservation and restoration of culturalnheritage in Pakistan, particularly in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Lahore. AKCSP has till now successfullynrestored major landmark monuments of GB which include award winning Baltit Fort, Altit Fort innHunza, Shigar Fort, and Khaplu Palace in Baltistan and Mughal era Shahi Hammam (publicnbathhouse) in Lahore apart from a number of historic settlements, architecturally significantnindividual buildings and common spaces.