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.

The Center for Intangible Culture Studies (CICS) was established to enhance researches and promote safeguarding actives of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). CICS puts special efforts for finding measures for protecting and preserving ICH with academic concerns and in-depth understanding of its distinctive characteristics. CICS has been involved in many fruitful tasks such as research, inventorying and publishing. nCICS also established another special field; ICHPEDIA, a web-based ICH encyclopedia in collaboration with Cultural Heritage Administration of Korean Government. The purposes of establishing ICHPEDIA and archives are (1) to collect basic information to draw up National ICH inventory (2) to provide communities, specialists, and general users with easy access to our digitalized ICHPEDIA, (3) to encourage active participation of those who have interests in ICH, (4) to enhance cultural diversity.\nAs such CICS has so far endeavored to develop diverse programs from collecting primary sources of ICH and constructing the best web-based ICH inventory to developing the educational programs and application programs. CICS is standing in the forefront of the world’s ICH research institutions.

Ariyapala & Sons’ passing through their fifth generation of carving traditional masks and dancing is a non-profit organization which works with the mask making community in Ambalagoda. Ambalangoda is a very popular cultural centre in the southern coastal region of Srilanka and is well known for traditional mask carving and mask dancing. It was named after ‘Ariyapala Wijesuriya Gurunnanse’, one of the greatest master craftsmen in Sri Lanka. The organisational building includes a well developed museum, a workshop and a well decorated product display shop with various types of traditional masks. The museum is designed to introduce into the richness of the mask tradition of Ambalangoda and to strengthen cultural heritage. This museum also has a small library containing all available anthropological literature on mask performances to serve as a centre for traditional arts & crafts and for research as well.

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.

Mongolia’s Foundation for the Protection of Natural and Cultural Heritage works for not only the safeguarding of ICH but also the integration of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage ofnMongolia in the moment of modernization. Efforts for viability in such a changed environment are well dissolved here.

Encouraged by the substantial development of the Chungju World Martial Arts Festival, twenty-eight martial arts organizations concluded an Agreement to promote exchange and cooperation between martial arts communities beyond the boundaries of border, culture, and race across the world. Based on the Agreement, the World Martial Arts Union(WoMAU) has been established on 2 October 2002 in Chungju, Korea as a nonprofit incorporated association under the permission of the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.\nWoMAU has been accredited as an official partner of UNESCO with consultative-status in 2009 and as an advisory NGO to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2010. As of 2020, it consists of 67 member organizations from 46 countries.\nSharing the recognition that martial arts with unique movements and features of a region is an important part of the cultural heritage of that nation, WoMAU members aim to contribute to the realization of justice and building world peace through martial arts.

The Loden Foundation is a pioneer organization in Bhutan bridging cultural heritage with socio-economic development. Loden literally means ‘the intelligent one’ and is an epithet of the Bodhisattvas, who work for the world using wisdom and compassion. Loden first started as a modest child sponsorship scheme in 1999 to help poor students go to school. Since then, it grew incrementally to become a leading NGO in Bhutan. Led by a group of people with shared visions, concerns and interests, Loden has three programs supported by a wide network of donors, volunteers, management team and partners.

Indian Institute of Social Sciences and Folklore Research has been working in the area of Indian folk life with all socioculture aspects. The institute arranged many community empowerment and income generation activities through intangible cultural heritage, like an aboriginal community empowerment program. The Indian Institute of Social Sciences and Folklore Research is a leading NGO of India for collection, conservation, safeguarding, and research of tangible and intangible folklore. The institute has created its own museum by collecting large number of artefacts related to the intangible culture of India and continuously organizes exhibitions to give new entrepreneurial lessons to the youth.

The Indonesian Heritage Network—Jaringan Kota Pusaka Indonesia (JKPI)—is a good example of networking among local governments for safeguarding ICH.\nThe Indonesian Heritage Cities Network is an inter-local government organization (not an NGO) that coordinates on a national level among cities and districts possessing varieties of natural and/or cultural heritage (tangible and intangible). JKPI aims to jointly safeguard natural and cultural heritage including ICH. JKPI was declared on 25 October 2008 in Surakarta City by twelve cities. One of the mayors who declared the establishment of JKPI was Ir. Joko Widodo, then Mayor of Surakarta and host of the meeting, (presently 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia.) As of the seventh National Working Meeting Karangasem, Bali in June 2019, JKPI has seventy member cities and districts. The objectives of JKPI are:n• To develop collaboration amongst cities (and districts) having important natural and cultural heritagen• To develop collaboration for safeguarding heritage with stakeholdersn• To promote a role of communities in safeguarding heritage and its positive development in social lifen• To inventory the wealth of the heritage of the member cities/districts of JKPIn• To develop an understanding of the diverse nature and culture to strengthen the Unified State of the Republic of Indonesian• To be used as a vehicle for promoting existing heritage for JKPI member cities/districts3nJKPI is a non-profit and independent organization, and is not intended to advance the interests of, or be affiliated with, any group or political party.

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.

\nThe Public Association of Kuhhoi Pomir (Pamir Mountains), a UNESCO-accredited NGO, is operating their projects on the territory of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) of the Republic of Tajikistan, which is also called Pamir or figuratively the roof of the world. The Association is actively involved in biodiversity of local ecosystems, conservation and restoration of nature, cultural and historical heritage of mountain communities, public physical and spiritual health, sustainable use of local resources, among others. It also encourages revitalization of cultural and spiritual heritage of population of mountainous locality and participates in the transmission of national traditional knowledge to the new generation.

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.