Filles et femmes Baka © Direction de la conservation du patrimoine culturel, Gabon, 2016

More than 120 accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as States Parties will gather at UNESCO Headquarters on 18 April 2019 to discuss the ways in which NGOs can contribute to the work of safeguarding living heritage.

The future of the accreditation system of NGOs in the 2003 Convention – initially established in 2008 – will be at the heart of the debates, including the identification of specific advisory functions, criteria and processes. This consultation meeting will take place as part of the reflection process around the role of accredited NGOs.

Based on its experience with five cycles of accreditation and two cycles of reviewing the accreditation status of NGOs, the Intergovernmental Committee considered it necessary to take stock of the challenges as regards the participation of NGOs to act in an advisory capacity to the Committee.

The outcomes of this consultation meeting will be presented to the fourteenth session of the Committee in Bogotá, Colombia, from 9 to 14 December 2019.