VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia must take advantage of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Convention 2003 to support its cultural diplomacy abroad, a Foreign Ministry official has said.

"How is Indonesia's cultural diplomacy through the ICH Convention 2003? As a culture-rich country, Indonesia must be able to benefit from the ICH Convention 2003 to support cultural promotion and expand potentials for cultural cooperation on a large scale," Director of Sociocultural Affairs and International Organization for Developing Countries at the Foreign Ministry Penny Dewi Herasati said.

The ICH Convention 2003 is a part of the cultural cooperation program. In principle, cooperation under the UNESCO program must serve peace and cooperation interests, in accordance with UNESCO’s Constitution, she said during an informal talk on the ICH Convention in Jakarta on Thursday.

The ICH Convention 2003 aims to identify intangible culture, ensure the related community's and individuals' efforts to uphold the intangible cultural heritage, increase local, national, and international awareness on the importance of intangible cultural heritage, and encourage mutual respect, she informed.

"In general, the UNESCO Convention alone has the spirit and principle which prioritizes cooperation and mutual respect among nations," she added.

She said the inscription of cultural heritage is the starting point for preserving culture. This is because it can open up many cooperation opportunities for Indonesia, including practical cooperation for preserving culture in support of the creative industry. (Antaranews)