The 1st Culture Masters Global Webinar 2025, organized in collaboration with the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS), brought together global experts, policymakers, and cultural leaders to explore the promotion of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and its intersections with sustainable urban development. Held on 27th February 2025, the webinar was framed around the intersection of ICH and urban development, and offered a compelling showcase of global case studies, insights, and policy reflections—ranging from sacred rituals in Kyrgyzstan to digital innovations from Culture Masters, and from community-led preservation in Vietnam to cross-border peacebuilding through folklore.
The webinar was anchored and coordinated by Ms. Gunjan Joshi (Culture Masters) and the sessions were moderated by Mr. Alisher Ikramov (IICAS) and Dr. Jayarajan Vakil (Folkland International Center), who guided the dialogue across themes of international cooperation, community-based safeguarding, and innovative heritage policies.
Poster of Webinar
Poster of Webinar
Watch sections of the Webinar on this YouTube Playlist: Webinar Playlist
ICH as a Living Force in Society
The presentation by Mr. Eivind falk discussed the emphasis on ICH as a living, dynamic expression of human creativity and identity. Mr. Falk of the Norwegian Crafts Institute underlined the 2003 UNESCO Convention’s framing of ICH as something “carried in people”—not rooted in physical structures but embodied through rituals, crafts, oral traditions, and cuisine. He emphasized how ICH transcends borders, linking people across geographies and histories. Through shared motifs in embroidery from Paraguay to Palestine, and examples of cultural resilience among Ukrainian and Palestinian refugees, Mr. Falk highlighted ICH’s power to offer continuity, emotional strength, and intercultural dialogue, particularly in times of displacement and crisis.
Global Perspectives on Heritage and Urban Futures
Mr. Jahangir Selimkhanov from Azerbaijan challenged the notion that ICH and urbanization are at odds. Using examples from Azerbaijan, Bali, India, and Switzerland, he illustrated how festivals, traditional farming, and craft-based economies can inform urban planning and social cohesion, making cities more resilient, inclusive, and culturally rich. His call to integrate heritage into sustainable development policies echoed UNESCO’s landmark report Culture and the Urban Future, which urges planners to embed cultural perspectives in governance.
From Vietnam, Ms. Le Thi Minh Ly detailed the evolution of national laws safeguarding ICH, culminating in a 2024 amendment that introduced a full chapter dedicated to intangible heritage. She spotlighted the importance of community participation and multinational cooperation, such as the joint UNESCO nomination of the “Tugging Ritual and Game” with Cambodia, Korea, and the Philippines. Through examples like the Mother God worship tradition, she demonstrated how inclusive legal frameworks can support ICH transmission across generations.
Community-Led and Technologically-Driven Models
One of the most powerful case studies came from Ms. Aijarkyn Kojobekova of Kyrgyzstan, who presented a community-based inventory of sacred sites and rituals initiated in 2018. This bottom-up approach, backed by international support, documented over 1,200 sites and 36 rituals. The project’s second phase, A Digital Journey to ICH of Kyrgyzstan, aims to digitize over 3,000 cultural elements, making them widely accessible while respecting spiritual boundaries. This initiative reflects how digital tools can enhance heritage visibility, while still being sensitive to cultural context.
Mr. Kaloyan Nikolov of the European Association of Folklore Festivals (EAFF) showcased a large-scale operational model for cultural celebration and preservation. Accredited by UNESCO, EAFF organized over 678 folklore festivals in 2024 alone across 2,200 cities, including live and digital events. EAFF’s championship system, digital broadcasting platforms, and partnerships illustrate how technology can scale cultural engagement while stimulating local economies through tourism, artisanry, and global exchange.
Culture Masters and the WIN Initiative
Dr. Seongyong Park introduced Culture Masters, the host of the webinar, as an international platform leading digital transformation in the cultural sector. Programs like WIN (World Intangible Heritage Festival and Contest) and Ariang Master are designed to recognize cultural practitioners, stimulate creative industries, and position ICH at the centre of innovation and diplomacy. With future plans including ICH certification, a global academy, and digital exhibitions via AI, AR, VR, and blockchain, Culture Masters is redefining the relationship between technology and heritage. Events like WIN 2025–2028 are envisioned as an “ICH Olympics,” bringing together more than 100 countries for collaborative performances and cultural showcases.
Youth, Education, and Cultural Sustainability
In a passionate intervention, Ms. Camila Leal Rosa from Brazil emphasized the role of festivals in shaping cultural identity from a young age. Highlighting Brazil’s school-based cultural education and its wide-ranging local festivals, she explained how cultural appreciation begins in childhood, grows into adulthood, and becomes ingrained in national consciousness. Events like the Olympics, she argued, are catalysts for cultural development and economic growth, while grassroots festivals fuel tourism, gastronomy, and hospitality industries.
A Broader Vision: Culture as Driver of Sustainable Urban Futures
This extensive discourse reveals how ICH is not just about the past, but about shaping the future. It brings together social equity, cultural identity, economic development, and environmental awareness under one umbrella. Across presentations, a shared emphasis emerged on bottom-up approaches, inclusive policy frameworks, and cross-sector collaborations that place communities—not institutions—at the heart of heritage safeguarding.
Conclusion
The 1st Culture Masters Webinar offered more than a knowledge-sharing forum—it was a call to action. It urged governments, cultural institutions, urban planners, technologists, and communities to work together in recognizing ICH not just as heritage, but as a resource for resilience, peace, creativity, and sustainability.
As the world grapples with ecological crises, migration, urban sprawl, and identity fragmentation, the insights from this gathering point to a powerful message: to build the future, we must engage deeply with the cultural roots that ground us.