Call for expressions of interest - Policy-paper on community-based approaches to safeguarding living heritage and sustainable development frameworks

UNESCO invites organizations or consortia to develop a policy-paper on the contribution of community-based approaches to safeguarding living heritage to sustainable development frameworks in Africa , for the project ‘Building capacities for safeguarding living heritage and preparing nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Africa’, supported by the Japanese Funds-in-Trust.

Proposals should reach UNESCO ([email protected] with a copy to [email protected] and [email protected]) no later than 20 August 2026 (midnight, Paris time).

A period for questions is foreseen between 16 July 2026 and 13 August 2026 , midnight Paris time. Questions must be submitted to all the email addresses mentioned above.

• Context

The project ‘Building capacities for safeguarding living heritage and preparing nominations to the Lists of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Africa’ is dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the rich diversity of intangible cultural heritage across Africa, with a focus on nine countries that had no elements inscribed on the Lists of the 2003 Convention in December 2023. The project countries are Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Lesotho, Sao Tome and Principe and South Sudan.

The project aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge of States Parties to prepare nomination files to the Lists and the Register of the 2003 Convention. Through a combination of capacity-building initiatives, peer learning and experience-sharing opportunities among stakeholders, the project encourages South-South cooperation for intangible cultural heritage safeguarding. By facilitating dialogue between States Parties in Africa, it aims to create a supportive environment where expertise and good practices can be shared to strengthen nomination processes.

Furthermore, by encouraging the integration of living heritage into broader culture sector policies, notably through strengthened community-based approaches in policy design, the project seeks to embed intangible cultural heritage into national and regional sustainable development frameworks. In particular, it aims to strengthen States capacities to identify the opportunities and challenges of creating synergies between the policy frameworks for safeguarding living heritage and those of other UNESCO culture conventions with a view to articulate them better in cultural policy design for safeguarding living heritage and sustainable development.

To that end, a policy paper will be developed on integrating intangible cultural heritage into sustainable development frameworks in Africa through bottom-up approaches. It will aim to demonstrate how community-based approaches to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage can contribute to the objectives set by sustainable development frameworks in Africa, identify and analyse good experiences that showcase this dynamic, and provide recommendations to States Parties and relevant stakeholders on how to strengthen this contribution in policy design and implementation.

The good experiences identified will also be considered for inclusion in an online platform for sharing good safeguarding experiences. The platform, developed by the Living Heritage Entity, intends to highlight safeguarding approaches across the various domains of intangible cultural heritage, ensure representation of the thematic initiatives of the 2003 and other initiatives related to UNESCO priority groups, while providing a space for communities and other stakeholders to share, exchange, and find inspiration regarding safeguarding approaches.

• Work assignment

To that end, the contractor shall undertake the following tasks:

2.1 Review of existing policies, legal and administrative measures for safeguarding living heritage in Africa and their degree of integration into regional sustainable development frameworks

2.1.1 Provide a crosscutting overview of the state of policies, legal and administrative measures for safeguarding living heritage in Africa and how they consider the relation between living heritage safeguarding and sustainable development, structured according to the areas identified in Chapter VI of the Operational Directives of the Convention (inclusive social development, inclusive economic development, environmental sustainability, and intangible cultural heritage and peace), which will serve as the analytical framework for the assignment as a whole. This overview should be mainly based on the information provided in the periodic reports on the implementation of the Convention and on the status of elements inscribed on the Representative List by States Parties in Africa, as well as on the analytical reports (Documents LHE/24/19.COM/6.b et LHE/25/20.COM/INF.6.c ) and on relevant literature addressing the topic. The overview should typically have a length of 5-10 pages.

2.1.2 In parallel, review major policy frameworks at the regional level and identify their degree of integration of living heritage. These include in particular frameworks developed by the African Union (such as the Agenda 2063 and the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan) or Regional Economic Communities (such as the Economic Community of West African States - ECOWAS, the Southern African Development Community - SADC and the Economic Community of Central African States - ECCAS), as well as relevant thematic frameworks corresponding to the areas identified in Chapter VI of the Operational Directives. In the review, the contractor may also refer to the thematic guidance notes and other tools endorsed by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Economic dimensions of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, Climate action for living heritage, Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in urban contexts, Operational principles and modalities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in emergencies)

2.2 Identification and analysis of experiences of community participation in policy design and community initiatives that have resulted in a better integration of living heritage safeguarding in sustainable development actions

2.2.1 Select, jointly with the Secretariat, two examples in each subregion (Eastern Africa, Central Africa, Western Africa, Southern Africa), as well as two examples for African Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), to identify and analyse good experiences of community participation in policy design and community initiatives that have resulted in a better integration of living heritage safeguarding in sustainable development actions, seeking where possible a balanced coverage across the areas identified in 2.1.1.

2.2.2 Coordinate the research and writing of five (5) ‘stories’ on the good safeguarding experiences analysed for the online platform for sharing good safeguarding experiences. This includes:

2.2.2.1 Establish a draft list of the safeguarding experiences to be considered for the platform. Such list shall include the contact details of the stakeholders involved (including community organizations) and a summary text presenting each experience.

2.2.2.2 Upon validation of the selection by UNESCO, conduct remote recorded interviews with stakeholders involved in the safeguarding experiences previously identified (at least two people per experience). Their free, prior, sustained and informed consent should be ensured, in line with the Ethical Principles for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage.

2.2.2.3 Based on the interviews and documentary research, write stories of approximately 1,000 words each, on safeguarding experiences, according to a template to be provided by UNESCO. The texts shall be drafted in English or French and include quotes from the interviews.

2.3 Stakeholder consultations

2.3.1 Design and conduct consultations with selected stakeholders in the region (estimated between 15 and 20), that are relevant for the analysis of good experiences of community participation in policy design and community initiatives that have resulted in a better integration of living heritage safeguarding in sustainable development actions. The consultation may take the form of online interviews or written contributions. While stakeholders linked to the validated case studies should be prioritised, other stakeholders relevant for the broader analysis can be considered. Their free, prior and informed consent should be ensured, in line with the Ethical Principles for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage.

2.4 Policy paper on the contribution to sustainable development frameworks in Africa of community-based approaches for living heritage safeguarding

2.4.1 Based on the review, the analysis of experiences and the consultation process, develop a policy paper serving both as an advocacy tool and as a set of practical recommendations, demonstrating how community-based approaches to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage can contribute to the objectives set by regional sustainable development frameworks in Africa, and providing recommendations to States Parties and relevant stakeholders on how to strengthen this contribution in policy design and implementation.

• Deliverables and schedule

3.1 The contractor shall submit for approval by UNESCO the deliverables listed below as per the following schedule, along with a signed and dated payment claim for each instalment foreseen in article 1.4 of the present contract:

• An outline of the draft policy paper, a summary of documents reviewed, draft proposal of good safeguarding experiences, and a proposed consultation plan, within 36 [RZ1] days after the beginning of the contract.

• A validated list of good safeguarding experiences, the crosscutting overview, a draft analytical summary of the consultation and a first draft of the policy paper, within 84 [RZ2] days after the beginning of the contract.

• The final draft of the policy paper, including the final set of recommendations, analysis of good safeguarding experiences and five stories for the platform for sharing good safeguarding experiences, as well as a final summary of the consultation process, within 141 [RZ3] days after the beginning of the contract.

• Qualifications

The contractor is expected to present a team of 2 to 3 persons with the following qualifications:

Required (all team members)

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in a relevant field such as heritage studies, anthropology, sociology, cultural policy, or sustainable development;

• Proven track record in drafting policy papers, analytical reports, or similar advocacy/policy documents;

• Experience in designing and conducting stakeholder consultations, including with community-based organizations;

• Excellent drafting and analytical skills in English and French.

Required (team leader only)

• At least 10 years of professional experience in intangible cultural heritage safeguarding and/or sustainable development policy, including in Africa

• Demonstrated knowledge of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and its Operational Directives;

Desirable (all team members)

• Prior experience working with UNESCO or other United Nations entities on cultural heritage or sustainable development programming;

• Familiarity with sustainable development frameworks in Africa

• Experience in community-based or participatory research methodologies;

• Working knowledge of Portuguese and/or Spanish

Desirable (team leader only)

• An existing network of intangible cultural heritage practitioners or experts in Africa

• Working knowledge of Portuguese and/or Spanish