Adopted by the ICOMOS Annual General Assembly  on November 13, 2024, in Ouro Preto, Brazil, the ICOMOS International Charter and Guidance on Sites with Intangible Heritage “addresses the deep relationships between different aspects of heritage and the communities that sustain them” (ICOMOS 2025).  Prepared by the ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICICH), the Charter recognizes that intangible cultural heritage “is an important aspect of cultural heritage in all societies around the world” (ICOMOS ICICH 2024).

PURPOSE:  “The Charter is a reminder that intangible cultural heritage often co-exists with aspects of tangible heritage….” The purpose … is to advocate for the recognition of intangible cultural heritage as an integral part of site based heritage and to support and guide ICOMOS members to a more integrated tangible-intangible heritage practice and to align their work with the 2003 Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.”

References:

ICOMOS. 2025. The new ICOMOS International Charter and Guidance on Sites with Intangible Cultural Heritage defines standards and principles for intangible cultural heritage. Accessed July 29, 2025, https://www.icomos.org/actualite/the-new-icomos-international-charter-and-guidance-on-sites-with-intangible-cultural-heritage-defines-standards-and-principles-for-intangible-cultural-heritage/, archived https://perma.cc/A8CJ-VB39

ICOMOS ICICH.  2024. International charter and guidance on sites with intangible cultural heritage = Charte internationale et les orientations sur les sites avec patrimoine culturel immatériel.  Accessed July 29, 2025, https://publ.icomos.org/publicomos/jlbSai?html=Pag&page=Pml/Not&ref=F42C6D42A8AD6EEDAC65AAFC98DC0237&etape=RecEtp&rang=2&base=technica, archived https://perma.cc/6UUZ-FXWG.