UNESCO Living Heritage
UNESCO- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is a specialized agency dedicated to strengthening international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture, and information.
They set standards, produce tools and develop knowledge to create solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time, and foster a world of greater equality and peace.
Protecting biodiversity, responding to artificial intelligence, advancing quality education, safeguarding heritage, and ensuring access to reliable information are some examples of the work that UNESCO does with its 194 Member States across the globe.
In 2024, the UK joined many countries in supporting the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Convention looks at Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) or living heritage, as we call it, which is cultural heritage that is living and practised.
Examples of living heritage in the UK range from bell-ringing to boat-building, cèilidh to carnival, pantomime to pancake day, Highland games to Eisteddfod, Lambeg drumming to longsword dancing, and dry-stone walling to wassailing.
As part of this, the UK is setting up inventories of living heritage in the UK.
There are four separate inventories for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and these will combine into one inventory of living heritage in the UK.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed that individual hunts may now submit their own full Community entries to the national Inventory of Living Heritage.
It means every hunt has the opportunity to describe itself properly and in its own words, rather than being reduced to a generic national summary.
Living Heritage registration is not about law or politics. It is about documenting living traditions:
· Skills
· Knowledge
· Community practice
· Intergenerational transmission
· Safeguarding
This is our opportunity to ensure that our traditions are described accurately, by the people who actually practise them.
In March 2026- The Vale of Lune Harriers submitted 10 entries to be considered to UNESCO Living Heritage program. Please click on each submission for the full report.
'Registering a hunt' & 'Hunting a scent with a pack of hounds'
Hound pack breeding and bloodline stewardship' and Kennel husbandry and Hound schooling'
'Puppy walking and Puppy shows' and 'Horn Calls and signalling within hunting traditions in England and Wales'
Traditional hunting terminology and occupational vocabulary' and 'Traditional hunt dress and regalia in England and Wales'
Boxing day and seasonal or traditional hunt meets' and 'Hunt singing, story telling and associated oral traditions in England and Wales'
They set standards, produce tools and develop knowledge to create solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time, and foster a world of greater equality and peace.
Protecting biodiversity, responding to artificial intelligence, advancing quality education, safeguarding heritage, and ensuring access to reliable information are some examples of the work that UNESCO does with its 194 Member States across the globe.
In 2024, the UK joined many countries in supporting the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Convention looks at Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) or living heritage, as we call it, which is cultural heritage that is living and practised.
Examples of living heritage in the UK range from bell-ringing to boat-building, cèilidh to carnival, pantomime to pancake day, Highland games to Eisteddfod, Lambeg drumming to longsword dancing, and dry-stone walling to wassailing.
As part of this, the UK is setting up inventories of living heritage in the UK.
There are four separate inventories for England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and these will combine into one inventory of living heritage in the UK.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed that individual hunts may now submit their own full Community entries to the national Inventory of Living Heritage.
It means every hunt has the opportunity to describe itself properly and in its own words, rather than being reduced to a generic national summary.
Living Heritage registration is not about law or politics. It is about documenting living traditions:
· Skills
· Knowledge
· Community practice
· Intergenerational transmission
· Safeguarding
This is our opportunity to ensure that our traditions are described accurately, by the people who actually practise them.
In March 2026- The Vale of Lune Harriers submitted 10 entries to be considered to UNESCO Living Heritage program. Please click on each submission for the full report.
'Registering a hunt' & 'Hunting a scent with a pack of hounds'
Hound pack breeding and bloodline stewardship' and Kennel husbandry and Hound schooling'
'Puppy walking and Puppy shows' and 'Horn Calls and signalling within hunting traditions in England and Wales'
Traditional hunting terminology and occupational vocabulary' and 'Traditional hunt dress and regalia in England and Wales'
Boxing day and seasonal or traditional hunt meets' and 'Hunt singing, story telling and associated oral traditions in England and Wales'