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At the 20th Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the UNESCO Chairs on ICH will convene a hybrid annual forum of discussion open to external experts and participants. The event inaugurates a recurring platform for scholarly dialogue, critical reflection, and the development of research partnerships across the network of UNESCO Chairs.

This side event has a twofold objective: to provide a structured recurrent space for UNESCO Chairs to meet, share research results, and set forthcoming objectives; and to engage in a rotating cross-cutting theme that welcomes contributions from all attendees. This year’s theme is “Democratizing ICH”.

The event will entail a first moment where Chairholders will briefly introduce their institutions and present concise highlights of ongoing projects. Secondly, a moderated debate explores the year’s theme, “Democratizing ICH”, introduced by Prof. Hanna Schreiber.

Both in-person and online participants will be able to intervene, ensuring broad, inclusive participation.

On 19 September 2026, as part of the 14th edition of the cultural festival Un Castello all’Orizzonte, Castello di Postignano hosted the public event “Living the Village: Protection, Safeguarding and Enhancement”, organised in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Comparative Law at UnitelmaSapienza.

The event, coordinated by Prof. Pier Luigi Petrillo, Chair Holder of the UNESCO Chair, provided an opportunity to reflect on the role of historic villages as living heritage, focusing on the challenges of their protection and safeguarding and on strategies capable of linking heritage, local communities and sustainable territorial development.

The initiative formed part of Un Castello all’Orizzonte, the annual cultural programme hosted in the village of Postignano, bringing together events dedicated to culture, music, art and public debate.