This Webinar Series begins with an assessment of the impacts of COVID-19 on intangible cultural heritage (ICH), considerably identifying the possible roles ICH might take in critical times. As the pandemic has been disrupting many forms of cultural practices, the effects of which worsen the vulnerability of the stewards of heritage, the first session intends to hold a discussion toward innovative solutions for ICH safeguarding and transmission during a time of global crisis and social unrest.

The second session of the Webinar Series examines the impacts of COVID-19 on the integration between ICH and higher education in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on alternative teaching models, instructional designs, and learning methods. With schools facing unfavourable ramifications, this session also sees the importance of determining future relevant approaches to study of ICH in higher education in areas of instructional material preparation and research.

This third session of the ICH Webinar Series attempts to have a deeper engagement with ideas of building cooperation and networking among higher education institutions for ICH safeguarding. Primarily, this session aims to examine the state of networking activities in different regions around the world, how networks were formed, and how they became functional associations for the study of ICH. Furthermore, the session looks into what it means to be in such kind of network, their significance to teachers, students, non-teaching professionals in higher education settings, research, community service, and intellectual exchange, amongst others. Finally, the session intends to address questions of expandability of networks, with emphasis on the possibility of inter-regional cooperation.

The first APHEN-ICH Capacity-Building Workshop on the Linking 2003 Convention and University ICH Programs was held in 2019 in Shanghai. Following the first APHEN-ICH Capacity-Building Workshop, ICHCAP holds second Workshop to develop ICH curriculum and implement it into the higher education institutes reflecting the global capacity-building strategy of UNESCO, and the spirit of 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. As a part of the capacity building workshop, ICHCAP and UNESCO Bangkok Office are organizing a webinar session open to the public to raise professor and researchers’ interest in developing ICH related courses and curriculum.