Official Approval of HCHCA Accreditation to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee (NGO-90644)

Following rigorous and comprehensive evaluations by the Secretariat of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the official application of the "Hormozgan Cultural Heritage Custodians Association" under international identification code NGO-90644 was formally approved and accredited. The Association is now recognized as an accredited non-governmental organization to provide advisory services to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. This landmark development represents a pivotal milestone in cultural diplomacy for southern Iran, illuminating the living heritage of the Persian Gulf and empowering grassroots coastal communities on international heritage platforms. Under Article 9 of the 2003 Convention and the operational directives governing its implementation, NGO accreditation is reserved for organizations that demonstrate proven scientific competence, active field methodologies, and deep, structured engagement with local tradition bearers. As an advisory body to UNESCO, accredited NGOs actively participate in evaluating nomination dossiers, monitoring safeguarding measures, and providing expert recommendations on living heritage across the globe. ## The Rigorous Path to International Accreditation The international accreditation process involved thorough examinations of the Association's legal governance, institutional transparency, and field track record across Hormozgan Province. Established on 25 February 2018 under official notification number 1607 and national registry code 14007444786, the Hormozgan Cultural Heritage Custodians Association has built an enduring bridge between rigorous academic research and local coastal communities. During the multi-phase assessment of dossier NGO-90644, the UNESCO Secretariat evaluated the Association's documented work across all five domains of the 2003 Convention: oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices and festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe, and traditional craftsmanship. The proven academic leadership of CEO Dr. Tahereh Rezaei—linguist, senior researcher of endangered Gulf dialects, and recipient of the British Museum EMKP Grant for documenting Jahleh pottery—served as a core foundation for the official approval confirmed on 25 April 2025. ## Mandate and Advisory Functions Under the UNESCO 2003 Convention Advisory accreditation before the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee opens substantial new pathways for community-based safeguarding across southern Iran’s shores and islands. The Association’s advisory mandate focuses on the following strategic pillars: 1. **Participation in Nomination Dossier Evaluations**: Providing independent technical evaluations of nomination files submitted by States Parties for the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices (Article 18). 2. **Strategic Advice to the Intergovernmental Committee**: Actively contributing to the statutory sessions of the General Assembly and Committee, drafting technical advisory interventions on emerging global challenges such as climate change impacts on coastal livelihoods and sustainable cultural tourism. 3. **Fostering Regional and International Cooperation**: Establishing knowledge-sharing networks among accredited NGOs across Western Asia, the Middle East, and the Indian Ocean rim, focusing on the shared maritime heritage of the historic Maritime Silk Road. 4. **Field Monitoring & Ethical Safeguarding Assessments**: Assessing the real-world impact of safeguarding programs on local communities, women craft bearers, and elderly tradition holders, ensuring adherence to the core principle of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). ## Living Heritage Focal Areas in Hormozgan’s Coasts and Islands With over 1,000 kilometers of coastline, 14 strategic islands, and rich biocultural diversity, Hormozgan Province stands as one of the most vibrant cultural landscapes in Western Asia. The Association's safeguarding programs concentrate on three vital domains: - **Traditional Lenj Boatbuilding and Navigation**: Inscribed on UNESCO's Urgent Safeguarding List in 2011, this living masterwork encompasses blueprint-free naval engineering, celestial navigation, meteorological knowledge, timber craftsmanship using teak and jujube wood, and sailors' work chants (Neym and Sherveh songs). The Association works directly with traditional shipyards (Galgah) in Bandar Lengeh, Laft, and Qeshm to ensure direct apprenticeship transmission to younger generations. - **Ancient Jahla Pottery of Shahvar**: The millennia-old craft of hand-shaping spherical porous earthenware vessels for evaporative water cooling in Shahvar, Minab, exemplifies indigenous ecological intelligence in adapting to the hyper-arid coastal climate. Ongoing 3D digital recording and linguistic documentation projects protect this endangered art form from extinction. - **Coastal Rituals, Music, and Indigenous Games**: Revitalizing fishermen's games (such as Dar-Kala and beach Haft Sang), sea prayer rituals, and organizing community street festivals along historical shores such as Khwaja Ata Beach in Bandar Abbas. To explore geographical coordinates and detailed historical records of regional cultural landmarks, visit our [Interactive Living Heritage Map](/en/map). ## Scientific Documentation and the British Museum EMKP Grant A stellar example of the Association's international research excellence is the comprehensive documentation of traditional "Jahla Pottery" in Shahvar, Minab, supported by the Endangered Material Knowledge Programme (EMKP) of the British Museum in 2023. Jahleh is far more than an earthenware jug; it embodies ancestral thermodynamic physics, clay ecology, and cultural linguistics. This research project meticulously recorded the entire chaîne opératoire: riverbed clay extraction along the Minab River, clay tempering with aeolian sands, manual foot-wheel shaping, spherical body modeling without molds, kiln stacking, and wood firing with pruned date palm branches. Concurrently, endangered Minabi dialect terminology and potters' work chants were phonetically transcribed and archived in open-access digital repositories for global scholarship. ## The Six-Phase Safeguarding Operational Cycle HCHCA implements its safeguarding interventions through a rigorous six-phase operational model: 1. **Identification**: Fieldwork-based inventorying of endangered customs, techniques, and dialects in remote ports and rural hamlets, guided directly by community elders. 2. **Documentation & Digitization**: High-fidelity audio-visual recording, linguistic glossing, soundscape mapping, and the creation of resilient open digital archives. 3. **Transmission & Capacity Building**: Facilitating family-based and workshop apprenticeships where master artisans directly train youth in ancestral skills. 4. **Legal & Advisory Safeguarding**: Formulating intellectual property frameworks to protect traditional artisans against exploitative commercialization, and preparing national and international nomination files. 5. **Revitalization & Public Awareness**: Fostering societal respect for cultural diversity through community festivals, artisan markets, documentary features, and raising the social standing of tradition bearers. 6. **Periodic Monitoring & Sustainability**: Continuously evaluating transmission vitality within host communities and adapting safeguarding strategies based on community feedback. For deeper insights into provincial cultural sites and destinations, browse our [Cultural Heritage & Tourism Page](/en/heritage-tourism) and read our visual essay on [Remarkable Coastlines of Hormozgan](/en/news/south-means-hormozgans-remarkable-coastlines-to-me). ## Future Horizons and Community Commitment Receiving official UNESCO accreditation is not a culmination, but a renewed commitment to safeguarding the human dignity and living memory of Persian Gulf coastal people. HCHCA warmly invites all master craftspeople, maritime veterans, academic researchers, and cultural advocates to collaborate with our specialized committees. Preserving intangible cultural heritage means honoring human creativity, protecting the fragile coastal environment, and sustaining the living cultural chain for generations to come. The official accreditation record is accessible directly on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage portal.