H.E. Ms. Magdalene TEO,

Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to China

Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage is a subject of great importance to any country with a sense of unity and belonging, beneficial not only to itself but also to humanity as a whole.

The Bruneian identity is defined by its civilization, values and personalities governed by the national ideology of the Malay Islamic Monarchy.

The arts, traditional medicine, culture, practice, cuisine, traditional motives, literature, and other forms of Intangible Culture Heritage were passed on through stories, legends, folklores, rituals, songs and customs.

Brunei signed both the Conventions in November 2011, as part of its initiative to secure the UNESCO status for its cultural treasures. It demonstrates the country’s commitment to protect its cultural heritage and natural environment, which aim to serve as reference and historical sites not only to Bruneians, but to the rest of the world.

The Brunei government place importance on the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, and we have made steady progress. However, like many developing countries, Brunei is still facing a number of significant challenges for safeguarding efforts in intangible cultural heritages, which include:

*A lack of human resources and trained/ experienced/ qualified staff within the Ministry of Culture, many of whom lack of technical qualifications in areas related to intangible culture heritage management;

*A lack of comprehensive national legislation for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and undertaking such measures as registration and identification;

*Insufficient national funds for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage;

*Inadequate cultural staff numbers at District level;

*Deficient coordination with communities, social groups, NGOs and individuals to safeguard intangible cultural heritage.

One year after ratification of the Convention, more efforts are needed to overcome the challenges.