The Netherlands has nominated the Dutch Pride Movement for inclusion on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2027. The Dutch Pride Movement is an important part of our community’s heritage and plays a key role in the struggle for LGBTQIA+ rights. With this nomination, Pride could become the first LGBTQIA+ intangible heritage to appear on that list!
UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage
In 2012 the Netherlands signed the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. From that moment on, we refer to all living traditions, crafts, festivities and cultural practices in the Netherlands that we share and pass on to one another as intangible cultural heritage. This can include celebrations, crafts, rituals, music, food or ways of living together that give meaning to identity and belonging. The Pride Movement is included in this too!
National inventory
One of the obligations for countries that have signed the convention is to inventory the heritage within their own territory. Since the Convention was signed in 2012, the Netherlands has been working on this inventory. Pride Amsterdam was added to the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Netherlands in 2019 added.
International list
In addition to these national inventories, UNESCO also compiles a list of intangible cultural heritage practiced around the world. Each participating country can nominate, every year, items of intangible heritage that appear on its own national inventory. So far, there is no LGBTIQA+ related intangible heritage on that list — and we want to change that now.
Pride nomination
The Netherlands has previously nominated several forms of intangible cultural heritage practiced in the country, including the craft of miller, the Corso parades and Rotterdam’s Zomercarnaval. Last year, Minister Letschert of OCW decided to nominate Pride on behalf of the Netherlands for inclusion in 2027. If approved, Pride could become the first LGBTIQA+ intangible cultural heritage on this list. UNESCO will decide on the nomination in the autumn of 2028.
Prides can join
If the Pride Movement is added to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage, other Prides worldwide can join once they have obtained national heritage status. At present, Brussels Pride — alongside Amsterdam — is the only other Pride that already has this national status, but several Prides in Europe and South America are also in the process of applying.
Help us!
Work is currently underway on a nomination dossier, and the input and involvement of the community/practitioners is invaluable.
Would you like to contribute to this? Go to the petition and leave a personal message.
For more information, also see the FAQ about Pride as intangible cultural heritage or contact Marije Cornelissen.
FAQ about Pride as Intangible Cultural Heritage
What is Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH)?
Intangible Cultural Heritage comprises the cultural practices, traditions, crafts and festivities that people share and pass on to each other. It is living heritage that can adapt to changing circumstances and society. Think of festivals, crafts, rituals, music, food or ways of living together that give meaning to identity and connection.
What are the characteristics of Intangible Cultural Heritage?
- It is passed down from generation to generation.
- It is living heritage, meaning it has been practised for generations and therefore has a past, a present and a future.
- Intangible heritage is living heritage — constantly evolving and adapting to social changes, new laws and regulations, and more.
- The practitioners — in our case Pride organisers and participants — are the ‘owners’ of their heritage. They experience their heritage as a cultural expression they want to keep alive by passing it on to new generations of practitioners.
What is the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage?
The UNESCO Convention (full name: “UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage”) was adopted in 2003 and the Netherlands signed it in 2013. The Convention describes intangible heritage as a source of cultural diversity and a contributor to sustainable development. It strengthens the sense of identity and continuity of communities, groups and individuals, and promotes respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.
The main objectives of the convention are:
- the safeguarding (sustaining) and support of intangible cultural heritage
- raising awareness about the importance of intangible cultural heritage
- promoting respect for intangible cultural heritage
- and promoting international cooperation
The Convention has been ratified by almost every country in the world. The only countries that have not ratified it are the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Guyana, Israel and Russia. They therefore cannot nominate heritage elements for the international list. South Africa and the United Kingdom have recently joined the Convention and can now also register Pride as heritage.
What obligations does the UNESCO Convention impose?
Every country that signs the UNESCO Convention commits to identifying and documenting the intangible heritage within its territory. Because intangible heritage is dynamic and living, this is an ongoing process.
The Netherlands began documenting its intangible cultural heritage in 2013. Specifically INThe Netherlands, because this concerns intangible heritage that is practised and passed on in the Netherlands. This also includes heritage that arrived in the Netherlands through migration and is practised here.
What is the “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”?
Besides each country that has signed the Convention compiling its own inventory, UNESCO also maintains several lists for intangible heritage, including the“Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”. This is the best-known UNESCO list under the Convention. It contains nearly 800 examples of intangible heritage from around the world. The aim of this list is not to single out “masterpieces”, but to showcase the diversity of intangible heritage worldwide. The term “representative” therefore refers to that diversity, not to importance or quality.
What is the role of KIEN (Knowledge Centre for Intangible Heritage Netherlands)?
KIEN has been designated by the Dutch government to coordinate the UNESCO Convention for intangible heritage in the Netherlands. Among other things, they work to increase visibility and ensure the future viability of intangible heritage. An important way they do this is by conducting research and sharing knowledge. They also provide tailored advice on passing on, developing and promoting heritage. Together with the practitioners of intangible heritage, they look at challenges and opportunities and consider how best to care for the heritage.
From who are the Intangible Heritage practitioners?
From the perspective of the UNESCO Convention, it is always the practitioners of the heritage who should be seen as the ‘owners’. That makes sense because only they have the knowledge and skills to pass the heritage on to a new generation of practitioners. As a result, it is also the practitioners themselves who decide whether or not they want their heritage to be made visible in the Inventory of Intangible Heritage Netherlands.
Is Pride Amsterdam national intangible heritage?
In 2019 Pride Amsterdam was added to the Inventory of Intangible Heritage Netherlands. This does not mean Pride Amsterdam is the only Pride that can be included in the Dutch Inventory; any Pride in the Netherlands can decide for itself whether to be entered in the Inventory.
On what basis is the nomination assessed?
UNESCO assesses nominations based on the criteria for intangible heritage as set out in the Convention. In theory, personal value judgments about the heritage should not be taken into account when evaluating an application.
However, this nomination is expected to provoke controversy in some countries that are party to the Convention and advise through the Evaluation Body. This Evaluation Body makes a recommendation to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which will make the final decision at its annual meeting in November/December 2028.
That is why it is especially important to demonstrate that Pride meets all the conditions in the nomination dossier, such as involving the community and collecting letters of support. Anyone can help bypetition signing and leaving a statement about the value of Pride.
What if the heritage is practised in multiple countries, like Pride?
Because much intangible heritage ignores borders, some forms of heritage are practised in several countries. Countries can therefore choose to submit intangible heritage to UNESCO jointly. A single country can never claim exclusive ownership of a particular form of intangible heritage.
After a form of intangible heritage has already been inscribed by one country on the UNESCO list, other countries that have recorded the heritage nationally can choose to join that nomination.
At present, in addition to Pride Amsterdam, Brussels Pride also holds national heritage status in Belgium. They can already join this nomination. In various other countries in Europe and South America, Prides are working to obtain national status so they can later join.
Does listing Pride on the list also mean recognition of Pride?
Recognition is a complicated concept in intangible heritage because practitioners are always central. They are the people who hold the knowledge and skills of their heritage and only they can pass it on to the next generation. Governments or outsiders cannot do this for them. Simply put: if the practitioners experience their tradition as heritage, then it is their heritage.
What does safeguarding heritage mean?
At the heart of the UNESCO Convention is the safeguarding of Intangible Heritage; that means keeping the heritage alive and passing it on to new generations. The community in question is essential to this safeguarding. Without their commitment, knowledge and skills, intangible heritage cannot be kept alive. The challenges practitioners may face can be internal, such as declining interest in the heritage, as well as external. Examples include new or increasingly strict laws and regulations and rising costs and legal responsibilities that make organising the heritage more difficult.
How will this nomination ultimately help the Pride Movement worldwide?
Although UNESCO prefers not to speak of recognition (because it is the practitioners themselves who recognise their heritage as valuable and wish to pass it on), you can still speak of recognition when heritage is inscribed internationally. It makes the diversity of intangible heritage visible globally. If Pride is inscribed, it would be the first heritage entry directly concerning the LGBTQIA+ community. None of the current inscriptions are directly linked to this community.
Can Intangible Heritage disappear?
If there are no practitioners left who want to pass their heritage on to new generations, the intangible heritage can disappear. Sometimes this happens because nobody finds the heritage relevant anymore, but it can also be because (new) laws and regulations make practicing the heritage impossible (think of consumer fireworks bans). In addition, intangible heritage can cease to exist because society has changed over the years and certain traditions and rituals are no longer accepted, such as katknuppelen or palingtrekken. Moreover, intangible heritage may have to adapt to a changing society, as has happened with the figure of Zwarte Piet in the Sinterklaas celebration.
Besides the possibility that intangible heritage can disappear, new intangible heritage can also emerge. This can be the result of migration—often the heritage then changes as it adapts to circumstances in the Netherlands. New intangible heritage can also arise from youth culture, for example.
What is the difference between Intangible Heritage and World Heritage?
The World Heritage Convention is a UNESCO convention from 1972 and emphasises the need to protect cultural and natural heritage from threats such as decay, destruction and the effects of social and economic change. World Heritage always concerns tangible heritage. In the Netherlands, for example, the Amsterdam canal ring, the Wadden Sea and the Rietveld Schröder House are recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage. The various UNESCO cultural and heritage conventions are legal instruments that bind countries to protect, preserve and make culture accessible. For more information, see the UNESCO website.
What can I do to help as an individual?
Anyone who cares about Pride as cultural heritage can help! You canpetition sign the petition to show your support for this initiative. The more ‘practitioners of the heritage’ who sign the petition, the better. All Pride participants, whether they belong to the LGBTQIA+ community or are allies, can express their support.
It is also important for UNESCO that Pride participants can contribute to the nomination. That is why we would like to know what Pride means to you. Everyone who signs the petition has the chance to leave a message about the value of Pride to them. These contributions are very valuable for the nomination and are warmly welcomed.
What can I do to help as a Pride organiser?
If you are active in a Pride organisation, in the Netherlands or anywhere in the world, it would be wonderful if you could help promote thepetition petition. Share it on social media, with staff and volunteers, and with your supporters’ mailing lists.
You can also start the process yourself to become national heritage, usually via your Ministry of Culture, so your Pride can be entered as national intangible cultural heritage. If your Pride has national status as intangible cultural heritage, it can then be nominated for the international UNESCO list—provided the nomination is successful.
Prides in the Netherlands can also specifically help by writing a Letter of Consent that explains the value of Pride for you and your participants and states that you support the nomination.
More information?
If you cannot find the answer you are looking for here, please contact Marije Cornelissen.
