Bringing living heritage into classrooms: new UNESCO episode explores disaster risk reduction in the Pacific
The newly released episode aims to raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding living heritage in the face of disasters. It also introduces the core concepts of disaster risk reduction and intangible cultural heritage into schools across the Pacific region.
The episode is intended for use in classrooms and community workshops to help young people make the link between their cultural heritage and community resilience to disasters.
It is also intended for use in policy discussions, as a means of supporting governments in integrating culture into disaster risk reduction strategies.
Available in English, Bislama, Fijian and Tongan, the episode is designed to help Pacific States integrate disaster risk reduction into the inventorying of their intangible cultural heritage - also referred to as living heritage as it adapts, evolves and thrives across generations. This is in line with UNESCO's Operational principles and modalities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in emergencies.
UNESCO has produced the video in partnership with the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region, which functions under the auspices of UNESCO.
Intangible cultural heritage is a powerful tool for resilience
The Pacific is one of the world's most disaster-prone regions, with climate-related hazards now accounting for more than 75% of all reported disasters.
Rising sea levels, stronger cyclones and shifting weather patterns mean that Pacific Island communities are facing ever-greater threats to their livelihoods and to their cultural heritage. When Cyclone Pam tore through Vanuatu in 2015, hundreds of modern homes were reduced to rubble - while traditional saeklon haos, or 'cyclone houses' built from vines, palm fronds and grasses stood firm.
Yet even as this traditional knowledge demonstrates remarkable resilience, living heritage itself is fragile, facing threats from climate change, environmental degradation and the loss of intergenerational transmission.
Safeguarding this heritage can help ensure that this knowledge evolves, adapts to new realities and continues to remain relevant and useful for future generations.
UNESCO Culture Programme Specialist Sara Ugarte observes that 'there is a quiet power in traditions: knowledge shared through voices, hands and generations that shapes how Pacific peoples live and how they endure. Intangible cultural heritage often lies unseen, yet carries wisdom refined over centuries. In moments of crisis, when the forces of nature strike, this knowledge offers a vital source of strength and protection'.
From forecasting storms by observing natural signs to cultivating drought- and cyclone-resistant crops, or maintaining customary no-fishing zones that safeguard marine resources, these traditions reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience.
Just as importantly, these traditions reinforce community bonds and identity, which are essential for recovery in times of hardship.
That is why collaboration between cultural authorities, national disaster management offices and the custodians and bearers of intangible cultural heritage are key to ensuring a truly comprehensive approach.
Across the Pacific, cultural practices have long helped people prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. When effectively integrated into disaster risk reduction strategies, intangible cultural heritage becomes a vital resource.
This video is now featured in UNESCO’s Clearinghouse on living heritage and education, which gathers resources and information from around the world.
This video builds on the preliminary outcomes of the Japan-funded project Capacity building for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in emergencies in Small Island Developing States in the Pacific and the Caribbean.