The Government of India hosted the 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage at the Red Fort in New Delhi from 8 to 13 December 2025. This marked India's first time hosting this UNESCO 2003 Convention session and coincided with the twentieth anniversary of India's ratification of the Convention. The session attracted approximately 1,200 delegates from around 130 countries, including representatives of States Parties, Intergovernmental Committee members, UNESCO officials, non-governmental organizations, cultural institutions, experts, and community practitioners.
A significant outcome was the inscription of Deepavali on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, making it the 16th intangible cultural heritage element from India to receive this recognition. The Indian government has also taken steps to nominate Chhath Mahaparva as a multinational nomination, with Mauritius showing keen interest in joining this effort. The nomination dossier included ICH 01 form, movie, and consent letters, and was submitted to UNESCO.
Sangeet Natak Akademi serves as the nodal agency for UNESCO nominations of Intangible Cultural Heritage elements and maintains a National Inventory containing 54 elements ready for nomination. However, UNESCO directives limit submissions to only one nomination every two years, restricting the pace at which India can propose new elements for recognition. This information was formally provided by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.