Refugee camp

• In these camp communities, unique cultural practices can arise.
• In other words, camps foster new and unique cultural practices.
• But the cultural practices in the Bhutanese camps are now threatened because the refugees and their cultural practices don’t have legal protections.

Protecting remaining refugees

• He was part of one of the world’s largest resettlement programs for refugees.
• These refugees are sitting in limbo, with their homes, their community and their unique culture having no legal protections.
• There aren’t many pathways to protecting refugees once the UNHCR is not involved.
• It is necessary to think creatively to identify possible solutions to protect these remaining refugees.

Unique cultural practices

• UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage might be a way to protect these practices and, by extension, the refugees who remain after UNHCR withdraws from a camp.
• But UNESCO also safeguards cultural practices, such as dance, theatre, food and craftsmanship.
• Through the intangible heritage convention, unique cultural practices and practices at risk of being lost can gain recognition.
• The hope is recognition will support sustainable development, open up funding pathways and ensure cultural knowledge does not disappear.

Towards a fairer process

• To be accessible to all communities, the form should be available in a variety of languages.
• When examining the nomination process, it became clear some minority groups, refugees and stateless people will struggle to have their cultural heritage recognised.
• The current process means refugees are subject to the whims of nations’ priorities.
• The nomination process could be modified so communities can self-verify.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.