India elected to UNESCO body for conserving cultural heritage

India was today elected for a second time to the UN body tasked with the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.
India won the election by a resounding 135 votes against a total of 142 votes cast by member states present at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
India has been elected for the next four years from 2014 to 2018, according to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage has 24 members who are elected for a term of four years.

The core functions of the committee are to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and ensuring respect for the intangible cultural heritage of nations, groups and individuals, as also to raise awareness at the local, national and international levels of the importance of heritage conservation.
This is the second time that India has been elected to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, the earlier term being from 2006-2010.
Intangible culture is the counterpart of culture which is tangible or touchable, whereas intangible culture includes song, music, drama, skills, cuisine, annual festivals, crafts, and the other parts of culture that can be recorded but cannot be touched and interacted with, without a vehicle for the culture.

These cultural vehicles are called 'Human Treasures' by the UN.