World Batik Summit Indonesia – the Global Home of Batik Speech by Hubert Gijzen, Director of the UNESCO Office Jakarta (Jakarta, Java, 28 September to 2 October 2011)

Your Excellency Bp. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia and First Lady Ibu Ani, Ibu Herawati Boediono, Your Excellencies, Ministers, Excellencies, members of the diplomatic corps, Bapak Joop Ave, (Advisory Board), and Ibu Jultin Ginandjar (Head) Yayasan Batik Indonesia Mr Doddy Soepardi, Chairman of the World Batik Summit 2011, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

A very good morning to all, selamat pagi dan Assalamu’alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

It gives me great pleasure to convey my greetings to the participants of the World Batik Summit on behalf of UNESCO. I sincerely hope that this event will create a forum where people around the world can discuss and exchange ideas, opinions and views concerning the creation, and perpetuation of an age-old tradition for which Indonesia is renowned around the world, Batik.

In June 2012, world leaders will gather once again in Rio de Janeiro to address the important challenge of sustainable development at the Summit referred to as Rio+20. Culture, in all its dimensions, is a fundamental component of sustainable development. Through cultural heritage, creative industries and various forms of artistic expressions, culture can serve as a powerful engine for economic development, social stability and environmental protection. Culture also defines the way human beings live and interact both at local and global scales. Placing culture at the heart of Sustainable Development policies constitutes an essential investment in the world's future, and a pre- condition to successful globalization.

Ladies and Gentlemen, In the 21st century, UNESCO, with the support of the international community, has paved the way for new approaches to understanding, respecting and safeguarding the cultural heritage of humanity.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of UNESCO’s Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, and we will soon begin the preparations for celebrating the first decade of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Both normative instruments acknowledge the importance of cultural diversity as a source of individual and collective enrichment for nations and for humanity.

1 So far, 137 countries have ratified the 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, thereby recognizing that its safeguarding is a shared concern. A State that ratifies the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention commits to safeguarding its living heritage through measures such as protection, promotion, transmission through formal and non- formal education, research and revitalization. The Republic of Indonesia, which ratified this Convention in 2007, has taken its commitments very seriously, and UNESCO is pleased to be a partner of Indonesia in the safeguarding of the world’s living heritage.

In 2009, Indonesian Batik was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in recognition of its rich symbolism that provides Indonesian people with a sense of identity and continuity as an essential component of their life. It is not simply a practical tradition but a source of meaning and identity and a dignified and creative way of making a living. This inscription is one of four that Indonesia proudly holds on the Representative List, including also the Indonesian Kris and Wayang inscribed in 2008, and the Indonesian Angklung inscribed in 2010.

Our hope at UNESCO – and I am confident it is also shared by all Indonesians – is that the international recognition of Batik as an invaluable expression of living heritage, can stimulate redoubled efforts to ensure that future generations will continue to make and to wear Batik as a proud symbol of cultural identity.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Indonesia has played a significant role as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and I am very pleased to note that it will host the sixth session of the Committee in Bali in November this year. I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate UNESCO’s appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for its generous hospitality.

Thanks to the leadership of the Indonesian Government and the interest and enthusiasm of communities throughout the archipelago, the futures of the Kris, Wayang, Angklung and Batik will be ensured for many generations to come. Events such as this World Summit can help us to reignite peoples’ passion and appreciation for intangible cultural heritage.

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am certain that this encounter will inspire rich debate and discussion, but most of all I hope it will inspire an appreciation for the creativity that lies behind each piece of Batik and the rich symbolism that it embodies. I am confident that this Summit will encourage us to behold our most valuable culture assets with eyes more widely opened to the boundless potential to contribute to sustainable development and to community identity. May the centuries-old practice of Batik continue for many centuries to come.

I wish this World Summit every success. Thank you for your kind attention.

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