Singapore's first multinational inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

“Kebaya: Knowledge, Skills, Traditions and Practices” was successfully inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 4 December 2024. This multinational nomination involving Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand received unanimous support from the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee.

This nomination journey of more than two years was a result of the strong collaboration between the five participating states, our local community network, Kawan Kebaya (Friends of Kebaya), as well as the public, community and experts who supported the bid in various ways.

In addition to recognising the cultural significance of the kebaya, the inscription is an opportunity to promote cross-cultural understanding and unity in Singapore, and across the region.

INSCRIBING KEBAYA IN SINGAPORE ONTO THE UNESCO REPRESENTATIVE LIST OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF HUMANITY

To nominate an element onto the UNESCO Representative List, a nomination dossier detailing the following key criteria as set out by UNESCO was submitted in March 2023:

• How it meets UNESCO’s definition of intangible cultural heritage;
• How the potential inscription of kebaya increases visibility, awareness and dialogue of intangible cultural heritage;
• How safeguarding measures may protect and promote the element;
• How the nomination effort has involved the widespread participation of the community; and
• The inclusion of this element in the nominating states’ intangible cultural heritage inventory.

The decision to jointly nominate kebaya onto the UNESCO Representative List was announced on 23 November 2022. A series of collaborative efforts, including joint workshops held in Port Dickson, Malaysia and Jakarta, Indonesia, were carried out. These workshops brought together community representatives from all five participating countries, alongside state agencies, to develop and refine the nomination dossier. The nomination dossier was officially submitted in March 2023.

An assessment of the dossier was subsequently conducted by a 11-member Evaluation Body, who on 4 November 2024 released a recommendation for kebaya to be inscribed onto the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The inscription of kebaya was officially decided and announced by the 19th Intergovernmental Committee held in Asunción, Republic of Paraguay on 4 December 2024 .

UNESCO REPRESENTATIVE LIST OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF HUMANITY

The UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) seeks to encourage state party members to identify, protect and safeguard intangible cultural heritage practices around the world.

Singapore ratified the convention on 22 February 2018 and as a signatory to the convention, is committed to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage practices in Singapore, such as performing arts and traditional craftsmanship, together with submitting elements for inscription onto the UNESCO Representative List. 

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT KEBAYA

Find out more about kebaya in NHB’s national inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.