On the occasion of the fifth session of the General Assembly of the State Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangibile Cultural Heritage held in Paris from 2 to 5 June 2014, the Associazione per la conservazione delle tradizioni popolari (Association for the Conservation of Folk Traditions) was accredited as a non-governmental organization to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangibile Cultural Heritage – registration number NGO-90316 – by virtue of its recognized competence in the field of research and study of the intangible cultural heritage. The Association is thus among a few Italian NGOs which are a privileged spokesman of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
«This important recognition rewards the work which has being done since more than fifty years by the Associazione per la conservazione delle tradizioni popolari for the safeguarding, documentation, research, promotion, transmission and revitalization of Sicilian cultural heritage in all its expressions, and in collaboration with prestigious national and international organizations: from oral tradition to performing arts; from social practices to rites and festive events; from traditional craftsmanship to puppet theatre», underlines the President of the Associazione, Marianne Vibaek.
«A recognition which underlines, on an international level, the Associazione's leading role in the promotion of activities for the safeguarding and dissemination of Sicilian traditions. A role which has been being played in collaboration with the people who are the depositories of traditional knowledge related to Sicilian culture, and in constant dialogue with international contexts, as well as with experts, museums, theatres, cultural and educational institutions which are internationally relevant. A good omen for a new support from local and national entities, from citizenship and operators in the field of intangible heritage» continues Rosario Perricone, Manager of the Associazione and the Museum. He goes on: «we hope that this recognition, which is not ours but concerns to the whole Sicilian culture, will be followed by a suitable support from the Regione Siciliana (regional governement) and the Comune di Palermo (city's government), which should be our natural institutional partners. In fact, the Pasqualino Museum is a museum of the city of Palermo and an organisation which feeds new dynamics of social and cultural aggregation».