UNITED Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has pledged to continue assisting member states like Zambia in implementing effective measures to safeguard cultural heritages.

UNESCO chief programmes officer Ronald Kaulule said in Lusaka yesterday at a workshop for academic institutions on intangible cultural heritage that UNESCO was committed to promoting its mandate.

"Initially and for some time, the focus of UNESCO's work was on the protection and conservation of tangible heritage in particular monuments, objects and cultural sites," he said

The workshop was aimed at raising awareness among academic institutions and other shareholders for implementing the 2003 convention for the safeguarding of intangible heritage.

Dr Kaulule said intangible heritage had become an exciting and important component of cultural heritage with communities and cultural groups taking centre stage.

He said a working group consisting of persons from the Lusaka National Museum, department of cultural affairs, National Heritage Conservation Commission and the University of Zambia had since been constituted.

He said the group would oversee the implementation of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritages arising from the 2003 convention.

Dr Kateule said UNESCO would continue o serve as a clearing house for spreading and sharing of knowledge with objective of building human institutional capacities of its members States.