SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE SERVICE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE About the Convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage

While it is common to associate the protection of "culture" with "sustainable development" - the idea of conserving an element of heritage for the benefit of present and future generations is, in fact, inherent to both concepts - the classic definition of sustainable development and the content of this notion, as made explicit through certain foundational texts, generally bypass the importance of culture for the development of societies. However, there are close legal relationships which from now one bring both notions together, as witnessed in the recent developments in this area in international law. These normative aspects of change, which, in large measure, are based on an awareness of the inestimable contribution of culture to sustainable development in societies, have a tendency to bypass the other dimension in the relationship, namely the potential represented by the notion of sustainable development for the protection of cultures. By using the example of the conservation of the intangible cultural heritage, this contribution will explore this potential in three stages: first, by identifying the international legal instruments which have contributed to the explicit recognition of a link between culture and sustainable development (I); next, in specifying the conceptual and legal content of this notion of sustainable development to which are attached certain "principles of sustainable development" (II); and finally, moving to a critical analysis of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in light of these principles of sustainable development (III).