The National Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Timor-Leste (KOMNAS PKI TL), through the Secretariat of State for Arts and Culture, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Timor Aid, and the Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO, held an International Workshop on Tais Certification System at the Salão Nobre do MENEC Dili, Timor-Leste.
Workshop Tais certification system as part of the Urgent Safeguard Plan for Tais. The Tais certification is intended to respond to the concerns of the soru-na’in about the low market for Tais in Timor-Leste. Many soru-na’in do not receive a fair income for their Tais products, and consumers do not recognize the efforts of the soru-na’in and do not give value to the soru-na’in who sell Tais.
The international workshop was also attended by the President of the Republic, Dr. José Ramos Horta, and received maximum participation from representatives of 12 municipalities and RAEOA, Rede Soru Na’in, associations and cultural groups, creative industry companies, fashion and design companies, university students, and members of KOMNAS PKI TL, composed of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Tourism and Environment, Secretariat of State for Arts and Culture, Secretariat of State for Equality and Inclusion, Timor-Leste National Commission for UNESCO, Timor Aid, Alola Foundation, and international partners UN Women and USAID.
In his intervention, the President of the Republic congratulated the KOMNAS PKI team for making great efforts to register Tais as a cultural and intangible heritage on the UNESCO list. The President added that “certification and branding will help pave the way to promote Tais in the market, not only nationally but also internationally. Branding makes it easy for others to identify that this is Tais from Timor.”
Meanwhile, the main objective of this workshop is to share information on the Tais certification system, increase the capacity of stakeholders to understand the impact of Tais certification on economic sustainability, and start developing laws for the Tais certification system. The activity will be held over two days and focus on three important themes, such as:
- UNESCO Convention on the Intangible Cultural Heritage and international legislation for the certification of cultural elements
2. Craft mark certification process for traditional handicrafts and textiles
3. Branding for handicraft products, especially Tais
This activity is carried out with financial support from the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund (ICH FUND), from which Timor-Leste, as a member state, benefits through the inscription of Tais in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage that needs urgent safeguarding.
