July-September 2025 – The Ecomuseum "House of Batana" continues to intensively develop international cooperation in the field of intangible cultural heritage through participation in key global events and partnerships with relevant institutions.

Head of international cooperation and expert associate for intangible cultural heritage, Dr. Tamara Nikolić Đerić, recently presented the Ecomuseum House of Batana and Croatian practices in preserving living heritage at three important international forums – in South Korea and Spain.

September is a time of intensive international cooperation. The Ecomuseum House of batana presented at the Forum of the Association of Maritime Museums of the Mediterranean (17-20 September) held in Sant Feliu de Guíxols and L'Escala, an international initiative for the safeguarding of lateen and al terzo sailing, highlighting the contribution of culture to sustainable development processes in the environmental, social and economic spheres.

During the annual meeting, the head of international cooperation of the Ecomuseum House of batana, Tamara Nikolić Đerić, was elected as the vice-president of AMMM, which, together with Teo Perinčić, the newly elected president, for the first time, a Croatian duo took over the leadership of the network. The new mandate announced the strengthening of international cooperation and the expansion of the network of members, the inclusion of young people and women in the preservation of maritime heritage and the promotion of intangible maritime heritage at the European and global levels.

In Namwon (South Korea) on September 23, in cooperation with partners from The Center for Intangible Culture Studies (무형문화연국원), an extremely important topic was opened on the role of UNESCO's Register of Good Practices for the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage, on which Rovinj's eco-museum practice has been located since 2016. The forum brought together experts, researchers and representatives of communities from all over the world who work together to exchange knowledge about innovative models of protection and transmission of living heritage.

After the forum, on September 24, Tamara Nikolić Đerić also participated in the award ceremony of the International Awards for the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Jeonju, in the capacity of Ambassador of the award, which once again confirmed the international recognition and reputation of the Ecomuseum House of batana in the processes of living heritage safeguarding.

Shortly thereafter, the Ecomuseum House of batana was also presented at the UNESCO conference on cultural policies MONDIACULT 2025 (29 September-1 October), held in Barcelona. There, Tamara Nikolić Đerić, in her dual role – as president of the UNESCO accredited associations (ICH NGO Forum) and as a representative of the Association House of batana – a member of the network of accredited associations since 2020 – emphasized the importance of strengthening the position of communities that live and transmit intangible cultural heritage, as well as associations that support and facilitate their work.

Under her leadership, the ICH NGO Forum published a joint Statement on the role of intangible cultural heritage in sustainable development and on the contribution to advocating for an independent goal of culture in the post-2030 sustainability agenda. The Statement was published on the official UNESCO website, confirming the relevance and impact of the work of accredited associations.

By participating in these international events, the Ecomuseum House of batana has once again confirmed its prominent role as a global partner in the field of participatory and sustainable safeguarding of living heritage, connecting the local communities of Rovinj-Rovigno and the Adriatic with international processes under the auspices of UNESCO.

In addition to participating in world conferences, the international cooperation of the Ecomuseum House of batana is also focused on the continuous development of international projects.

In addition to the continuous implementation of the Living Heritage Journeys project (Creative Europe) and the preparation of a pilot project dedicated to local gastronomic heritage, an Interreg Italy–Croatia project was designed and applied for in July, focusing on the transfer of maritime knowledge and skills to younger generations, in collaboration with the Municipality of Cesenatico and their Maritime Museum.

If the project is approved, young participants will have the opportunity to learn the traditional skills of sailing, rowing, and making and painting sails, while at the same time developing their own proposals for sustainable and experiential tourism. A special segment of the project consists of summer schools of marine ecology and heritage interpretation, where young people from Croatia and Italy, with the support of their mentors, will jointly explore ways of safeguarding and valorizing the common Adriatic natural and cultural heritage.

We hereby thank the County of Istria - Regione Istriana and the City of Rovinj-Rovigno for their continuous financial support for international cooperation projects.