Book excerpt: This book covers intangible cultural heritage (ICH) governance through an Asia-Pacific context, making reference to the historical development of the international instruments guiding ICH policy. With a review of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage’s development, this work provides an understanding into why the Convention is the way it is, how it is developing, and how to apply it in different situations. Furthermore, dedicating sections to explain good governance and the manner through which the 2003 Convention hopes to influence good governance in the ICH field, the book will help readers to understand the major issues and barriers to good governance in this field. In addition, the case studies integrated in this volume provide tools and context with which to analyze ICH and ICH governance. Overall, the central questions answered in this work are ‘What is governance in terms of ICH safeguarding?’ and ‘How do interactions between global and local governance develop?’ The included experimental strategies for enhancing ICH safeguarding governance offer a glimpse into what may be possible. As the 2003 Convention is still relatively young, there is a need for in-depth research that covers the core governance issues that have arisen over the past decade. This book, being unique in its direct focus on ICH governance, will help fill this information gap and give readers a concise reference point for such issues.