Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic - Directorate General of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Disadvantaged Population Groups

The main responsibilities of the Directorate General of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Disadvantaged Population Groups of the Department of Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic include:

- preparing main goals and principles of state policies in the field of intangible cultural heritage, traditional folk culture, cultural and educational activities; as well as analytical, conceptual and information materials of a national-scale-importance in the field of intangible cultural heritage, traditional folk culture and cultural-educational activities,

- performing conceptual and systematic activities in relation to the protection of intangible cultural heritage, traditional folk culture and cultural-educational activities,

- making and systematically developing contacts with central state administration bodies, local self-governments and non-governmental organisations aiming at local, regional and traditional folk culture,

-creating conditions for research, monitoring, preservation and protection of intangible cultural heritage, traditional folk culture and cultural-educational activities in the Slovak Republic and abroad,

- processing viewpoints and analyses to incentives, proposals and suggestions of various institutions, professional, artistic associations and other subjects in the area of intangible cultural heritage, traditional folk culture and cultural-educational activities,

- safeguarding and coordinating the fulfilment of the task resulting from the Strategy of Care for Traditional Culture, Strategy of Development of Local and Regional Culture, Strategy of Development of Educational Activities and Concept of Development of Local and Regional Culture,

- supporting the cooperation in fulfilling the task of the Ministry resulting from the UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore and Convention for Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions,

- performing organisational and administrative activities of the advisory body of the Ministry – Council on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,

- performing organisational and administrative activities of a professional committee on foundation system of the Ministry in the field of the intangible cultural heritage and cultural-educational activities,

- deepening the care of the state for the development of culture of disadvantaged population groups and they motivate members of these groups to an active approach,

- making it easier for the disadvantaged population groups to approach the culture and fulfil their cultural needs,

- ensuring that the disadvantaged population groups will get the information concerning the fulfilment of their cultural needs and equalizing chances in the field of culture,

- helping to lower the risks of excluding the disadvantaged population groups to by means of culture and to include them into the process of social inclusion through cultural mechanisms,

- spreading the information on the disadvantaged population groups to the majority society,

- supporting and creating a proper legal, institutional and financial environment for the protection and development of the culture of the disadvantaged population groups,

- attempts to lower social differences through cultural mechanisms as well as isolation and marginalisation of the disadvantaged population groups,

- creating conditions for the rise of various databases on the disadvantaged population groups and their cultural needs,

- strengthening the cooperation in the concerned area with the state administration bodies and self-government bodies which concentrate on the cultural needs of the disadvantaged population groups with the aim to gain information, exchange knowledge and coordinate the support.