Mr. Marc Jacobs is a Professor of Heritage Studies at the University of Antwerp and holder of the UNESCO Chair on Critical Heritage Studies and the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Previously he was director of Flemish Interface for Cultural Heritage (FARO). As a member of the Belgian delegation, he was part of the drafting group of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, of its General Assembly (2006-2021) and Intergovernmental Committee (2006-2008; 2012-2016). He cherishes article 15 and 18, and the Operational Directives 170 and 171 in the Basic Texts of the 2003 Convention.