UNESCO will not include bullfighting as Intangible Cultural Heritage

Brussels, 29 October 2020 - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) revealed that it will not recognize bullfights as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in need of urgent safeguarding, as requested by the Spanish association International Tauromaquia Association.

The revelation was made by an internal source of UNESCO to MEP Francisco Guerreiro, who indicated that the matter will not be debated either by the secretariat or by the responsible commission. The decision comes after UNESCO asked the Spanish government about the urgency of the classification due to the imminent disappearance of the activity in the country, a suggestion that was outright rejected by the Spanish government. 

“UNESCO did its job and realized that there is no risk of extinction of the bullfighting industry in Spain, so the main argument used by the International Tauromaquia Association was false. Unfortunately, the practice will continue, but fortunately, it will not be distinguished by UNESCO,” explained Francisco Guerreiro.

Thus, there are 54 proposals that will be discussed, without considering bullfighting, at the 15th session of the Commission for the Protection of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage, which takes place from 14 to 19 December, at the organization's headquarters in Paris.

Discussion on the subject began in the European Parliament in September due to the letter of objection written by Francisco Guerreiro and sent to the Director General of UNESCO, also signed by 61 MEPs from 6 of the 7 European political families, including the signatures of the co-presidents of Greens/EFA, Ska Keller and Philippe Lamberts.

The bullfighting sector is getting ever more blows and its desperation is clear because the request to be Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity was based on false assumptions and is contrary to UNESCO's own principles of non-violence,” concludes Francisco Guerreiro.

This rejection appears as yet another blow to the bullfighting sector, adding to the recent cut in European agricultural subsidies (so-called 'coupled payments' to be received by farmers) for breeding bulls for bullfighting, approved last week by the European Parliament during votes on the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). 

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