The International Council for Traditional Music is a Non-Governmental Organisation in formal consultative relations with UNESCO. Its aims are to further the study, practice, documentation, preservation and dissemination of traditional music and dance of all countries. To these ends the Council organises World Conferences, Symposia and Colloquia.
The Council also promotes these goals by publishing the Yearbook for Traditional Music, distributingthe online Bulletin of the ICTM, and maintaining a rich Online Membership Directory.
By means of its wide international representation and the activities of its Study Groups, the International Council for Traditional Music acts as a bond among peoples of different cultures and thus serves the peace of humankind.