Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 10.COM 6.b.2

The Committee,

  1. Having examined document ITH/15/10.COM/6.b,
  2. Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decision 8.COM 7.a.5,
  3. Expresses its thanks to Guatemala for submitting its report on the status of the element ‘Paach ceremony’, inscribed in 2013 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
  4. Takes note of the continued efforts by the State Party to safeguard the element and, in particular, its attempts to involve bearers, communities and cultural associations in inventorying and other safeguarding activities, and to encourage new recruits to the element;
  5. Encourages the State Party to pursue its efforts to ensure that bearers are included in the decision-making process and that local promotional activities for the element are not dominated by an external cultural organisation;
  6. Invites the State Party to develop new strategies for supporting modes of transmission that are better suited to the Maya-Mam people, including information, training and sensitisation of the bearers to obtain their free, prior and informed consent;
  7. Further invites the State Party to provide funding for priority measures in the safeguarding plan such as documentation and recording and to make sure that those activities that are community-funded be carried out efficiently;
  8. Further encourages the State Party to consider establishing a permanent fund for safeguarding activities by local authorities;
  9. Decides that its next report will follow the normal four-year cycle, in conformity with paragraph 161 of the Operational Directives, and will therefore be expected on 15 December 2017;
  10. Requests the Secretariat to inform the State Party twelve months prior to the deadline of 15 December 2017 for the submission of its next report on the status of this element.

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