The Committee,

1. Having examined document ITH/16/11.COM/5,
2. Welcomes the revised format of the report of the Secretariat and its periodicity aligned with UNESCO’s reporting processes;
3. Further welcomes the eight States – Cabo Verde, Cook Islands, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ireland, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Sudan and Thailand – that have ratified the Convention since the tenth session of the Committee and expresses satisfaction with the relentless pace of ratification, encourages the States non party to the Convention to ratify and requests the Secretariat to continue its efforts to promote ratification;
4. Commends the Secretariat for ensuring the effective implementation of the decisions of the Committee and the resolutions of the General Assembly as well as the efficient organization of the statutory meetings;
5. Expresses satisfaction on the expanded reach and continued effectiveness of the global capacity-building programme and also appreciates the regular review, adaptation and enrichment of its content and format to respond effectively to major implementation challenges at the national, or in some cases regional level;
6. Expresses its concern as regards the decreasing mobilization of resources and calls States Parties to offer further support, particularly in the form of contributions to the sub-fund for enhancing the human resources of the Secretariat in order to allow it to address ongoing demands for the continued effective implementation of the Convention;
7. Notes the low implementation rate of the International Assistance mechanism of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund and encourages States Parties to make better use of it;
8. Invites the Secretariat to explore creative solutions to resolve the present and potential administrative and human resource bottlenecks in the implementation of the International Assistance mechanism and for a better use of existing financial resources, which would enhance support to beneficiary countries and to improve the monitoring of the projects that benefit from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund;
9. Further encourages the Secretariat to strive to help States Parties in addressing a number of thematic areas to operationally link the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage and sustainable development, particularly within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to seek extrabudgetary resources for this purpose as necessary;
10. Acknowledges that the Secretariat has made substantial progress in response to the recommendations of the IOS evaluation and audit, and to ensuring Committee’s decisions, and requests that the Secretariat continue its efforts as planned;
11. Further appreciates the efforts of the Secretariat to contribute to the coordination of the growing network of category 2 centres and to stimulating these centres’ potential to contribute effectively to the implementation of UNESCO’s strategic objectives in the field of intangible cultural heritage;
12. Further invites the Secretariat to expand the outreach and visibility of its activities by consolidating networks and partnerships with UNESCO related programmes and institutions, as well as educational institutions, civil society and others.