Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 18.COM 7.a.8

The Committee,

  1. Having examined document LHE/23/18.COM/7.a,
  2. Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decision EXT.COM 5,
  3. Expresses its appreciation to Ukraine for submitting, on time, its first annual report on the status of the element ‘Culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking’, inscribed in 2022 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, as a case of extreme urgency as stipulated in Article 17.3 of the Convention;
  4. Takes note of the efforts undertaken by the State Party to safeguard the element, in particular by enhancing cooperation among governmental and non-governmental organizations, raising public awareness about the element, developing methodological materials, integrating the element into education, and documenting the varieties of the element in several regions, despite the circumstances of war in the territory of Ukraine;
  5. Further takes note that the element has united people in Ukraine, including internally displaced persons, the Ukrainian diaspora and temporarily displaced persons abroad, and has become a symbol of resilience and resistance;
  6. Encourages the State Party to pursue its efforts to overcome current risks to the viability of the element, to strengthen cooperation among various stakeholders and develop a state programme to safeguard the element, to continue research, transmit knowledge and raise public awareness about the element through education and the media;
  7. Invites the State Party to pursue its efforts to research the impact of war on the viability of the element and to adjust the implementation of the updated safeguarding plan in view of the evolving context of the threats concerning the element;
  8. Notes also the assistance from the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund granted in 2022, and its reported contribution to the safeguarding of the element, and further encourages the State Party to continue its fundraising efforts and developing synergies among various funding sources;
  9. Requests that the Secretariat inform the State Party at least nine months prior to the next deadline about the required submission of its next report on the status of this element.

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