ANNEX 1: Operational directives for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

The nomination process

1.

Submitting States Parties are requested to use the specified nomination format for proposals for inscriptions on the Urgent Safeguarding List and to involve the communities, groups and, where applicable, individuals concerned in the preparation of their nominations.

2.

States Parties are encouraged to jointly submit multi-national nominations when an element is found on the territory of more than one State Party. 

3.

A State Party may withdraw a nomination it has submitted at any time prior to evaluation by the Committee, without prejudice to its right to benefit from international assistance under the Convention.

Examination of nominations

4.

With a view to their evaluation by the Committee, nominations shall be examined by preferably more than one advisory organization accredited in conformity with Article 9.1 of the Convention, and/or by public or private bodies and/or private persons with recognized competence in the field of intangible cultural heritage, in conformity with Article 8.4 of the Convention. No nomination will be examined by (a) national(s) of the State(s) submitting the nomination.

5.

Each examination shall include assessment of the viability of the element and of the sufficiency and feasibility of the safeguarding plan. It shall also include assessment of the risk of its disappearing, due either to the lack of means for safeguarding and protecting it, or to processes of globalization and social transformation.

6.

The reports of these examinations shall include a recommendation to the Committee to inscribe, or not to inscribe, the nominated element.

Evaluation and decision by the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

7.

The Secretariat will transmit to the Committee an overview of all nominations including summaries, examination reports, and any reactions thereto by the States Parties concerned. The nomination files and examination reports will also be made available to States Parties for their consultation.

8.

After evaluation, the Committee decides whether an element should or should not be inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List.

Nominations to be processed on an extremely urgent basis

9.

In case of extreme urgency, the Committee may invite submission of a nomination on an accelerated schedule. The Committee, in consultation with the State(s) Party(ies) concerned, shall evaluate the nomination as quickly as possible after its submission, in accordance with a procedure to be established by the Committee on a case by case basis.

10.

Cases of extreme urgency may be brought to the attention of the Committee by any State Party, including the State(s) Party(ies) on whose territory the element is located, by the community concerned or by an advisory organization. 

Removal of elements from the Urgent Safeguarding List

11.

An element shall be removed from the Urgent Safeguarding List by the Committee when it determines, after assessment of the implementation of the safeguarding plan, that the element no longer satisfies one or more criteria for inscription on that list.

Transfer from one List to the other

12.

An element may not simultaneously be inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List and the Representative List. A State Party may request that an element be transferred from one List to the other. Such a request must demonstrate that the element satisfies all of the criteria for the List to which transfer is requested, and shall be submitted according to the established procedures and deadlines for nominations.

Updating and publication of the Urgent Safeguarding List

13.

The nomination files and examination reports of elements inscribed on the List shall be available for consultation at the Secretariat and, to the extent possible, made available on-line for general access.

14.

Upon request of the Committee, the Secretariat publishes the updated Urgent Safeguarding List annually, primarily through the website of the Convention. A printed version will be published every two years, on the occasion of the session of the General Assembly of the States Parties.

15.

Timetable – Overview of procedures

Phase 1: Preparation and submission

1 September Year 0

Deadline by which preparatory assistance may be requested from the Committee.

31 March Year 1

Deadline by which nominations must be received by the Secretariat. Nominations received after this date will be examined in the next cycle.

1 June Year 1

Deadline by which the Secretariat will have processed the nominations, including registration and acknowledgement of receipt. If a nomination is found incomplete, the State Party will be advised to complete the nomination.

1 September Year 1

Deadline by which additional information required to complete the nomination, if any, shall be submitted by the State Party to the Secretariat. Nominations that remain incomplete may be completed for the following cycle.

Phase 2: Examination

September Year 1

Selection by the Committee of one or more advisory organizations, research institutes and/or experts for examination of each nomination file.

October Year 1 – April Year 2

Examination.

31 March Year 2

Deadline by which States Parties will have submitted supplementary information requested by the examiners for proper review of a nomination.

1 May Year 2

The Secretariat transmits to the nominating States Parties the relevant examination reports.

1 August Year 2

The Secretariat transmits to Committee Members the examination reports. The nomination files and examination reports shall also be available on-line for consultation by States Parties.

Phase 3: Evaluation

September Year 2

The Committee evaluates nominations and makes its decisions.

ANNEX 2: Operational directives for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The nomination process

16.

Submitting States Parties are requested to use the specified nomination format for proposals for inscriptions on the Representative List and to involve the communities, groups and, where applicable, individuals concerned in the preparation of their nominations.

17.

States Parties are encouraged to jointly submit multi-national nominations when an element is found on the territory of more than one State Party.

Examination of nominations

18.

Examination of nominations shall be accomplished by a subsidiary body of the Committee established in accordance with Rule 21 of its Rules of Procedure.

19.

The examination made by the subsidiary body shall include assessment of the nomination’s conformity with the inscription criteria.

20.

The examination reports shall include a recommendation to the Committee to inscribe, or not to inscribe, the nominated element.

21.

A State Party may withdraw a nomination it has submitted at any time prior to evaluation by the Committee.

Evaluation and decision by the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

22.

The subsidiary body will provide to the Committee an overview of all nomination files and a report of their examinations, which will also be made available by the Secretariat to States Parties for their consultation.

23.

After evaluation the Committee decides whether an element should or should not be inscribed on the Representative List.

24.

If the Committee decides that an element should not be inscribed on the Representative List, the nomination may not be resubmitted to the Committee for inscription on this List, before four years have passed.

Removal of items from the Representative List

25.

An element shall be removed from the Representative List when the Committee determines that it no longer satisfies one or more criteria for inscription on that list.

Transfer from one List to the other

26.

An element may not simultaneously be inscribed on the Representative List and the Urgent Safeguarding List. A State Party may request that an element be transferred from one List to the other. Such a request must demonstrate that the element satisfies all of the criteria for the List to which transfer is requested, and shall be submitted according to the established procedures and deadlines for nominations.

Updating and publication of the Representative List

27.

The nomination files and examination reports of elements inscribed on the List shall be available for consultation at the Secretariat and, to the extent possible, made available on-line for general access.

28.

Upon request of the Committee, the Secretariat publishes the updated Representative List annually, primarily through the website of the Convention. A printed version will be published every two years, on the occasion of the session of the General Assembly of the States Parties.

29.

Timetable – Overview of procedures

Phase 1: Preparation and submission

31 August Year 1

Deadline by which nominations must be received by the Secretariat. Nominations received after this date will be examined in the next cycle.

1 November Year 1

Deadline by which the Secretariat will have processed the nominations, including registration and acknowledgement of receipt. If a nomination is found incomplete, the State Party will be advised to complete the nomination.

15 January Year 2

Deadline by which additional information required to complete the nomination, if any, shall be submitted by the State Party to the Secretariat. Nominations that remain incomplete may be completed for the following cycle.

Phase 2: Examination

May Year 2

Examination by the subsidiary body.

1 July Year 2

The Secretariat transmits to the nominating States Parties the examination reports by the subsidiary body.

1 August Year 2

The Secretariat transmits to Committee Members the examination reports. The nomination files and the examination reports shall also be available on-line for consultation by States Parties.

Phase 3: Evaluation

September Year 2

The Committee evaluates the nominations for inscription and makes its decisions.

ANNEX 3: Transitional timetable for the first inscriptions on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding

September 2007

Adoption by the Committee of a transitional timetable for the submission of the first nomination files.

June 2008

Approval by the General Assembly of the Operational Directives, as well as the timetable applicable to the first nomination cycle proposed by the Committee.

31 July 2008

Deadline by which preparatory assistance may be requested for the preparation of nominations.

October 2008

Evaluation of preparatory assistance requests.

15 March 2009

Deadline by which nominations must be received by the Secretariat.

15 April 2009

Deadline by which additional information required to complete the nomination, if any, shall be submitted by the State Party to the Secretariat. Nominations that remain incomplete may be completed for the following cycle.

April 2009

Decision by the Committee on examiners for examination of each nomination file.

April – June 2009

Examination of the nominations by the examiners.

25 June 2009

Deadline by which States Parties will have submitted supplementary information requested by examiners for proper review of the nomination.

1 July 2009

The Secretariat transmits to the nominating States Parties the relevant examination reports.

August 2009

The Secretariat transmits to the Committee Members the examination reports. The nomination files and examination reports shall also be available on-line for consultation by States Parties.

September 2009

Evaluation by the Committee of the nominations for the first inscriptions on the Urgent Safeguarding List.