Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 19.COM 15

The Committee,

  1. Having examined document LHE/24/19.COM/15,
  2. Recalling the relevant paragraphs of the Operational Directives concerning nomination procedures, Decision 17.COM 15, as well as 9.GA 9 and 10.GA 7,
  3. Takes note that the number of files treated for the 2024 cycle is seventy-one (sixty-one files within the annual ceiling and ten files outside) and that for the 2025 cycle sixty-nine files are treated (sixty files within the annual ceiling and nine files outside);
  4. Decides that for the 2026 and 2027 cycles, the number of nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, proposals of programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention that can be treated is determined to be no more than sixty per cycle;
  5. Further decides that the Secretariat may exercise some flexibility if that will permit greater equity among submitting States with equal priority under paragraph 34 of the Operational Directives;
  6. Considers that submitting States may indicate multinational files as their priority file under priority (0) for the 2026 and 2027 cycles, and requests that within multinational files under priority (ii), priority be given to:
(a) multinational files that could not be treated in the previous cycle;
(b) multinational files with at least one submitting State that has no element inscribed (excluding inscriptions via multinational nominations) and no other file included in the same cycle;
(c) multinational files with the fewest elements inscribed (excluding inscriptions via multinational nominations) per submitting State concerned, taking note that groups including the same submitting States who have submitted more than one multinational file in a given cycle may be requested to choose which of their multinational files should be considered.
  1. Also decides to include in the 2026 cycle, multinational files that could not be treated in the previous cycle, while requesting groups of submitting States who have submitted more than one multinational file non examined in 2025 for the Representative List to choose which of their multinational files should be considered, bearing in mind the annual ceiling of files;
  2. Invites States Parties to take the present decision and current situation as regards multinational files into account when submitting files for the 2026 and 2027 cycles and to show restraint from submitting several multinational files for the Representative List in the same cycle so as to allow for a better representativity of the Lists, and requests the Secretariat to continue monitoring trends concerning the inclusion of multinational nominations in future nomination cycles;
  3. Further takes note that continuing for the 2026 and 2027 cycles, the following files will be treated outside of the annual ceiling;
(a) requests for the transfer of elements from one List to another,
(b) the inclusion in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices of the successful safeguarding experiences resulting from transfers from the Urgent Safeguarding List to the Representative List,
(c) proposals for the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices from States Parties whose transfer requests were examined by the nineteenth session of the Committee (2024 cycle),
(d) proposals for the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices from States Parties whose transfer requests will be examined by the twentieth session of the Committee (2025 cycle),
(e) requests for inscriptions on an extended or reduced basis,
(f) as well as the follow-up of inscribed elements;
  1. Notes the ongoing under-utilization of the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, encourages States Parties to consider the submission of proposals to the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices and requests the Secretariat to present proposals, at its next session, to promote the access, including mechanisms to extend the selections in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, as well as increase the visibility of the Register, through awareness raising and sensitization strategies, in line with the reflections of the Open Ended Working Group for a broader implementation of Article 18;
  2. Further requests that the Secretariat report to it on the number of files submitted for the 2026 and 2027 cycles, the emerging trends regarding representativity in the domains of intangible cultural heritage and of sustainable development, especially gender equality, its experience in applying the Operational Directives and the present decision at its twenty-first session in 2026, in particular concerning multinational nominations and proposals to the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, as well as on its experience with the treatment of requests outside the annual ceiling.

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