Resolution of the General Assembly: 5.GA 5.1 - intangible heritage - Culture Sector

The General Assembly,

Having examined document ITH/14/5.GA/5.1,
Recalling Resolution 4.GA 5,
Welcomes Decision 8.COM 13.a;
Approves the amendments to the Operational Directives as annexed to this resolution.

ANNEX

Criteria for inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List

I.1

No change.

U.1 No change.

U.2 No change.

U.3 A safeguarding plan is elaborated that may enable the community, group or, if applicable, individuals concerned to continue the practice and transmission of the element.

U.4 No change.

U.5 No change.

U.6 No change.

Inscription of an element on an extended or reduced basis

I.5	No change.
13.	No change.
14.	The Committee encourages the submission of subregional or regional programmes, projects and activities as well as those undertaken jointly by States Parties in geographically discontinuous areas. States Parties may submit these proposals individually or jointly.
15.	States Parties may submit to the Committee requests for international assistance jointly submitted by two or more States Parties.
I.6	Inscription on an extended or reduced basis
16.	The inscription of an element on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity can be extended to other communities, groups and, if applicable, individuals at the national and/or international level upon the request of the State(s) Party(ies) in whose territory(ies) the element is present, with the consent of the concerned communities, groups and, if applicable, individuals.
17.	The inscription of an element on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity can be reduced at the national and/or international level if the State(s) Party(ies) in whose territory(ies) the element is present so request(s), with the consent of the concerned communities, groups and, if applicable, individuals.
18.	The State(s) Party(ies) concerned submit(s) a new nomination file showing that the nomination, as extended or reduced, satisfies all of the required criteria for inscription. Such a nomination shall be submitted according to the established procedures and deadlines for nominations.
19.	In the event that the Committee decides to inscribe the element on the basis of the new nomination file, the new inscription shall replace the original inscription. In the event that the Committee, on the basis of the new nomination file, decides not to inscribe the element, the original inscription shall remain intact.
I.7	Submission of files
20.	Form ICH-01 is used for the nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, ICH-02 for the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, ICH-03 for the proposals of programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention.
21.	States Parties may request preparatory assistance for the elaboration of nomination files to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and for the elaboration of proposals of programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention.
22.	As far as preparatory assistance is concerned, Form ICH-05 is used for requests for preparatory assistance to elaborate a nomination for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and Form ICH-06 is used for requests for preparatory assistance to elaborate a proposal of a programme, project or activity for selection and promotion by the Committee. All other requests for international assistance, whatever amount is requested, shall be submitted using Form ICH-04.
23.	All the forms are available at www.unesco.org/culture/ich or on request from the Secretariat. The files shall include only the information requested in the forms.
24.	Submitting States Parties shall involve the communities, groups and, where applicable, individuals concerned in the preparation of their files.
25.	A State Party may withdraw a file it has submitted at any time prior to examination by the Committee, without prejudice to its right to benefit from international assistance under the Convention.

Evaluation of files

I.8

Evaluation of files

26.

Evaluation includes assessment of the conformity of the nomination, proposal or international assistance request with the required criteria.

27.

On an experimental basis, the evaluation of nominations for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, of proposed programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention and of international assistance requests greater than US$25,000 shall be accomplished by a consultative body of the Committee established in accordance with Article 8.3 of the Convention, to be known as the ‘Evaluation Body’. The Evaluation Body will make recommendations to the Committee for its decision. The Evaluation Body shall be composed of twelve members appointed by the Committee: six experts qualified in the various fields of the intangible cultural heritage representatives of States Parties non-Members of the Committee and six accredited non-governmental organizations, taking into consideration equitable geographical representation and various domains of intangible cultural heritage.

28.

The duration of office of a member of the Evaluation Body shall not exceed four years. Every year, the Committee shall renew one quarter of the members of the Evaluation Body. At least three months prior to the opening of the session of the Committee, the Secretariat shall inform the States Parties within each Electoral Group with a vacant seat to be filled. Up to three candidatures shall be sent to the Secretariat by the Chairperson of the Electoral Group concerned at least six weeks prior to the opening of the session. Once appointed by the Committee, the members of the Evaluation Body shall act impartially in the interests of all the States Parties and the Convention.

29.

For the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, each evaluation shall include assessment of the viability of the element and of the feasibility and sufficiency of the safeguarding plan. It shall also include assessment of the risk of its disappearing, due, inter alia, to the lack of means for safeguarding and protecting it, or to processes of globalization and social or environmental transformation.

30.

The Evaluation Body shall submit to the Committee an evaluation report that includes a recommendation:

- to inscribe or not to inscribe the nominated element on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;

- to inscribe or not to inscribe the nominated element on the Representative List, or to refer the nomination to the submitting State(s) for additional information;

- to select or not to select the proposed programme, project or activity; or

- to approve or not to approve the international assistance request.

31.

No change.

I.9

Nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to be processed on an extremely urgent basis

I.10

Examination of files by the Committee

I.11

Transfer of an element from one List to the other or removal of an element from a List

I.12

No change.

I.13

No change.

I.14

No change.

I.15

No change.

54.

No change.

31 March Year 0	No change.
31 March Year 1	Deadline by which nominations for the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, proposals for programmes, projects and activities and international assistance requests greater than US$25,000 must be received by the Secretariat. Files received after this date will be examined in the next cycle. The Secretariat posts on the website of the Convention, in their original language, files as received.
30 June Year 1	No change.
30 September Year 1	Deadline by which missing information required to complete the files, if any, shall be submitted by the State Party to the Secretariat. Files that remain incomplete are returned to the States Parties that may complete them for a subsequent cycle. As files revised by submitting States reach the Secretariat following its requests for additional information, they are posted online and replace the original files received. Their translations into English or French are also posted online as they become available.

55.

No change.

December Year 1 to May Year 2	Evaluation of the files by the Evaluation Body.
April – June Year 2	Meetings for final evaluation by the Evaluation Body.
Four weeks prior to the session of the Committee	The Secretariat transmits the evaluation reports to the members of the Committee and makes them available on-line for consultation.

56.

No change.

Definition of ‘emergency’ for the purposes of international assistance

I.14	No change.
47.	No change.
48.	No change.
49.	No change.
50.	Emergency requests greater than US$25,000 are examined and approved by the Bureau of the Committee. For the purpose of determining whether a request for international assistance constitutes an emergency request eligible to receive priority consideration by the Bureau, an emergency shall be considered to exist when a State Party finds itself unable to overcome on its own any circumstance due to calamity, natural disaster, armed conflict, serious epidemic or any other natural or human event that has severe consequences for the intangible cultural heritage as well as communities, groups and, if applicable, individuals who are the bearers of that heritage.
51.	Requests greater than US$25,000 are evaluated by the Evaluation Body described in paragraph 27 above, and examined and approved by the Committee.
52.	No change.
53.	No change.