The Committee,

1. Having examined documents ITH/14/9.COM/9 and ITH/14/9.COM/9.a,
2. Recalling Chapter I of the Operational Directives and its Decision 8.COM 9.a,
3. Commends the eight States Parties that submitted nominations for possible inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
4. Further commends the submission of nominations that demonstrate the relationship of intangible cultural heritage to sustainable development, nature and the environment, and that promote intercultural dialogue, the well-being of rural and indigenous communities and respect for human rights;
5. Encourages States Parties to continue to address the role of women, youth and children in the practice and transmission of intangible cultural heritage;
6. Reminds States Parties that respect for human rights is fundamental to the Convention’s principles and requests more information be provided in nominations to demonstrate how practices comply with existing human rights instruments;
7. Calls on States Parties to clearly describe the current viability of the element and to identify specific threats faced by it in order that they can be properly responded to in the safeguarding plan;
8. Reaffirms the need for States Parties to explain the characteristics of the communities, groups and, where applicable, individuals concerned, to ensure their participation throughout the nomination process and to provide comprehensive and wide-ranging evidence to demonstrate such participation;
9. Reiterates the importance for States Parties to mobilize and integrate a diverse range of actors including those outside the culture sector when designing safeguarding measures to ensure their effectiveness and sustainability;
10. Further requests States Parties to provide more information on customary restrictions on access to specific aspects of intangible cultural heritage, as a crucial dimension of the element’s viability, the proposed safeguarding measures and the free, prior and informed consent of the community;
11. Invites States Parties to ensure that inventorying efforts go beyond listing and meet the requirements laid forth in Articles 11 and 12 of the Convention in regard to the participation of communities, groups and relevant non-governmental organizations as well as regular updating of such inventories;
12. Encourages States Parties, when preparing nomination videos, to ensure greater contextualization of practices, paying close attention to the quality and integrity of presentations, and to include relevant subtitles to enable better understanding.