The Committee,
- Having examined document ITH/18/13.COM/7.b,
- Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decision 8.COM 7.a.1,
- Expresses its thanks to Azerbaijan for submitting, on time, its first report on the status of the element ‘Chovqan, a traditional Karabakh horse-riding game in the Republic of Azerbaijan’, inscribed in 2013 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
- Takes note of the continued efforts undertaken by Azerbaijan to safeguard the element in various regions of the country, especially by enhancing transmission processes and creating favorable conditions in that regard, raising awareness in society, and developing a broader policy framework relating intangible cultural heritage to the policies of agriculture, physical education and youth, as well as taking heed of the safety of the players and animals during the game;
- Invites the State Party to continue the practice of basing updates to the safeguarding measures on the thorough participatory monitoring and assessment of the measures implemented and to pursue, in cooperation with the communities concerned, the initiatives envisaged to integrate the element into educational programmes;
- Encourages the State Party to achieve a broader involvement of the communities concerned in the implementation, as well as preparation, of future safeguarding measures, and to strive to achieve a balance between centrally-driven measures dependent on governmental support and diverse community-led safeguarding activities;
- Requests that the Secretariat inform the State Party at least nine months prior to the deadline of 15 December 2021 about the required submission of its next report on the status of this element.