The Committee,
- Having examined document ITH/18/13.COM/7.b,
- Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decisions 4.COM 14.01, 6.COM 11 and 9.COM 5.b.1,
- Expresses its thanks to Belarus for submitting, on time, its third report on the status of the element ‘Rite of the Kalyady Tsars (Christmas Tsars)’, inscribed in 2009 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
- Takes note of the continued efforts undertaken by Belarus to safeguard the element and, in particular, to place community empowerment and capacity building at the center of safeguarding measures, to support transmission, involve local educational institutions and cultural centres in the safeguarding of the element and attract new young practitioners to the Rite of the Kalyady Tsars;
- Invites the State Party to pursue its efforts to make the practice relevant in the local context, for example by involving youth in inventorying and documentation processes, and to support the expressed wish of the community to exchange safeguarding experiences with other communities in different countries;
- Further invites the State Party to share, in the next report on the status of the element, its experience with the intended adoption and future application of the code of ethics on the safeguarding of the Rite of the Kalyady Tsars;
- Encourages the State Party to continue the regular monitoring of the element, paying special attention to opportunities and possible threats related to the further development of tourism;
- 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.