The Evaluation Body

1.

Shall be composed of twelve members appointed by the Committee: six experts qualified in the various fields of intangible cultural heritage representative 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;

2.

Shall elect its Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Rapporteur;

3.

Shall hold private meetings in accordance with Rule 19 of the Rules of Procedure of the Committee;

4.

Shall be responsible for the evaluation in 2024 of nominations for inscription (including the transfer from one List to another, the extension or reduction of an already inscribed element) 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 submitted simultaneously with nominations to the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or in the context of the request to transfer an element from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, in conformity with the Operational Directives for the implementation of the Convention. It shall, in particular, include in its evaluation:

a.

An assessment of the conformity of nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding with the inscription criteria, as provided in Chapter I.1 of the Operational Directives, including an assessment of the viability of the element and the feasibility and sufficiency of the safeguarding plan, and an assessment of the risks of it disappearing, as provided in paragraph 29 of the Operational Directives;

b.

An assessment of the conformity of nominations to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity with the inscription criteria, as provided in Chapter I.2 of the Operational Directives;

c.

An assessment of the conformity of proposed programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention with the selection criteria, as provided in Chapter I.3 of the Operational Directives;

d.

An assessment of the conformity with the approval criteria, as provided in Chapter I.4 of the Operational Directives, of:

-       International Assistance requests submitted simultaneously with nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;

-       International Assistance requests submitted in the context of the request to transfer an element from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;

e.

Recommendations to the Committee:

-       To inscribe or not to inscribe the nominated elements (including the transfer from one List to another, the extension or reduction of an already inscribed element) on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, or to refer the nominations to the submitting State(s) for additional information;

-       To select or not to select the proposed programmes, projects or activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention, or to refer the proposals to the submitting State(s) for additional information;

-       To approve or not to approve the International Assistance request submitted simultaneously with a nomination to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, or to refer the request to the submitting State(s) for additional information;

-       To approve or not to approve the International Assistance request submitted in the context of the request to transfer an element from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, or to refer the request to the submitting State(s) for additional information;

-       To maintain or to remove the inscribed element from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in case of ‘enhanced follow-up’;

-       To include or not, following its evaluation of a request for transfer, the successful safeguarding experience in the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.

5.

Shall provide the Committee with an overview of all files and a report on its evaluation;

6.

Shall conduct a dialogue process with submitting States Parties during the evaluation process, as provided in Chapter I.15 of the Operational Directives;

7.

Shall cease to exist following the submission and presentation to the nineteenth session of the Committee of the report on its evaluation of the files to be examined by the Committee in 2024 and with the establishment of the next Evaluation Body.

Once appointed by the Committee, the members of the Evaluation Body shall act impartially in the interests of all States Parties and the Convention.