I.7

Evaluation of files

25.

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

26.

Evaluation of nominations for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, 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. The Consultative Body will make recommendations to the Committee for its decision. The Consultative Body shall be composed of six accredited NGOs and six independent experts appointed by the Committee, taking into consideration equitable geographical representation and various domains of intangible cultural heritage. The duration of office of a member of the Consultative Body shall not exceed four years. Every year, the Committee shall renew one quarter of the members of the Consultative Body.

27.

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.

28.

The Consultative 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 select or not to select the proposed programme, project or activity; or

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

29.

Evaluation of nominations for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity shall be accomplished by a subsidiary body of the Committee established in accordance with its Rules of Procedure. The Committee, through its Subsidiary Body, shall examine every year nominations for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in accordance with the resources available and their capacity to examine these nominations. States Parties are encouraged to keep in mind the above factors when submitting nominations for inscription on the Representative List.

30.

The Subsidiary Body submits to the Committee an evaluation report that includes a recommendation 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.

31.

The Secretariat will transmit to the Committee an overview of all nominations, proposals of programmes, projects and activities and international assistance requests including summaries and evaluation reports. The files and evaluation reports will also be made available to States Parties for their consultation.

I.8

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

32.

In case of extreme urgency, and in conformity with Criterion U.6, the Bureau of the Committee may invite the State(s) Party(ies) concerned to submit a nomination to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding on an accelerated schedule. The Committee, in consultation with the State(s) Party(ies) concerned, shall examine the nomination as quickly as possible after its submission, in accordance with a procedure to be established by the Bureau of the Committee on a case-by-case basis. Cases of extreme urgency may be brought to the attention of the Bureau of the Committee by the State(s) Party(ies) on whose territory(ies) the element is located, by any other State Party, by the community concerned or by an advisory organization. The State(s) Party(ies) concerned shall be informed in a timely manner.

I.9.

Examination of files by the Committee

33.

The Committee determines two years beforehand, in accordance with the available resources and its capacity, the number of files that can be treated in the course of the two following cycles. This ceiling shall apply to the set of files comprising nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, proposals of programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention and International Assistance requests greater than US$25,000.

34.

The Committee shall endeavour to examine to the extent possible at least one file per submitting State, within the limit of this overall ceiling, giving priority to:

(i)    files from States having no elements inscribed, best safeguarding practices selected or requests for International Assistance greater than US$25,000 approved, and nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;

(ii)   multinational files; and

(iii)  files from States with the fewest elements inscribed, best safeguarding practices selected or requests for International Assistance greater than US$25,000 approved, in comparison with other submitting States during the same cycle.

In case they submit several files during the same cycle, submitting States shall indicate the order of priority in which they wish their files to be examined and are invited to give priority to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

35.

After examination, the Committee decides whether or not an element shall be inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, whether or not an element shall be inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity or whether the nomination shall be referred to the submitting State for further information, whether or not a programme, project or activity shall be selected as best safeguarding practice, or whether or not an International Assistance request greater than US$25,000 shall be approved.

36.

Nominations for the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity that the Committee decides to refer to the submitting State for additional information may be resubmitted to the Committee for examination during a following cycle, after having been updated and supplemented.

37.

If the Committee decides that an element should not be inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the nomination may not be resubmitted to the Committee for inscription on this List, before four years have passed.