Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 16.COM 5.b

The Committee,

  1. Having examined document LHE/21/16.COM/5.b Rev. and its annexes,
  2. Takes note of the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on living heritage and on its bearers and practitioners, welcomes the recommendations to prepare for the recovery phase as described in the UNESCO report ‘Living Heritage in the face of COVID-19’, and encourages their implementation by States and communities, including through the International Assistance mechanisms of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund;
  3. Further takes note of the challenges posed by the global health crisis on the statutory mechanisms and programmes of the Convention, commends the Secretariat for taking the necessary measures to ensure that the governance of the Convention could be maintained, in line with the Convention and its Operational Directives and appreciates the implementation of the various outreach and communications initiatives, in particular those launched in the context of the wider response to the COVID-19 pandemic;
  4. Highlights the achievements made in the geographical and thematic expansion of the global capacity-building programme since its inception and welcomes its ongoing reorientation to adapt to the need for multi-modal delivery approaches and to strengthen partnerships in the delivery and management of the programme;
  5. Further appreciates the progress made in the implementation of the funding priority ‘safeguarding and transmission of intangible cultural heritage through formal and non-formal education’ and underlines the importance of strengthening intersectoral collaboration for greater impact;
  6. Further commends the Secretariat for initiating and continuing thematic initiatives such as intangible cultural heritage and climate change, emergencies, commercialization, education and urban contexts, also underlines the importance of ensuring synergies with UNESCO’s cultural conventions and other relevant programmes in that regard, and invites the Secretariat to pursue its efforts;
  7. Requests that the Secretariat prepares information on its main activities, with cost implications and workload-related issues, for examination by the seventeenth session of the Committee, who may take stock of the situation, provide guidance and establish priorities.

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