The Bureau,
- Recalling Article 23 of the Convention as well as Chapter I.4 of the Operational Directives relating to the eligibility and criteria of International Assistance requests,
- Having examined Document ITH/18/13.COM 1.BUR/3 as well as International Assistance request no. 01431 submitted by Senegal,
- Takes note that Senegal has requested International Assistance for the project entitled Strengthening national capacities in the field of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding in Senegal:
The proposed eighteen-month project, to be jointly implemented by the Directorate for Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and the UNESCO Dakar Office, is aimed at strengthening national capacities for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in Senegal by building on technical capacities and implementing concrete safeguarding measures. The proposed project responds to the issues identified in a needs assessment exercise conducted from 2016 until 2017, as well as an analysis carried out by the Directorate for Cultural Heritage as part of an ongoing national inventory exercise. Though Senegal has already benefited from previous living heritage safeguarding experiences, an insufficiently systematic approach to the process, as well as problems with methodology and harmonisation and the absence of a strategic action plan and integrated vision have been identified. To respond to this situation, the proposed project would provide technical assistance and training to strengthen the capacities of the relevant stakeholders, through a series of activities organized with the active participation of local community organizations, universities and schools. Specifically, the project aims to: support the ongoing national inventory exercise through the development of a national inventorying strategy and intangible cultural heritage safeguarding plans; develop local expertise through the training of three national experts; and pilot a new approach to safeguarding living heritage involving the education system (schools).
- Further takes note that:
- this assistance is to support a project implemented at the national level, in accordance with Article 20 (c) of the Convention,
- this is one of the first cases, on an experimental basis, in which a State Party has requested International Assistance that will partly take the form of services from the Secretariat to the State, and
- the assistance therefore takes the form of the provision of a grant and of services from UNESCO (the provision of experts, the training of the necessary staff, the elaboration of standard-setting measures and the supply of equipment), pursuant to Article 21(b), (c), (d), (f) and (g) of the Convention;
- Also takes note that an amount of US$99,889 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund is being requested for the implementation of this project and that Senegal wishes the UNESCO Dakar Office to coordinate and monitor its implementation;
- Understands that the UNESCO Dakar Office will be responsible for the coordination and monitoring of project activities, the provision of international expertise and the establishment of the related contracts (47 per cent of the requested amount), while the requesting State will be responsible for the logistical organization of capacity-building activities such as the selection of participants and their participation in workshops, the provision of national experts and the purchase of equipment (53 per cent of the requested amount), as described in the request;
- Decides that, from the information provided in file no. 01431, the request responds as follows to the criteria for granting International Assistance given in paragraphs 10 and 12 of the Operational Directives:
- Approves the International Assistance request from Senegal for the project entitled Strengthening national capacities in the field of intangible cultural heritage safeguarding in Senegal and grants the amount of US$99,889 for the implementation of this project according to the modality described in paragraph 5 and 6;
- Requests that the Secretariat reach an agreement with the requesting State Party on the budget of the activities to be covered by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, so as to ensure that the planned budgetary expenses are detailed and specific enough to provide sufficient justification of the expenditures;
- Invites the State Party to use Form ICH-04-Report when reporting on the implementation of the project, which shall form the basis of an overall report to be prepared by the UNESCO Dakar Office;
- Encourages the Secretariat, in light of this experience with the provision of services carried out on an experimental basis, to draw lessons from the implementation of this project, particularly with regard to administrative issues.