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 2.BUR/6 as well as preparatory assistance request no. 01516 submitted by Albania,
- Takes note that Albania has requested International Assistance in the amount of US$9,800 to prepare the proposal entitled National Folk Festival of Gjirokastra (NFFoGj), 50 years of best practice in safeguarding Albanian intangible heritage for selection and promotion by the Committee as a programme, project or activity reflecting well the principles and objectives of the Convention:
Held every five years, the festival has become the most important and largest event celebrating intangible cultural heritage in Albania since 1968. It brings together a large number of bearers, communities, performers, folk associations and cultural centres from the country and beyond, as well as scholars working in the field of intangible cultural heritage in Albania. The festival is organized by the Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with the Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Arts Studies, as well as local governmental institutions. The ODEA Academy of Arts and Heritage will be in charge of preparing the proposal, in close collaboration with the organizers of the festival, as well as with the wide participation of the communities concerned. Technical support from a videographer, photographer and an expert is also foreseen.
- Further takes note that this assistance is to prepare a proposal for the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices in accordance with Article 20 (c) of the Convention, and that it takes the form of the provision of a grant, pursuant to Article 21 (g) of the Convention;
- Decides that, from the information provided in file no. 01516, the request responds as follows to the criteria for granting International Assistance set out in Paragraphs 10 and 12 of the Operational Directives:
Criterion A.1: Prior consent to submitting a proposal for selection and promotion by the Committee in the sense of Article 18 of the Convention was given by institutions and communities concerned with the festival. The community will be solicited broadly throughout the preparation of the proposal and the mechanisms of involvement will include direct consultations and communication with community members, as well as exchanges through mass and social media, e-polls and email exchanges;
Criterion A.2: The amount requested by the State Party seems appropriate in relation to the activities proposed for the preparation of the proposal for the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. The activity costs have been presented in detail;
Criterion A.3: The activities are concise and feasible given the timeframe proposed and have been clearly explained in the request. The activities will include setting up a steering committee in charge of providing support and guidance with the consultation process with the communities, holding meetings with the communities, as well as providing expert consultancy and technical support to prepare the dossier and mandatory documentation;
Criterion A.4: By this request, the State Party commits itself to submitting a proposal for possible selection and promotion by the Committee as a programme, project or activity in the sense of Article 18 of the Convention. The direct involvement of community members is expected to raise their capacities to safeguard living heritage and should therefore contribute to short- and mid-term results;
Criterion A.5: The State Party proposes sharing 19.8 per cent of the costs of the activities for which preparatory assistance is requested;
Criterion A.6: As the community members are expected to be widely consulted and involved in the preparation of the proposal, their capacities will subsequently be reinforced. In addition, the establishment of the Steering Committee accompanying the preparation of the dossier could potentially strengthen the capacities of the institutions involved through exchanges and consultations with them. These include the Ministry of Culture, the Academy of Sciences, the National Centre for Folkloric Activities, the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Arts Studies, as well as local governmental institutions;
Criterion A.7: Albania has benefitted from International Assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the project entitled ‘Inventory of Albanian folk iso-polyphony’ (file no. 00495) in the amount of US$24,500 carried out by the Albanian Music Council in 2011-2012. The work stipulated by the contract related to this project was carried out in compliance with UNESCO’s regulations;
- Approves the preparatory assistance request from Albania for the project entitled National Folk Festival of Gjirokastra (NFFoGj), 50 years of best practice in safeguarding Albanian intangible heritage and grants an amount of US$9,800 to the State Party to this end;
- Invites the State Party to use Form ICH-05-Report when reporting on the use of the assistance provided.