The Bureau,

1. 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,
2. Having examined document LHE/22/17.COM 4.BUR/3 as well as International Assistance request no. 01623 submitted by Chad,
3. Takes note that Chad has requested International Assistance for the project entitled Pilot inventory of intangible cultural heritage in six provinces of Chad:

To be implemented by the Ministry of Culture and the Promotion of Diversity, in close collaboration with the Chad National Commission for UNESCO, the proposed eighteen-month project is aimed at inventorying elements of intangible cultural heritage in six regions of Chad. Although the State Party ratified the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in 2008, the country has carried out very few activities within the framework of its implementation so far. As a result, Chad’s rich and multicultural ICH remains little known and undervalued. No inventory has been developed, and the country lacks competent human resources for the realization of participatory inventories and of other safeguarding activities. The project was developed in collaboration with the communities concerned to close these gaps and lay the foundations for an effective and sustainable safeguarding of ICH. Specifically, it aims to provide Chad with its first ICH inventory and with human resources capable of conducting trainings in the elaboration of community-based inventories and inventorying operations, in collaboration with the communities concerned, academics, associations working in the area of ICH safeguarding, and the media, among others.

4. Further takes note that this assistance aims to support a project implemented at the national level, 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;
5. Also takes note that Chad has requested assistance in the amount of US$99,610 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the implementation of this project;
6. Decides that, from the information provided in file no. 01623, the request responds as follows to the criteria for granting International Assistance given in paragraphs 10 and 12 of the Operational Directives:

Criterion A.1: The request was submitted following consultations held in December 2021 among nine communities from six regions, which will be the beneficiaries of the project. The project outlines the central role of communities in its implementation. It foresees that local community representatives will help identify the members who will participate in the training workshops and community-based inventorying workshops and fieldwork exercises. They will also participate in the planning, monitoring and follow-up of the project.

Criterion A.2: The budget is presented in a structured manner, corresponds to the planned activities and is consistent with the timeframe. However, further clarification could have been provided for certain items of expenditure related to the costs of the workshops (Activity 7).

Criterion A.3: The request presents six main activities: establishment of project coordination bodies, awareness-raising, safeguarding, capacity building, community-based inventory and documentation. The activities are presented in a logical sequence and correspond to the objectives and expected results outlined in the request.

Criterion A.4: The capacity-building workshops aim to establish a team of national facilitators and of local stakeholders to support the implementation of the Convention at national and local levels. This large network of trained people, equipped with knowledge on the 2003 Convention and skills to safeguard intangible cultural heritage, will be responsible for training communities that will inventory their living heritage in six regions of the country. Furthermore, the production of various communication materials throughout the project would raise awareness among civil society and different stakeholders of the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and thus increasing its visibility.

Criterion A.5: The submitting State Party will contribute 43 per cent of the total amount of the project for which International Assistance is requested from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Criterion A.6: The objective of the request is to strengthen local and national capacities to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. The project seeks to reinforce the capacities of governmental institutions, academics and community representatives through specific training on the 2003 Convention, safeguarding measures and community-based inventorying. Furthermore, communities are expected to contribute to the collection of information, the validation of the inventory results and the implementation of safeguarding measures. Some one hundred people are expected to benefit from the trainings, including staff from the Ministry of Culture and the Promotion of Diversity. As a result, the skills acquired during the project will allow the inventory work and other safeguarding efforts in the country to continue beyond the end of the project.

Criterion A.7: The State Party has not previously received any financial assistance from UNESCO under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund of the 2003 Convention to implement similar or related activities in the field of intangible cultural heritage.

Paragraph 10(a): The proposed activities are local in scope and imply cooperation with local and national implementing partners including the Chadian National Commission for UNESCO, academics, cultural associations in the field of safeguarding of ICH and the media.

Paragraph 10(b): The pilot inventory and the communication materials developed during the project will contribute to raising awareness among communities about the importance of safeguarding their living heritage. It may have lasting results as it could also encourage similar initiatives for the inventorying of intangible cultural heritage in other regions of Chad.

7. Approves the International Assistance request from Chad for the project entitled Pilot inventory of intangible cultural heritage in six provinces of Chad and grants the amount of US$99,610 to the State Party for this purpose;
8. Requests that the Secretariat reach an agreement with the requesting State Party on the technical details of the assistance, paying particular attention to ensuring that the budget and work plan of the activities to be covered by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund are detailed and specific enough to provide sufficient justification of the expenditures;
9. Invites the State Party to use Form ICH-04-Report to report on the use of the assistance granted.