Decision of the Bureau: 20.COM 3.BUR 4.2

The Bureau,

  1. Recalling Article 23 of the Convention, as well as Chapters I.4, I.7 and I.14 of the Operational Directives relating to International Assistance requests,
  2. Having examined document LHE/25/20.COM 3.BUR/4 and the request for preparatory assistance no. 02386 submitted by Benin,
  3. Takes note that Benin has requested International Assistance in the amount of US$9,373 to prepare a nomination for Vodun, beliefs, social practices and ways of living to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity:

To be implemented by the Ministry of Culture, this preparatory assistance request concerns the nomination of Vodun, beliefs, social practices and ways of living to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Originating in West Africa and practised wherever enslaved people were deported, it combines beliefs in deities, social practices through rituals, and a way of life. Vodun deities are organized according to the natural elements, namely water (associated with the deity Tôhôssou), earth (associated with Sakpata), air (associated with Dan) and fire (associated with Hêbiosso). Ancestors also occupy a central place in Vodun, as they are believed to influence the lives of the living through blessings or curses. Ancestral worship is often tied to rituals to pay tribute to ancestors and communicate with the afterlife. This project will support the preparation of the nomination file for the element through consultations with various communities, with the goal of obtaining their consent and involvement in the process.

  1. Decides that, from the information provided in file no. 02386, 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 communities concerned by Vodun will be involved in the preparation of the nomination file as well as during the inventory and documentation process. They include priests (Hounnon), practitioners, initiates (vodounsi), laypersons and various community members such as the artisans (tailors, blacksmiths and sculptors), who create the tools necessary for the practices. The request also includes consultation sessions with the community members to obtain their free, prior and informed consent and to present the nomination file for the element.
Criterion A.2: The amount requested by the State Party seems appropriate in relation to the proposed activities for the preparation of the nomination file to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Criterion A.3: The preparatory assistance will be used to support the documentation and inventory of the element, the organization of community consultations, the production of the audiovisual materials, and the capacity building of the technical team in charge of elaborating the nomination file.
Criterion A.4: The requesting State Party is committed to submitting a nomination for the possible inscription of the element on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The submission is expected before 31 March 2026 for possible inscription by the Committee at its twenty-second session, provided that the nomination can be included in the 2027 cycle, in application of the annual ceiling for the number of nominations and the priority system in force at the time of the submission.
Criterion A.5: The requesting State Party will contribute 24 per cent (US$2,907) of the total amount of the project for preparatory assistance (US$12,280). Consequently, International Assistance is requested from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the remaining 76 per cent of the total amount of the project.
Criterion A.6: The project is expected to contribute to capacity building at two different levels: (a) at the community level through community participation in the inventory and documentation of the element; and (b) at the institutional level with the support of a regional expert who will train the technical team in the preparation of the nomination file, resulting in strengthened national expertise and skills for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage.
Criterion A.7: The requesting State Party has not previously received any financial assistance from UNESCO under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund of the 2003 Convention to implement activities in the field of intangible cultural heritage.
  1. Approves the request for preparatory assistance from Benin for the preparation of the nomination for Vodun, beliefs, social practices and ways of living in view of its submission for possible inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and grants the amount of US$9,373 to the requesting State Party to this end;
  2. 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 the work plan of the activities to be covered by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund are detailed and specific enough to provide a sufficient justification of all the expenditures;
  3. Invites the requesting State Party to use Form ICH-05-Report to report on the use of the assistance granted.

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