The Committee,
- Having examined document LHE/25/20.COM/6.a,
- Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decisions COM 8.3, 12.COM 8.c.10 and 16.COM 7.a.15,
- Expresses its appreciation to Indonesia for submitting, on time, its third report on the status of the element ‘Noken multifunctional knotted or woven bag, handicraft of the people of Papua’, inscribed in 2012 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;
- Takes note of the continued efforts to safeguard the element, in particular by enhancing its economic value and expanding creative economic opportunities for practitioners, especially women, strengthening community engagement in education and training, and promoting biodiversity and traditional knowledge through the development of the Papua Noken Plant Arboretum and related conservation initiatives;
- Further takes note of the impact of intensive marketing efforts on the element and recalls the importance of monitoring the impact of commercialization on the element to avoid decontextualization;
- Acknowledges the strong cooperation among practitioners, local communities, governmental and non-governmental organizations, educational and cultural institutions, and the private sector for the safeguarding of the element;
- Encourages the State Party to pursue its efforts in raising awareness of the cultural significance of Noken, conducting comprehensive research and inventorying, building capacities of practitioners and other stakeholders, and ensuring sustainable access to raw materials;
- Further encourages the State Party to establish a learning centre and a Noken Plant Nursery and to promote these initiatives as models for sustainable resource use to safeguard the element, to recognize devoted practitioners through a formal appreciation programme, and to develop and refine a policy and legal framework for the safeguarding of the element.