The Committee,
- Having examined document LHE/22/5.EXT.COM/4 and its annexes,
- Recalling Decision 16.COM 14 and document LHE/21/16.COM 14,
- Renews its gratitude to Japan for supporting the global reflection on the listing mechanisms of the Convention;
- Expresses its appreciation for the work of the Open-ended intergovernmental working group for having concluded on all topics entrusted to it for its Part III meeting and thanks its members for their engagement;
- Recommends that the General Assembly revise the Operational Directives for the implementation of the Convention (as contained in Annex II below), on the basis of and reflecting the spirit of the recommendations of Part III of the Open-ended intergovernmental working group (as contained in Annex I below).
Issues linked to the annual number of files
Annual ceiling
- The annual number of nominations to the Urgent Safeguarding List, the Representative List and to the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices that can be treated in total is to be set at no more than sixty.
- All requests for International Assistance are to be examined by the Bureau of the Committee. The requests should not exceed US$100,000, except for emergency requests.
- Sustainable staffing requirements of the Secretariat need to be resolved for the support required to further implement the 2003 Convention. The Secretariat is to prepare a detailed proposal on the financial and human resources needed for strengthening the listing mechanisms, including the work of the evaluation system, in order to increase the annual ceiling of nominations. This proposal should be submitted for examination by the Committee for transmission to the Executive Board of UNESCO and the tenth session of the General Assembly in order to decide on the allocation of necessary resources for the sustainable staffing requirements of the Secretariat.
Order of priorities
- The current system of priorities is to be continued, but an allocation will be made, on an experimental basis, to a set number within the overall ceiling to be dedicated to multinational files without affecting priority (0) and priority (i) categories, and to establish a prioritization system within the allocated multinational files quota.
- Requests under the new procedures regarding transfer from the Urgent Safeguarding List to the Representative List are to be considered outside the annual ceiling, on an experimental basis for review at the tenth session of the General Assembly.
- Requests under the new procedures regarding inscription on an extended or reduced basis are to be considered outside the annual ceiling, on an experimental basis for review at the tenth session of the General Assembly.
Composition and the working methods of the Evaluation Body
- The composition of the Evaluation Body is to remain unchanged, keeping the global and consensus-based methodology applied to each criterion of every nomination file and in accordance with the relevant provisions as set out in the Operational Directives.
Backlog files
- Backlog files older than four years are to be removed from the backlog, while inviting Member States to submit updated versions which are to be treated expeditiously within the framework of the prioritization system. It is understood that the removal from the backlog is without prejudice to the merit of the element and will not influence the outcomes of any future evaluation.
Other issues
‘Revising the priority for the examination of nomination files for States Parties that did not fulfil their reporting obligations concerning the implementation of the Convention and the status of elements inscribed on the Representative List or on the Urgent Safeguarding List’
- The proposal to revise the priority for the examination of nomination files for States Parties that did not fulfil reporting obligations can be reconsidered at a later stage, particularly if the improvement made in the submission rates of periodic reports in the recent cycles cannot be maintained.
‘Debating the possibility of obtaining additional information regarding nominations by using a dialogue process with accredited NGOs and communities, groups and, where appropriate, individuals concerned’
- The issues covered under this topic are to be incorporated in the new initiative on the broader implementation of Article 18 of the 2003 Convention, in line with Decision 16.COM 14 (paragraph 9).
‘Necessary procedure to examine exceptional cases’
- Because of the increase in the number of files to be examined by the Committee that results from an unforeseen element that could justify an accelerated processing, the working group recommends to the Committee that any exceptional cases that increase the annual ceiling shall be reviewed by the Committee after the initial discussion by the Bureau of the Committee as soon as possible, based on agreed criteria, with the understanding that this does not concern cases falling under extreme urgency foreseen under Article 17.3 of the Convention. Furthermore, the working group invites the Secretariat to recommend possible criteria to define exceptional cases.
‘Reflections on the possibility of introducing preliminary assessment procedures to the existing upstream process’
- The effectiveness of the dialogue process, as recently adopted by the eighth session of the General Assembly, shall continue to be strengthened and observed.
Annex II
Proposed amendments to the Operational Directives for the implementation of the Convention
|
I.7 |
No change. |
|
|
22. |
As far as preparatory assistance is concerned, Form ICH-05 is used for requests for preparatory assistance to elaborate a nomination for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, and Form ICH-06 is used for requests for preparatory assistance to elaborate a proposal of a programme, project or activity for selection and promotion by the Committee. All other requests for International Assistance, whatever amount is requested, shall be submitted using Form ICH-04. Requests for all preparatory assistance shall be submitted by using Form ICH-05. Requests for International Assistance shall be submitted by using Form ICH-04, irrespective of the amount requested[1] except for requests submitted simultaneously with nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or in the context of the request to transfer an element from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. |
|
|
I.8 |
No change. |
|
|
27. |
On an experimental basis, t[2]The evaluation of nominations for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, of proposed programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention, and of International Assistance requests greater than US$100,000[3] submitted simultaneously with nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or in the context of the request to transfer an element from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, shall be accomplished by a consultative body of the Committee established in accordance with Article 8.3 of the Convention, to be known as the ‘Evaluation Body’. The Evaluation Body will make recommendations to the Committee for its decision. The Evaluation Body shall be composed of twelve members appointed by the Committee: six experts qualified in the various fields of the intangible cultural heritage representatives of States Parties non-Members of the Committee and six accredited non-governmental organizations, taking into consideration equitable geographical representation and various domains of intangible cultural heritage. |
|
|
30. |
The Evaluation Body shall submit to the Committee an evaluation report that includes a recommendation: - to inscribe or not to inscribe the nominated element (including the transfer from one List to another, the extension or the reduction of an already inscribed element) on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, or to refer the nomination to the submitting State(s) for additional information; - to select or not to select the proposed programme, project or activity, or to refer the proposal to the submitting State(s) for additional information; - to approve or not to approve the International Assistance request submitted in the context of the request to transfer an element from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, or to refer the request to the submitting State(s) for additional information; - to approve or not to approve the International Assistance request submitted simultaneously with a nomination to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, or to refer the request to the submitting State(s) for additional information; or - to maintain or to remove the inscribed element from the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in case of ‘enhanced follow-up’. |
|
|
I.10 |
No change. |
|
|
33. |
The Committee determines two years beforehand, in accordance with the available resources and its capacity, the number of files that can be treated in the course of the two following cycles which in total is set at no more than sixty.[4] This ceiling shall apply to the set of files comprising nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and proposals of programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention and International Assistance requests greater than US$100,000.[5] |
|
|
34. |
The Committee shall endeavour to examine to the extent possible at least one file per submitting State, within the limit of this overall ceiling, giving priority to: (0) files from States which had no file treated during the preceding cycle;[6] (i) files from States having no elements inscribed, best safeguarding practices selected or requests for International Assistance greater than US$100,000 approved, and nominations to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding; (ii) multi-national files; and (iii) files from States with the fewest elements inscribed, and best safeguarding practices selected or requests for International Assistance greater than US$100,000 approved, in comparison with other submitting States during the same cycle. In case they submit several files during the same cycle, submitting States shall indicate the order of priority in which they wish their files to be examined and are invited to give priority to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. |
|
|
35. |
After examination, the Committee decides: - whether or not an element shall be inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity or whether the nomination shall be referred to the submitting State(s) for additional information; - whether or not a programme, project or activity shall be selected as a best safeguarding practice, or whether the proposal shall be referred to the submitting State(s) for additional information; or - whether or not an International Assistance request submitted simultaneously with a nomination to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or in the context of the request to transfer an element from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding greater than US$100,000 [7]shall be approved, or whether the proposal request shall be referred to the submitting State(s) for additional information. |
|
|
I.14 |
No change. |
|
|
47. |
International Assistance requests up to US$100,000 (except requests for preparatory assistance) and emergency requests regardless of the amount can be submitted at any time. International Assistance requests (including for preparatory assistance) shall not exceed US$100.000, except for emergency requests and requests submitted simultaneously with a nomination to the List of intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or in the context of the request to transfer an element from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.[8] International Assistance requests can be submitted at any time, except for those requests that are examined and approved by the Committee for which the timetable under I.15 shall apply. Moreover, requests for preparatory assistance shall be submitted by the deadline of 31 March. |
|
|
49. |
Requests up to US$100,000, including preparatory assistance, are examined and approved by the Bureau of the Committee. International Assistance requests (including for preparatory assistance) up to US$100,000 and emergency requests regardless of the amount are examined and approved by the Bureau of the Committee. |
|
|
51. |
Requests greater than US$100,000 are evaluated by the Evaluation Body described in paragraph 27 above, and examined and approved by the Committee. International Assistance requests submitted simultaneously with a nomination to the List of intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding or in the context of the request to transfer an element from the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding are evaluated by the Evaluation Body and examined and approved by the Committee. |
|
|
I.15 |
No change. |
|
|
54. |
Phase 1: Preparation and submission |
|
|
31 March Year 1 |
Deadline by which nominations for the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding (including those submitted simultaneously with International Assistance requests) and the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as well as proposals for programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the principles and objectives of the Convention and International Assistance requests greater than US$100,000[9] must be received by the Secretariat. Files received after this date will be examined in the next cycle. The Secretariat posts on the website of the Convention, in their original language, files as received. |
|
[1] Part III Recommendation 2
[2] Part III Recommendation 7
[3] Part III Recommendation 2
[4] Part III Recommendation 1
[5] Part III Recommendation 2
[6] Part III Recommendation 4
[7] Part III Recommendation 2
[8] Part III Recommendation 2
[9] Part III Recommendation 2