The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) during its 4th session from 28 September to 2 October 2009, found that an in-depth reflection on the Operational Directives was necessary in light of the first cycle of their implementation. The Committee noted an imbalance between the three Lists of the Convention – with a pronounced interest in favour of the Representative List, and very little interest in the Urgent Safeguarding List or the Register for Good Practices (Article 18). The Subsidiary Body, responsible for examining the nominations to the Representative List, underlined that its workload was very heavy and proposed amendments to the Operational Directives so as to have a more manageable workload in the future.

The Committee considered it that it was important and urgent to find appropriate solutions so that the General Assembly, at its meeting in June 2010, be seized. To this end an intergovernmental working group, open to all States Parties, was created to reflect upon improvements that could be brought about, based on the experience of the first cycle of implementation.

Following its two meetings in Abu Dhabi on the sidelines of the Committee’s work, two other meetings of the intergovernmental working group are foreseen on 21 May (Room XI, 10h-13h / 15h-18h) and 21 June 2010 respectively.

Registration form

• English/French

Documents

• Agenda
  ITH/10/5.COM 3.WG/1: English|French
• Excerpts of the draft summary records of the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (28 September to 2 October 2009, Abu Dhabi)
  ITH/10/5.COM 3.WG/2: English|French
• Report and summary records of the expert meeting of 15 March 2010
  ITH/10/5.COM 3.WG/3: English|French
• Proposal of amendments to the Operational Directives for the implementation of the Convention
  ITH/10/5.COM 3.WG/4: English|French
• Decision 4.COM 19 - Revisions of the Operational Directives: English|French
• Legal opinion on certain measures regarding the examination of nominations to the Representative List of Article 16 of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage: English|French
• List of participants
  ITH/10/5.COM 3.WG/5Rev.: English/French in preparation