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/23/18.COM 2.BUR/4 as well as International Assistance request no. 02046 submitted by Mauritania,
3. Takes note that Mauritania has requested International Assistance for the project entitled Safeguarding and inventories of children’s tales and narratives in Mauritania:

To be implemented by Association Maison des Théâtres, this eighteen-month project aims to safeguard children’s tales and narratives in Mauritania by creating an inventory and ensuring the transmission of the practice to future generations. The project involves the implementation of community workshops on how to develop participatory inventories, followed by the identification and inventorying of children’s tales and narratives across Mauritania. The tales identified during the inventorying process will be transmitted through a series of workshops targeting youth. Existing storytellers will organize a series of theoretical and practical workshops on how to recite tales and narratives for children. The participants of this workshop will transmit the practice within their communities in the future. Communication materials will be created to spread awareness about living heritage and to disseminate the collected stories and narratives in writing. This project is expected to revitalize the practice of children’s tales and narratives and to contribute to the safeguarding of Mauritania’s intangible cultural heritage in general. The workshops will increase national capacities to plan and conduct inventorying activities. By supporting opportunities in education and theatre, the project will provide resources for educational activities among the communities concerned.

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 Mauritania has requested assistance in the amount of US$87,460 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the implementation of this project.
6. Decides that, from the information provided in file no. 02046, 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 project indicates that communities were consulted in five separate meetings held in different rural and urban areas between January and May 2022. They also collaborated with the project team in the development of the request. The project outlines the active role of communities during its implementation. It foresees that the communities will participate in the capacity-building workshops, fieldwork exercises and safeguarding activities. They will also participate in the planning, monitoring and follow-up of the project.

Criterion A.2: The budget defines the planned activities and related expenditures in sufficient detail. The amount of assistance requested seems appropriate for the objectives and scope of the project.

Criterion A.3: The request is structured in a series of activities in a logical sequence, from training workshops on the core principles of the Convention and community-based inventorying, to inventorying exercises. The project also includes four regional training workshops that focus on the transmission of the practice from storytellers, mainly women, to young community representatives. The expected results seem to be achievable within the proposed project duration.

Criterion A.4: Throughout the project, the implementing agency and its partners will seek to establish a sustainable framework to safeguard living heritage in Mauritania and to integrate the results of these inventories into the national inventory of the requesting State. Furthermore, the capacity-building workshops and inventorying activities aim to provide communities and other stakeholders with the methodological tools and skills needed to continue safeguarding the children’s tales and narratives traditions beyond the project completion. Finally, the focus on youth and women as a means of ensuring a sustainable transmission of knowledge related to this practice should lead to its revitalization within the communities.

Criterion A.5: The implementing partner will contribute 11 per cent of the total amount of the project budget (US$98,060). Consequently, International Assistance is requested from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the remaining 89 per cent of the total amount of the project budget.

Criterion A.6: Capacity building will principally benefit members of the community, notably women and youth. Their capacities will be strengthened during various trainings, firstly through capacity-building workshops and participatory inventories, and secondly through the revitalization of the practice and training on the methods for transmission of children’s tales and narratives. At the community level, the project is expected to train 120 community members on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. Sixty young members of the communities will also be involved in the transmission and safeguarding activities.

Criterion A.7: Mauritania has benefited from International Assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for four completed projects[1] as well as for one ongoing project entitled ‘Safeguarding the Oulad Mbarek epic’ (US$88,375; August 2022–December 2023). The work stipulated by the contracts related to these projects was and is being carried out in compliance with UNESCO’s regulations.

Paragraph 10(a): The project is national in scope and its implementation involves national and local authorities, including the Ministry of culture and associations and NGOs working in the field of intangible cultural heritage.

Paragraph 10(b): The project foresees that the various stakeholder meetings with communities and the communication materials developed within the framework of the project will provide greater visibility of intangible cultural heritage at the national level. The project is expected to trigger additional contributions from donors that could fund future safeguarding projects.

7. Approves the International Assistance request from Mauritania for the project entitled Safeguarding and inventories of children’s tales and narratives in Mauritania and grants the amount of US$87,460 to the requesting State for this purpose;
8. Requests the implementing agency to work in close collaboration with the national authorities to ensure their active participation in all activities foreseen under this project and encourages the requesting State to take into consideration the results of this project in all national initiatives in the field of intangible cultural heritage;
9. Further encourages the implementing agency to consider the results of previous International Assistance granted to the requesting State in order to build on their achievements and to benefit from the lessons learnt;
10. Further requests that the Secretariat reach an agreement with the requesting State 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;
11. Invites the requesting State to use Form ICH-04-Report to report on the use of the assistance granted.

[1] 1) Preparatory assistance (Register of Good Safeguarding Practices) for the project ‘Safeguarding and promotion of the Imraguen intangible cultural heritage’ (US$9,800; December 2009 – April 2010); 2) Preparatory assistance (Urgent Safeguarding List) for the project ‘Moorish epic T’Heydinn’ (US$9,800; December 2009 – April 2010; the element ‘Moorish epic T’heydinn'' was subsequently inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List by the sixth session of the Committee in 2011, Decision 6.COM 8.13); 3) International assistance entitled ‘Strengthening the capacities of NGOs active in the field of intangible cultural heritage in Mauritania’ (US$94,300; July 2019 – July 2021); 4) International assistance entitled ‘National Oral Traditions (NOT), additional collection component’ (US$90,562; Octobez 2020 – December 2022).