Decisión de la Mesa: 20.COM 3.BUR 3.1

The Bureau,

  1. Recalling Articles 22 and 23 of the Convention, as well as Chapters I.4 and I.14 of the Operational Directives relating to International Assistance requests,
  2. Having examined document LHE/25/20.COM 3.BUR/3 as well as International Assistance request no. 02151 submitted by the State of Palestine,
  3. Takes note that the State of Palestine has requested International Assistance for the project entitled Enhancing implementation of the 2003 Convention through community-based inventorying and urgent safeguarding measures in the State of Palestine:

To be implemented by the UNESCO Office in Ramallah, in close coordination with the Directorate of Heritage of the Ministry of Culture of the State of Palestine, this two-year project aims to support the implementation of the 2003 Convention through community-based inventorying and planning for urgent safeguarding measures focusing on three key objectives. The first objective is to strengthen national capacities by conducting training workshops on the 2003 Convention, inventory processes and the development of effective safeguarding plans. The training will target communities, civil society, academia, staff from the Ministries of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Agriculture, Women’s Affairs and Industry, and other stakeholders. The second objective is to update the national inventory by identifying up to nine new elements of living heritage in need of urgent safeguarding and to include the information about these elements in an existing online database maintained by the Ministry of Culture of the State of Palestine. The third objective is to establish specific safeguarding plans for some of the identified living heritage elements. The main activities will take place in eleven governorates of the West Bank, grouped into three clusters to facilitate access, coordination and stakeholder engagement. In addition to enhancing national capacities to support safeguarding initiatives, the project will also highlight the role of communities and bearers in safeguarding cultural practices under challenging conditions, lay the foundations for cross-sectoral cooperation, and contribute to the creation of a decentralized, community-driven infrastructure for the safeguarding of living heritage.

  1. Further takes note that:
  2. This assistance is to support a project implemented at the national level, in accordance with Article 20 (c) of the Convention;
  3. The State Party has requested International Assistance that will take the form of services from UNESCO to the State; and
  • The assistance therefore takes the form of the provision of servicesfrom UNESCO (100 per cent of the financial transactions are to be managed by UNESCO), pursuant to Article 21 (b) and (g) of the Convention;
  1. Also takes note that the request in question concerns an emergency International Assistance in the amount of US$100,000 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for this project, which will be implemented by the UNESCO Office in Ramallah, in close cooperation with the Directorate of Heritage of the Ministry of Culture;
  2. Understands that the UNESCO Office in Ramallah will be responsible for the management of the total amount requested from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund, while the requesting State will be responsible for co-managing the project by: (a) covering the costs of the IT specialist; (b) organizing the steering committee and stakeholder meetings; (c) arranging domestic travel and transportation for trainees; (d) providing stationery and event materials; and (e) managing venue and hospitality for the final event;
  3. Decides that, from the information provided in file no. 02151, 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: This project was initiated in response to a request from the State of Palestine for technical assistance to prepare an International Assistance request. Communities played a central role in the preparation of the request through a series of three meetings organized between June and July 2024 to reflect on the needs and to make recommendations on the request. Participants included practitioners, bearers, civil society organizations, and government representatives from various ministries. A multidisciplinary follow-up committee was established to oversee the elaboration of the project, ensuring that community voices remain central. The communities’ involvement in all aspects of the project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation is clearly described. They will also be represented in the project Steering Committee (which will include stakeholders from the initial consultation process). Finally, women, who play a central role in safeguarding the living heritage of the State of Palestine, are adequately represented, demonstrating that gender balance is ensured.
Criterion A.2: The budget is presented in a clear, comprehensive and detailed manner. The amount requested adequately covers each of the proposed activities and can therefore be deemed appropriate.
Criterion A.3: The proposed activities are described in detail and presented in a logical sequence. The project will start with a pilot phase in the Northern cluster. This phase comprises two capacity-building workshops, followed by inventory exercises. The feedback from the communities in this cluster will contribute to improving the next two phases, which will follow the same sequence and take place in the Central and Southern clusters. In addition, the project includes coordination, management, monitoring, and awareness-raising activities.
Criterion A.4: Throughout the project, the Ministry of Culture and civil society organizations will work towards establishing a sustainable framework to safeguard living heritage in the State of Palestine. The project will contribute to: (a) the creation of a large network of resource persons equipped with knowledge and skills in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage at local and national levels; (b) the inventory and documentation of up to nine elements in need of urgent safeguarding in eleven governorates; (c) increasing the visibility of living heritage through the dissemination of audiovisual and communication materials, fostering broader appreciation of cultural heritage; and (d) raising awareness and integrating intangible cultural heritage into school curricula with the involvement of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education. Finally, the Steering Committee established during the project will remain functional to continue the safeguarding activities in the future.
Criterion A.5: The requesting State Party will contribute 16 per cent (US$24,200) and UNESCO Office in Ramallah will contribute 18 per cent (in-kind contribution of US$27,994) of the total amount of the project for International Assistance (US$152,194). Consequently, International Assistance is requested from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the remaining 66 per cent of the total amount of the project.
Criterion A.6: The project aims to build capacity at both institutional and community levels. It will help enhance the technical skills of government staff and strengthen inter-sectoral cooperation between ministries. At the community level, the project will train around fifteen people in each of the three clusters, thereby supporting the establishment of a network of local resource people across the country. These technical teams, which include bearers, practitioners, women and students, will oversee the community-based inventories and will contribute to the development of safeguarding plans. Finally, the project will enable the creation of community-driven, decentralized structures for safeguarding living 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.
Paragraph 10(a): The project is national in scope and involves partners such as Ministries of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Agriculture, Women’s Affairs and Industry, as well as civil society organizations and universities.
Paragraph 10(b): The community-based inventories and the communication tools developed will contribute to raising awareness among communities about the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage. In addition, the project will serve as a model for similar initiatives both in the State of Palestine and in other regions of the world facing similar challenges.
  1. Approves the International Assistance request from the State of Palestine for the project entitled Enhancing implementation of the 2003 Convention through community-based inventorying and urgent safeguarding measures in the State of Palestine and grants the amount of US$100,000 for the implementation of this project according to the modality described in paragraphs 5 and 6;
  2. Encourages the State Party to share its experiences and the results with the international community upon completion of the project;
  3. 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 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;
  4. Invites the requesting State Party to use Form ICH-04-Report to report on the use of the assistance granted.

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