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/20/15.COM 2.BUR/3 as well as International Assistance request no. 01535 submitted by South Sudan,
3. Takes note that South Sudan has requested International Assistance for the project entitled Development of an inventory of intangible cultural heritage in South Sudan:

Led by the Ministry of Culture, in close collaboration with the UNESCO Office in Juba, the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee (NICHC) and the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, this twenty-four-month project is aimed at developing an inventory of intangible cultural heritage in South Sudan in order to contribute to its safeguarding. Due to the ongoing social transitions in the country, coupled with a general lack of interest in cultural issues among young people, there is a strong need to make deliberate efforts to safeguard living heritage in the country. In this context, the project has three key objectives. Firstly, it aims to raise awareness among various stakeholders about intangible cultural heritage, measures and mechanisms for safeguarding it, the 2003 Convention and its implementation modalities. Secondly, it will build capacities among members of six communities (Bari, Lokoya, Anyuak, Acholi, Dinka and Nuer) on the community-based inventorying of intangible cultural heritage, providing training to thirty-one participants (community members, culture officers and members of the NICHC). Thirdly, inventorying exercises will be conducted to document thirty-six elements of living heritage, which will be added to the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage in South Sudan. DVDs will also be produced for the inventoried elements.

4. Further takes note that:
   1. this assistance is to support a project implemented at the national level, in accordance with Article 20 (c) of the Convention;
   2. the State Party has requested International Assistance that will partly take the form of services from the Secretariat to the State; and
   3. the assistance therefore takes the form of the provision of a grant and of services from UNESCO (the provision of experts, the training of the necessary staff, the development of standard-setting measures and the supply of equipment), pursuant to Article 21 (b), (c), (d), (f) and (g) of the Convention;

5. Also takes note that South Sudan has requested assistance in the amount of US$99,474 from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund for the implementation of this project, which will be jointly implemented by the Ministry of Culture, Museums and National Heritage and UNESCO Office in Juba;
6. Understands that the UNESCO Office in Juba will be responsible for the logistical organization and provision of experts for the capacity-building activities, the purchase of the inventorying equipment, administrative support, and coordinating and monitoring the project activities (59 per cent of the requested amount), while the requesting State will be responsible for the logistical organization of project launch and closing events and the inventorying exercises (41 per cent of the requested amount), as described in the request;
7. Decides that, from the information provided in file no. 01535, 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: In preparation of the request, a broad consultation took place in August 2018 among representatives of the six communities involved in the project. During the implementation of the project, the inclusion of youth and gender balance will be ensured when selecting the participants. Furthermore, the heads of the target communities will also be involved in monitoring the project.

Criterion A.2: The budget is clearly explained, reflecting the planned activities and related expenses. The total amount of assistance requested is therefore judged to be appropriate and in line with the scope of the project to achieve the desired results.

Criterion A.3: The project proposes seven main activities: capacity-building workshops on inventorying methodologies; three inventorying exercises to complete the full inventory of the target communities; the production of videos of the elements of intangible cultural heritage identified; the publication of the inventory; and the monitoring and evaluation of the project. The sequence of the proposed activities is logical and seems to be feasible with respect to the project duration and the expected results.

Criterion A.4: The project foresees awareness-raising activities on the safeguarding of living heritage that may continue beyond the duration of the project. These include promoting youth and gender inclusion when involving various communities in the development of the inventory, to ensure that capacities on safeguarding living heritage are built for future generations among different ethnolinguistic groups. Furthermore, the equipment used for this project will remain available for the communities involved for forthcoming updates to the inventory.

Criterion A.5: The submitting State Party will contribute 3 per cent of the total amount of the project for which International Assistance is requested. The Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund will therefore cover 97 per cent of the overall budget.

Criterion A.6: The project places a strong emphasis on building capacities for the implementation of the Convention among community members and different stakeholders, who will be aware of the importance of the Convention when developing research processes and public policies for the benefit of the community.

Criterion A.7: South Sudan has not previously received any financial assistance from UNESCO under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund of the 2003 Convention to implement similar or related activities in the field of intangible cultural heritage.

Paragraph 10(a): The project is national in scope and its implementation relies on the involvement of several foundations (i.e., the Maale Cultural Foundation, the Likikiri Collective, the Oruppaa Cultural Foundation and the Roots Project) in supporting communities’ efforts to safeguard their heritage.

Paragraph 10(b): The project is expected to promote safeguarding processes for other living heritage practices to be identified through inventorying, supported by the involvement of the communities.

8. Approves the International Assistance request from South Sudan for the project entitled Development of an inventory of intangible cultural heritage in South Sudan and grants the amount of US$99,474 for the implementation of this project according to the modality described in paragraphs 5 and 6;
9. 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 work plan and the budget of the activities to be covered by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund are detailed and specific enough to provide a sufficient justification of all the expenditures;
10. Invites the State Party to use Form ICH-04-Report when reporting on the use of the International Assistance provided.