The Committee,

1. Having examined document LHE/20/15.COM/7,

2. Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decisions 6.COM 8.8 and 12.COM 8.c.9,

3. Expresses its thanks to Indonesia for submitting, on time, its report on the status of the element ‘Saman dance’, inscribed in 2011 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;

4. Takes note of the efforts undertaken by the State Party to safeguard the element, especially through diverse and collaborative safeguarding activities with support from the central and regional governments, and by enhancing the transmission of the Saman dance through traditional institutions and newly established organizations;

5. Further takes note of the growth of the Saman dance community, including the Gayo people and other ethnic groups, with the practice spreading in both rural and urban areas in the State Party and abroad, including among youth and student communities, resulting in an increased number of people who associate their cultural identity with the Saman dance;

6. Invites the State Party to continue its efforts to involve traditional community groups and institutions of the Gayo people in deciding upon the safeguarding measures, in order to ensure that Gayo communities are at the centre of the safeguarding efforts in the context of a growing emphasis on the nation-wide dissemination of the Saman dance;

7. Further invites the State Party to continue its efforts to ensure the role of central and regional governments as facilitators in enhancing and strengthening the activities of the Saman dance community and its organizations;

8. Encourages the State Party to continue to safeguard and develop the skills of sung poetry linked to the Saman dance, including the use of the Gayo language;

9. Requests that the Secretariat inform the State Party at least nine months prior to the deadline of 15 December 2023 about the required submission of its next report on the status of this element.