The Committee,

1. Having examined document LHE/21/16.COM/7.a,
2. Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decisions COM 14.04 and 12.COM 8.c.4,
3. Expresses its appreciation to China for submitting its second report on the status of the element ‘Traditional Li textile techniques: spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering’, inscribed in 2009 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, which was initially due for submission by 15 December 2017;
4. Takes note of the efforts described in the report submitted by China to safeguard the element, in particular through expanding possibilities to learn and practice Li textile techniques, raising cultural consciousness among the Li people on the importance of the element, supporting its bearers and their economic activities and improving the living conditions of its practitioners;
5. Invites the State Party to continue its efforts in supporting the bearers of the element, carrying out research, digital archiving and dissemination activities, providing learning and training possibilities, sustaining the supply of traditional raw materials, and integrating the element in local social and economic development plans;
6. Encourages the State Party to provide support to new practitioners to ensure the continuity of transmission, and support to bearers and practitioners to foster the economic sustainability and viability of the element, and recalls the importance of raising awareness, especially among the consumers of the Li textile products, of the cultural meanings and customary practices related to the element;
7. Further encourages the State Party to take particular heed of the impact of over-commercialization on the safeguarding of the element in order to prevent its potential decontextualization and to take due account in its safeguarding plan of any risks to the element as a result of increased market demands;
8. Further invites the State Party to regularly consult with the Li people on the establishment and functioning of the planned experimental zones for cultural and ecological protection in the Hainan Province;
9. Further takes notethat the Secretariat informed the State Party nine months prior to the deadline of 15 December 2021 about the required submission of its third report on the status of this element, and also encourages the State Party to submit it on time.