URGENT SAFEGUARDING
Document: ITH/18/13.COM/7.b Reports: 16 reports
Decision: 13.COM 7.b
141. The Chairperson turned to the examination of agenda item 7.b, which would begin with a general debate followed by the adoption of the individual decisions concerning the reports on elements inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List. The Bureau had previously discussed the working method on this item, which would be presented by the Secretary.
However, the Chairperson proposed not to immediately examine the decision on the report submitted by Azerbaijan on Chovqan, a traditional Karabakh horse-riding game in the Republic of Azerbaijan [Draft Decision 13.COM 7.b.1] due to ongoing discussions requiring more time. Subsequently, the adoption of the chapeau for this item 7.b. would be set aside for later. All the other reports would be examined as originally planned.
142. The Chairperson then turned to the examination of item 7.b and was pleased to see that so many reports had been submitted in the current cycle, i.e. sixteen out of nineteen, which clearly showed the attention paid by States Parties to the viability of endangered living heritage and to the safeguarding measures taken to improve the situation. The number of reports was higher than in past years and thus the Committee should be mindful of the need for good time management. The Chairperson recalled the specific working method that the Committee may take for the examination of this item in consultation with the Secretariat and the Bureau, as previously outlined under agenda item 2, inviting the Secretary to provide specific details.
143. The Secretary explained that the Committee was tasked with the examination of sixteen reports submitted by States Parties on the status of elements inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List. The Secretary proposed that the item be presented as a whole, including an overview of the sixteen reports analyzed, along the three main themes, namely: i) the effectiveness of the safeguarding plan; ii) community participation in the implementation of the safeguarding plan; and iii) the preparation of the report and the viability and risks associated with the element. Following the overall presentation, the floor would be open for a general debate, and States having submitted a report could share their experiences in preparing their report or on the challenges and opportunities linked to the safeguarding of their elements. After the closure of the debate, the Committee would move towards adopting the respective individual decisions for each report as a whole and without debate, unless otherwise requested. Once all the individual decisions were adopted, the Committee would then proceed to adopt the chapeau decision, paragraph by paragraph, and then as a whole.
144. The Chairperson thanked the Secretary for his proposition and methodology. With no objections, the Chairperson invited the Secretary to present the item.
145. The Secretary reiterated that the Committee had to examine sixteen reports and provide a summary of those reports to the General Assembly in 2020. The table in paragraph 6 listed all sixteen reports, which included four reports for elements inscribed in 2013, nine reports for elements inscribed in 2009, three overdue reports for elements inscribed in 2011, and one in 2012. The table in paragraph 5 highlighted three reports from China that were expected to be examined at this session. However, as the Committee had examined the first reports on these elements during its twelfth session in 2017, the second reports were expected by 15 December 2018 for examination at the fourteenth session in 2019. Thanks to the generous voluntary contribution from the Republic of Korea, approved in 2016 by the Committee, an online reporting tool had been developed for States to submit their reports on the status of elements inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List. Latvia and Viet Nam volunteered and successfully submitted their reports using this online tool for two inscribed elements. The majority of the reports for this cycle were either the second ordinary report or a third report submitted by the States after submitting an extraordinary report two years after inscription. Due to the increasing number of second and third ordinary reports, the document highlighted the importance of States addressing the concerns raised by the Committee based on the examination of the previous reports. This year, for instance, the reports submitted by Brazil on the element ‘Yaokwa, the Enawene Nawe people's ritual for the maintenance of social and cosmic order’ took into account the concerns raised by the Committee through its Decision 8.COM 6.b taken in 2013, whereby the updated safeguarding plan was adjusted to further align the activities to enhance the cultural aspects of the element.
146. The Secretary would go through the key points raised in the sixteen reports along the three thematic lines. The safeguarding plans implemented generally emphasized the partial or full achievement of the objectives initially set out in the safeguarding plans contained in the nomination files. Two thirds of the reports stressed the importance of strengthening the capacities of the existing practitioners, as well as increasing their number. The establishment of training centres, the transmission of traditional knowledge through its integration into educational curricula, and awareness-raising activities were the most common activities. Eight reports focused on the importance of youth for improving the viability of the element. For instance, the safeguarding activities of the element ‘Rite of the Kalyady Tsars (Christmas Tsars)’ from Belarus included designing and integrating training courses for school children and creating practical workshops linked to the making of equipment related to tsars. Another example came from the report from France on the element ‘Cantu in paghjella’, which demonstrated the success of integrating traditional knowledge into educational curricula, increasing the number of school children attending the paghjella workshops to more than 500. Of the reports, 60 per cent signal broader threats that go beyond the cultural dimension, such as environmental and natural resources associated with the living heritage, and socio-political and economic contexts. The
safeguarding plans highlighted the broad cooperation put in place among different stakeholders to address these challenges. The report from Guatemala on the element ‘Nan Pa’ch ceremony’ talked about the safeguarding activities designed to take into consideration the socio-political, economic and cultural realities of the communities. The safeguarding plan for the ‘Traditions and practices associated with the Kayas’ in Kenya also aimed to conserve and enhance cultural and natural heritage, as well as empower the Mijikenda community and their livelihood opportunities.
147. The Secretary then spoke of the case of Mongolia, where safeguarding activities were mainly conducted at the national level, thus portraying the important role central agencies play in safeguarding efforts. The reports on all four inscribed elements included safeguarding activities identified in the framework of the national comprehensive programme for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage from 2018–2025. This seemed an important action to streamline the safeguarding efforts and to have a coherent approach at the national level. However, as safeguarding activities for each element require specific challenges and needs to be addressed, details about concrete measures for the safeguarding of each element would help better understand the safeguarding strategy.
Therefore, Mongolia was invited in the respective draft decisions to update the safeguarding plans and provide further details in its next reports. The document highlighted the importance of the International Assistance that had been granted from the ICH Fund to safeguard some of the inscribed elements. Such was the case for Uganda, which received International Assistance in 2017 for the community-based self-documentation and revitalization of ceremonies and practices associated with the ‘Empaako tradition’. A description of how this assistance had helped safeguard the element would allow the Committee to better understand its impact. States were generally encouraged to coordinate these actions with the ongoing safeguarding measures as per the submitted file. Overall, the majority of States reported that communities play an important role in designing, implementing and monitoring the safeguarding plan. An increased involvement of NGOs, associations and local governments had been emphasized, such as in the report from Latvia on the element ‘Suiti cultural space’, where details on the opening community participation approach for the preparation and implementation of the safeguarding plan had further led to a multiannual cooperation with Liv communities in Latvia and the Seto and Kihnu Island communities in Estonia. A similar approach could be witnessed in Kyrgyzstan for the safeguarding of ‘Kyrgyz traditional felt carpets’, as well as in Mali for the element
‘Sanké mon’ whereby the communities, as well as local organizations and NGOs, were involved in policy development for improving the safeguarding measures.
148. The Secretary further noted that about half the reports mentioned gender roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the safeguarding plan. These reports mentioned the increasing participation of women in designing and implementing these plans. For instance, Viet Nam on ‘Ca trù singing’ reports that 80 per cent of their practitioners are now women, and in addition, Mauritania’s report on the ‘Moorish epic T’heydinn’ referred to the importance of the involvement of both men and women in the implementation of the safeguarding plan. Overall, the reports mentioned the involvement of communities in the design and implementation of the safeguarding plan. However, it seemed that their involvement in the preparation of the report was still rather limited. Eight reports submitted in the current cycle included positive signals about the improved viability of the inscribed elements, in particular, through increased community participation. However, States signalled some risks affecting the viability of the elements; the most common risks stated were changes in demographics, urbanization and changing migration trends. Lastly, the improved viability of the element was sometimes linked with the possible transfer of the element from the Urgent Safeguarding List to the Representative List, as was the case for the two reports submitted by Mongolia. The generous contribution from Japan to finance an open-ended working group and a preliminary expert meeting on some broader themes concerning the listing mechanisms would also allow for a reflection on these transfer issues.
149. The delegation of Mali thanked Mauritius for the good organization of this thirteenth session
and the warm welcome. It congratulated the Chairperson, recognizing his leadership qualities in guiding the work of the Committee. The delegation also thanked the Secretariat for all its work and for the preparation of the quality documents. The Committee’s multifaceted support and attentiveness had resulted in constructive exchanges during the preparation of the periodic reports. Mali had two elements inscribed on this Urgent Safeguarding List and every time it prepared its report, it wondered when these two elements would leave the Urgent Safeguarding List, which was a major concern. Morocco in particular had shared the same concern. Mali remained committed to the implementation of the Convention, and especially inventorying, inscription and the promotion of the Convention.
150. The delegation of Algeria concurred that the issue of elements on the Urgent Safeguarding List and their transfer to another List really needed to be addressed, and it invited colleagues to think about this issue more thoroughly so as to begin the discussion with concrete proposals for establishing new rules on the passage from List to List. The delegation referred to other programmes and Conventions elsewhere within UNESCO, for example, the Man and the Biosphere programme (MAB). Although small, the programme was very relevant to the planet, and the International Co-ordinating Council (CIC) of MAB succeeded in adopting the ‘exit strategy’10 in which at a particular time, when an element on the MAB List no longer met the criteria or if the reports were several years late, or if the situation changed over time, the element in question was placed on a list. In turn, a reflection ensues on how to get the element out of the situation, either by removing it from the List or by placing it on another List. This equated to having a more relevant follow-up of the elements inscribed, as currently [in the 2003 Convention] there was ambiguity about the future of these various Lists. The delegation recalled that the objective of the Convention, i.e. safeguarding, should not be forgotten.
151. The delegation of Belarus remarked that it had submitted both reports, its second periodic report and the third report on the state of the element inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List. It was delighted that both reports had been approved by the Secretariat and the expert community and hopefully by the Committee, which was a great honour and responsibility.
These reports were completed with the participation of many stakeholders, namely, the bearers and the representative communities, experts, and volunteers from different NGOs.
Both reports were based on the annual monitoring of intangible cultural heritage elements and research work. The delegation was grateful to the Committee for its recommendation on improving the safeguarding policy for intangible cultural heritage in Belarus, adding that reporting was a good tool for learning and understanding its intangible cultural heritage.
152. The Chairperson adjourned the day’s session.
[Tuesday, 27 November 2018, morning session]