Information session for the members of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

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Information session for the members of the Intergovernmental Committee

for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

25 October 2010, Room II 3 to 6 p.m.

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132 States have ratified the Convention, and 128 of them will be States Parties at the time of the fifth session in Nairobi in November

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Purposes

of the Convention

Article 1:

• To safeguard the intangible cultural heritage

• To ensure respect for the intangible cultural heritage of the communities, groups and individuals concerned

• To raise awareness at the local, national and

international levels of the importance of the intangible cultural heritage, and of ensuring mutual appreciation thereof

• To provide for international cooperation and assistance

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… how can those purposes be achieved at national level?

• Identify and safeguard ICH

• Adopt a general policy

• One or more competent bodies

• Scientific research, education and raising awareness

• Periodic report on measures taken for the ICH present in their territories

• Involve communities, groups and individuals (Article 15)

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• List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding (Article 17)

• Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (Article 16)

• Programmes, projects and activities that best reflect the objectives of the Convention (Article 18)

• International assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund (Articles 19-28)

… and at international level?

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Organs of the Convention

The Convention establishes three statutory organs:

 General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention

 Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

 Secretariat

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The General Assembly

 The sovereign body of the Convention

 Composed of all States having ratified the Convention

 Establishes general policies, adopts Operational Directives

 Accredits NGOs to provide services to the Committee

 Approves biennial budget

(Plan for the use of the resources of the Fund)

 Elects Committee Members

 Meets biennially, in June of even-numbered years

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Intergovernmental Committee

 24 States Members, elected by General Assembly respecting principle of equitable geographic

representation

 States Members choose as their representatives persons qualified in the various fields of the ICH

 Responsible for ongoing implementation of the

Convention’s mechanisms for international cooperation

 Meets annually in November

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The UNESCO Secretariat

 Assists the General Assembly and Committee in their work

 Prepares the working documents of Assembly and Committee

 Draws up draft agenda of their meetings

 Ensures the implementation of their decisions

With Regular Programme, Complementary Additional Programme and Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund:

 Serves all Member States of UNESCO

 Promotes ratification of the Convention

 Global strategy of strengthening capacities of Member States

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Operational Directives

 Requested by General Assembly, prepared and

submitted by Committee, adopted by General Assembly

 First Directives adopted in June 2008

 Current Directives adopted in June 2010

 Govern all aspects of the implementation of the Convention at the international level

 Also provide guidance to States Parties for implementation at the national level

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Committee 2010-2012

Group I Group IV

Cyprus 2008-2012 China 2010-2014

Italy 2008-2012 Indonesia 2010-2014

Spain 2010-2014 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 2010-2012

Japan 2010-2014

Group II Republic of Korea 2008-2012

Albania 2010-2014

Azerbaijan 2010-2014 Group V(a)

Croatia 2008-2012 Burkina Faso 2010-2014

Czech Republic 2010-2014 Kenya 2008-2012

Madagascar 2010-2014

Group III Niger 2008-2012

Cuba 2008-2012

Grenada 2010-2014 Group V(b)

Nicaragua 2010-2014 Jordan 2008-2012

Paraguay 2008-2012 Morocco 2010-2014

Venezuela (Bolivarian Oman 2008-2012

Republic of) 2008-2012

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Functions of the Committee

 Promotes the objectives of the Convention

 Prepares the Operational Directives for the implementation of the Convention

 Uses the Fund for international cooperation

 Inscribes on the three Lists of the Convention

 Recommends accreditation of NGOs

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Meetings of the Committee

 The Committee meets at least once a year in ordinary session

 The Committee shall meet in extraordinary session at the request of at least two-thirds of the States

 Since 2006, the Committee met in four ordinary sessions and three extraordinary sessions

 Meetings open to observers from States Parties,

intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, etc.

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Working methods of the Committee

 Governed by Rules of Procedure of the Committee, adopted in November 2006, amended in February and November 2008

 Work of Committee facilitated by its Bureau

 Committee may establish ad hoc consultative bodies, subsidiary bodies or working groups

 Committee meetings are public except under specific circumstances

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Bureau of the Committee

 Chairperson and Rapporteur (chosen in personal capacity)

 Four Vice-Chairpersons (States Members)

 Selected in conformity with the principle of equitable geographical representation

 Coordinates the work of the Committee

 Fix the date, times and order of business of meetings

 Other tasks assigned by Operational Directives or delegated by Committee (IA up to 25,000, prep. ass.)

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Agenda of sessions of the Committee

Ordinary sessions:

 all questions the Committee has decided to inscribe at its previous session,

 all questions proposed by States Members of the Committee

 all questions proposed by States Parties and the Director-General

Extraordinary sessions:

 only those questions for which the session has been convened

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Order of debate within the Committee

 Only speakers recognized by Chairperson

 General debate

– Priority to Committee Members, then States Parties

– Chair may recognize States non party, IGOs, NGOs, etc. if time allows

 Adoption of decisions

– Only Committee Members may intervene

 State may not advocate inclusion on the lists of an element nominated by that State or endorse its own request for international assistance

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Decision-making by the Committee

 Each State Member of the Committee has one vote in the Committee

 Decisions usually by consensus, rarely by hand and more rarely by roll call

 Decisions are taken by a simple majority (13 votes)

 Some decisions require a two-thirds majority (16 votes):

– Amendment of the Rules of Procedure

– Convening an extraordinary session of the Committee

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Bodies created by the Committee

 Consultative Body to examine nominations to Urgent Safeguarding List, proposals to Register of Best

Practices, and requests for International Assistance greater than US$25,000

 Subsidiary Body to examine nominations to Representative List

 Bureau to examine requests for International Assistance up to US$25,000, including preparatory assistance +

emergency assistance

 Working groups or expert groups, as needed

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Consultative Body

 Twelve members, selected by Committee respecting principle of equitable geographic representation:

 Six members from accredited NGOs

 Six experts serving in their personal capacity

 Examines nominations to USL, proposals of best practices and requests of international assistance and offers its recommendations to the Committee

 First Consultative Body to be established at fifth session in Nairobi

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Subsidiary Body

 Six States Members, selected by Committee respecting principle of equitable geographic representation

 First Subsidiary Body served from 2008 to 2010;

examined 165 nominations in two years

 Offers its recommendations to the Committee to

inscribe, not to inscribe, or to refer the nomination to submitting State for additional information

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Bureau of the Committee

 Six States Members, selected by Committee respecting principle of equitable geographic representation

 Evaluates requests for International Assistance up to US$25,000 (including requests for preparatory

assistance)

 Evaluates emergency requests for International Assistance greater than US$25,000

 Receives alerts to possible cases of extreme urgency and may invite State(s) Party(ies) concerned to submit a USL nomination

 Approves specific activities under ‘other functions of the Committee’, within ICH Fund budget

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Nominations, examinations and evaluations

 States Parties, and only States Parties, may submit nominations, proposals or requests

 Examination (by Consultative Body or Subsidiary Body, formerly by designated experts) results in a

recommendation to the Committee

 Evaluation (by Committee or Bureau) is the decision to inscribe the element on the Lists, grant the requested international assistance, or select the proposed

programme for promotion as a best practice

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Urgent Safeguarding List and International Assistance

 Fifth session of the Committee will receive

recommendations from examiners that were designated to provide their independent examinations under the

procedure formerly in place

– Examiners not always familiar with Convention – Challenges to ensure shared understandings

 Fifth session will establish the first Consultative Body that will carry out future examinations and offer its recommendations to sixth session

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Representative List

examination and evaluation

 Fifth session will receive recommendations on

47 nominations, of which 46 are positive and one is negative

 Important point on 5.COM agenda will be the establishment of the next Subsidiary Body,

determination of the nominations it is to examine, and discussion of its methods of work

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Working documents of the Committee

 Working documents that request a decision by the

Committee are the main series of documents prepared by the Secretariat

 Information documents (INF) do not require any decision by the Committee but are provided for its information

 Documents are numbered according to the points on the preliminary agenda of the Committee, so INF

documents correspond to specific points

 Nominations, proposals and requests are also available to the Committee through the website

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Intangible Cultural Heritage website

The website of the Convention is the place to find:

 Working documents

 Information documents

 Nominations, proposals, and requests, as submitted

 Convention texts in six official languages and more than 25 other languages

 Operational Directives in six official languages

 Information on meetings, projects, activities undertaken by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section or by

Member States, NGOs, etc.

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Agenda of the fifth session of the Committee

 5.COM agenda and timetable