Namibia to host the 10th session of the Committee

• 28 November 2014
• Namibia,

The 9th annual session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage ended today in UNESCO Headquarters with the election of H.E. Ms Trudie Amulungu (Namibia) as chair of the next session. The 10th session will take place in Namibia, from 30 November to 4 December 2015.
Receiving more than 1070 delegates from 138 countries, the Intergovernmental Committee welcomed the significant progress made in the implementation of the Convention, as well as expressed its appreciation of the overall strategy of capacity building set up by UNESCO to support the states and communities in their safeguarding efforts. It has also thanked the donors who have helped numerous programs to be implemented worldwide, as well as Azerbaijan and the Netherlands for having offered this year a new contribution for capacity building projects in the Dutch Caribbean islands and Suriname, as well as Bangladesh and Guatemala.
During the 9th session, three elements were inscribed on the List Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, which helps States Parties mobilize international cooperation and assistance to ensure the transmission of this heritage with the participation of the concerned communities. The Urgent Safeguarding List now numbers 38 elements.
The Committee also inscribed 34 elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which serves to raise awareness of intangible heritage and provide recognition to communities’ traditions and know-how that reflect their cultural diversity. Seven of the 161 States Parties to the convention— Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Mauritius and Serbia — this year had their first inscriptions on that List, which now totals 314 elements.

Meeting:

• 9th session of the Intergovernmental Committee (24 November 2014 – 28 November 2014)