Eighth session of the General Assembly
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Declaration on Beirut issued by the eighth session of the General Assembly
New composition of the Committee
With all appropriate sanitary measures due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic, 250 delegates representing more than 140 countries gathered for the eighth session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the 2003 Convention from 8 to 10 September 2020.
The General Assembly took important decisions for the implementation of the Convention. Throughout the meeting, delegates discussed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on living heritage and approved operational principles and modalities for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in emergencies. The delegates also strongly reaffirmed the need for a global reflection on the listing mechanisms of the Convention.
Further discussions will be held during a category VI preliminary experts’ meeting and an open-ended intergovernmental working group scheduled for June 2021. The General Assembly discussed and acknowledged the important role of accredited non-governmental organizations and the ICH NGO Forum in providing support for the implementation of the Convention and accredited thirty-six additional NGOs.
