The 9th annual session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from Nov 24 to 28.

During the 9th session, three elements were inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, which helps State 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 State Parties - 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.

The Committee examined the reports of State Parties on the implementation of the Convention and on the current status of elements inscribed on the lists.

The committee also decided to establish the “Evaluation Body” for the evaluation in 2015 of nomination for inscription on the lists. China Folklore Society was elected into the Evaluation Body for a term of 3 years.

The committee also reviewed and discussed other related issues.

Xu Rong, director of the International Training Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (CRIHAP), presented the preparation for the government-sponsored ICH protection program in the Asia-Pacific Region, and exchanged ideas about the 2015 annual meeting of the Category 2 centers with the UNESCO secretariat.

The tenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage will be held in the Republic of Namibia from Nov 30 - Dec 4.