The States Parties the Convention can propose the nomination of new “Elements or projects, activities or programmes of good safeguarding practices” for inscription in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.
To this end, each State, with the participation of the community and the groups of holders and practitioners directly concerned, must define, identify and take inventory of the “Elements” which are intended to be nominated for the Urgent Safeguarding List and the Representative List; at the same time, each State must define “Projects, Activities or Programmes” which are intended to be nominated in the Register of good safeguarding practices.
This inventory taking process is part of the preliminary investigation formally launched and is coordinated by Service I of the General Secretariat of MiBACT.
At the website https://ich.unesco.org it is possible to find all the material relating to the Convention, view the institutional and promotional activities relating to it, while at https://ich.unesco.org/en/directives it is possible to consult and study the operational directives annexed to the Convention for the purpose of its application, including with regard to the contents, methods and activities relating to the nomination pathways.
The nomination formats are directly available and downloadable at https://ich.unesco.org/en/forms, in particular they refer respectively to the nomination proposals for:
- The Urgent Safeguarding List;
- The Representative List;
- The Register of Good Safeguarding Practices.
The preliminary activities, both for national and multinational pathways, involve progressive technical-scientific study phases, in order to guarantee the widest dissemination of the principles of the Convention and the maximum participation of the community and stakeholders. The process includes the participatory inventory taking of the “Elements” that are intended to be nominated, the drafting of the dossiers, the preparation, planning and updating of safeguarding measures, so that the application processes can have sustainable development impacts at local, national and international level.
The state of application of the Convention is subject to a survey by the Secretariat of the Paris Convention, which each State Party must fulfil through the preparation and drafting of the periodic National Report.
Activation of the nomination
The nomination proposals are submitted to the Italian National Commission for UNESCO which assigns them to the Ministry and/or Ministries responsible for the preliminary investigation.
The competent office responds within 180 days, requesting further information or activating directly applicable initiatives or rejecting the inscription.
In particular, for the purposes of activating the nomination proposal and the preliminary investigation, it is recommended that the following information, among others, is included in the general compilation of the format of the chosen List:
- name and general description of the “Element relating to the Urgent Safeguarding List”, or of the “Representative List Element” or of the “Project/Activity/Programme of Good Safeguarding Practice” which is intended to be nominated and the respective geographical location;
- identification of the community directly involved in the nomination proposal with specific reference to the groups of holders and practitioners;
- list of the safeguarding measures identified for the “Elements” of the Intangible Cultural Heritage proposed for the Urgent Safeguarding List and for the Representative List or which are included in the “Project, Activity or Programme” which is intended to be proposed for the “Register of Good Practices”;
- any indication of inventory, if the “asset” is already registered in any form of cataloguing, including at local or regional level;
- historical-anthropological bibliography of reference and any web references.
Inclusion in the Italian tentative list and phases of the international evaluation process
The insertion in the National Tentative List for the Intangible Cultural Heritage takes place at an advanced investigatory stage of the nomination proposal and is preliminary to the final evaluation by the CNIU Board of Directors for sending the Convention to the Paris Secretariat, for follow-up and evaluation procedures at international level. This submission has a formal deadline by March 31 for each submission cycle.
The Secretariat of the Convention carries out an initial technical check with respect to the documentation sent, which will be subsequently examined by the International Evaluation Body.
The final decision with respect to the inscription on the lists rests with the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention, which meets once a year. The same Committee can also decide to defer the proposal to the evaluation of the next cycle – requesting further information or the implementation of the dossier – or refuse inscription.
Procedures for inscription of elements on the lists and for selecting good safeguarding practices
Inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List – Criteria
In the nomination dossiers, the State Party is requested to demonstrate that the Element proposed for inclusion on the Urgent Safeguarding List meets all the following criteria:
- U.1: the element constitutes intangible cultural heritage as defined in article 2 of the Convention;
- U.2
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- a: the element urgently needs to be safeguarded because its vitality is at risk despite the efforts of the community, group or individuals and of the State(s) concerned;
- b: the element has an urgent need to be safeguarded because it faces serious threats as a result of which it cannot be expected to survive without immediate safeguarding;
- U.3: the safeguarding measures are designed to allow the community, group or individuals concerned to continue the practice and transmission of the element;
- U.4: the element is nominated based on the widest possible participation of the community, group or individuals concerned and with their prior, free informed consent.
- U.5: the element is included in an inventory of the Intangible Cultural Heritage present in the territory(ies) of the proposing State(s) as defined in Article 11 and Article 12 of the Convention;
- U.6: in cases of extreme urgency, the State(s) concerned has (have) been duly consulted regarding the inscription of the element in accordance with Article 17.3 of the Convention.
Timetable and procedures
Phase 1: Preparation and Presentation
- 31 March 31-Year 0
Deadline for requests for preparatory assistance in drafting the nominations.
- March 31-Year 1
Deadline for nominations to be received by the Convention Secretariat. Dossiers received after the deadline will be examined in the next cycle.
- June 30-Year 1
Deadline by which the Secretariat will have checked the completeness of the dossiers. If a dossier is found to be incomplete, the State Party is invited to add to it.
- September 30-Year 1
Deadline by which any information required to complete the dossiers must be submitted by the State Party to the Secretariat. Dossiers that remain incomplete are returned to the States Parties which can complete them for a subsequent cycle.
Phase 2: Evaluation
- December Year 1 – May Year 2
Evaluation of the dossiers by the Evaluation Body.
- April – June Year 2
Meeting for the final evaluation by the Evaluation Body. Starting from the four weeks preceding the session of the Intergovernmental Committee, the dossiers and evaluation reports are available online for consultation by the States Parties.
Phase 3: Examination
- November / December Year 2
The Committee reviews the applications and makes its decisions.
Inscription on the Representative List – Criteria
In the nomination dossiers, the proposing State Party is requested to demonstrate that an element proposed for inclusion on the List meets all the following criteria:
- R.1: the element constitutes intangible cultural heritage as defined in article 2 of the Convention;
- R.2: the inscription of an Element contributes to ensuring the visibility and awareness of the meaning of the intangible cultural heritage and to encouraging dialogue by being a reflection of the world’s cultural diversity and testimony of human creativity;
- R.3: the safeguarding measures are developed to allow the protection and promotion of the Element;
- R.4: the Element is nominated based on the widest possible participation of the community, groups or individuals concerned and with their prior, free informed consent;
- R.5: the Element is included in an inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage present in the territory(ies) of the proposing State(s) as defined in Article 11 and Article 12 of the Convention.
Timetable and procedures
See timetable and procedures for inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List.
Selection of proposals for the register of good safeguarding practices – Criteria
Among the programmes, projects and activities proposed to the Committee by the States Parties, only those that best meet the following criteria are selected:
- Criterion 1: The programme, project or activity involves safeguarding as defined in art. 2.3 of the Convention;
- Criterion 2: The programme, project or activity promotes the coordination of efforts to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage on regional, sub-regional and/or international levels;
- Criterion 3: The programme, project or activity reflects the principles and objectives of the Convention;
- Criterion 4: if already concluded, the programme, project or activity must demonstrate the effectiveness of the contribution to the vitality of the intangible cultural heritage concerned. If the programme, project or activity is still ongoing or planned, it is reasonable to expect that it will contribute substantially to the vitality of the intangible cultural heritage concerned;
- Criterion 5: The programme, project or activity has been or will be implemented with the participation of the community, group and, if possible, individuals concerned and with their prior, free informed consent;
- Criterion 6: The programme, project or activity may serve, as the case may be, as a model for safeguarding activities at sub-regional, regional or international level;
- Criterion 7: The Proponent State(s), the implementing body(ies), and the community, group or, if possible, individuals concerned are willing to cooperate in the dissemination of best practices, if their programme, project or activity is selected;
- Criterion 8: The programme, project or activity has aspects that permit an evaluation of its results;
- Criterion 9: The programme, project or activity is mainly applicable to the needs of developing countries.
Timetable and procedures
See timetable and procedures for inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List.