9 com ith/14 com/4 Rev. Paris, 27 October 2014 Original: English

Burkina Faso spoke of its appreciation of the Azeri hospitality and also the quality of the organization. It thanked the Secretariat for the quality of documents, and the Chairperson for the masterful way he had guided the Committee’s work and for the spirit of consensus that had prevailed. As an outgoing Member, it spoke of its rich and valuable experience within the Committee, as well as a sense of the rich diversity of intangible heritage present throughout the world. It also gained new friends and forged new relationships, and it was equally grateful for the International Assistance it had received and the knowledge of the valuable work it had carried out within the Subsidiary Body.

The Chairperson opened the floor to observers.

The delegation of Germany thanked the government of Azerbaijan for its warm hospitality, the perfect organization of the meeting and the wonderful cultural side events in Baku. It was proud to have ratified the Convention eight months ago in time for the tenth anniversary of the Convention. Already the ratification process had strengthened the awareness of intangible cultural heritage transmitted from generation to generation and constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment. It spoke of Germany’s commitment to the basic ideas of cultural diversity, community involvement and international cooperation. It was deeply impressed by the professionalism of the meeting, the intensity of the discussions, and the future-oriented decisions. It looked forward to its active participation as a member of the intangible cultural heritage family, working closely with the distinguished Committee Members, the Secretariat, other States Parties and NGOs. It expressed thanks to Azerbaijan, the Committee, the Secretariat and finally the NGOs for their invaluable work behind the scenes.

The Chairperson thanked Germany for its appreciation of the Committee’s work.

The delegation of Djibouti extended its congratulations and appreciation to the people and government of Azerbaijan for their kind and generous hospitality, and to the government for its commitment to the restoration and conservation of its cultural heritage, witnessed by the rich cultural heritage of Baku. It also congratulated the Chairperson for the efficiency and know-how demonstrated throughout the session, and thanked the Secretariat for its consistent support with its help and advice on the nominations. In this regard, the delegation emphasized its willingness to remove all obstacles that hampered the progress and success of its files. Finally, it thanked the Committee for the quality of its work and the progress made in the implementation of the Convention, as well as the young people who had personally assisted during its successful stay.

The delegation of Côte d’Ivoire thanked the government of Azerbaijan for its welcome and hospitality, citing a popular song in Côte d’Ivoire that says ‘He who has never seen a white shirt, has just seen one’, to describe the warmth of the Azeri hospitality, adding that this was also as part of intangible cultural heritage. It thanked Ms Duvelle and her team, adding that the Convention was a powerful instrument in bringing people together in a spirit of mutual respect. It concluded by reaffirming its commitment towards supporting the Convention and to assisting in the implementation of its objectives.

The delegation of Senegal thanked the Chairperson for his excellent leadership that combined elegance, diplomacy and also discipline, as well as the remarkable welcome and hospitality of the Azeri people that was encountered everywhere throughout the city. It recalled the active role it had played in drafting the Convention texts and that it would return with the same vigour in ensuring that every effort was made to contribute towards the implementation of the Convention in Senegal and throughout the world.

The delegation of Ethiopia echoed its gratitude and appreciation at having gained experience from the Convention and from the session, adding that as the Minister of Culture and Tourism and a parliamentary delegate, he would actively support the Committee’s decisions upon his return. The delegation was also very happy in the Chairperson’s leadership, as well as with the Secretariat and the media community, and finally with Azeri hospitality, its government and people.

The Chairperson thanked the honourable minister for the high level of his participation.

The delegation of Cameroon wished to add to the remarks of gratitude by speaking warmly of the proceedings and the welcome received, adding that despite initial anxiety, it had only encountered great kindness. The delegation mentioned an African saying, ‘the future lies not before, but rather behind us’ that spoke of how the future was built from a combination of elements from both the past and the present, and why it was a great privilege to participate at the meeting. It added that it would leave having learned much about the Convention and hoped to play a deeper role in the future.

The delegation of Niger expressed its satisfaction at the smooth running of the meeting, congratulating the Committee, headed by the Chairperson, but also the Secretariat, who had spared no effort to ensure that the work was carried out under the best conditions. It was especially satisfied with the inscription of its first element on the Representative List, adding that it could see that the Convention was doing well, and hoped that it would be especially beneficial for the communities concerned, as intangible cultural heritage was a factor of their identity.

The delegation of Palestine subscribed to the gratitude expressed by the delegations to personally thank the Chairperson, the advisory bodies and the Secretariat, but also the Rapporteur who provided an important yet invisible service. It also thanked the Members of the Committee and the Azeri people for their kindness and the warmth of their hospitality. It extended special thanks to the volunteers, especially those that spoke Arabic, adding that Palestine would make every effort to support the implementation of the Convention.

The delegation of Turkey expressed its gratitude for the excellent organization and efficient chairmanship of the meeting, as well as the warm hospitality received in Baku. It thanked the Secretariat for its relentless and efficient work, adding that the meeting in Baku would certainly mark future work in the implementation of the Convention. The delegation was particularly happy that its first periodic report and the Turkish coffee culture and tradition had been adopted on brotherly territory. Finally, it expressed thanks to the interpreters for providing translation into several languages, especially the beautiful Azeri language.

Speaking in Azeri, the delegation of Azerbaijan thanked the Chairperson, the Secretariat under Ms Duvelle’s guidance, as well as all the country representatives and participants. It thanked the interpreters, noting that in addition to the adoption of important decisions, it was an occasion to unite the various cultures in a celebration of cultural diversity.

Having listened to the deliberations and speeches, Mr Matsuura spoke of how he had been impressed by the firm determination of many countries to safeguard their intangible cultural heritage and also to cooperate with other countries in order to achieve that objective. This naturally applied to those elements already inscribed, but it also included future elements that had yet to be inscribed, all of which were important assets that needed to be safeguarded for future generations. Mr Matsuura recalled that during his tenure as Director-General of UNESCO, he had been unable to listen to the debates and discussions owing to his busy schedule, and thus felt fortunate in having been able to participate in the debates of the present session. He stressed again how the firm determination of countries had greatly impressed him. He took the opportunity to thank the Chairperson, recalling the fond memory of their close collaboration in the field of intangible cultural heritage, but also in the areas of culture and cultural heritage, remarking on his active participation at the international and regional levels as the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan. Mr Matsuura also expressed thanks to the members of staff in the Ministry of Culture for their cooperation during the present session, as well as UNESCO at large. He paid tribute to the Secretariat, and in particular Ms Cécile Duvelle for her excellent work, adding that he was particularly pleased as he had himself appointed her. Mr Matsuura paid special tribute to Ms Noriko Aikawa recalling that on his election to the post of Director-General at the General Conference, and following the adoption of the resolution on intangible cultural heritage, Ms Aikawa had been in charge of intangible heritage. She has profound knowledge and experience in the field, but there was a will to go even further and towards establishing a new Convention. Ms Aikawa thus played an important role in managing the new international legal framework to safeguard intangible cultural heritage. Now that the international framework had been established, many countries were encouraged to establish national internal systems of safeguarding, which were currently taking place. Mr Matsuura concluded by conveying his profound thanks to President Aliyev and Ms Mehriban Aliyeva, a UNESCO goodwill ambassador for oral and musical traditions. He noted her work with UNESCO in helping the process of establishing a new intangible cultural heritage convention. Mr Matsuura also conveyed thanks to the people of Azerbaijan for their generous and hospitable welcome.

The Chairperson spoke of the honour of Mr Matsuura’s presence, and hoped that it would be just one of his numerous visits to Azerbaijan. He also wished to thank all the delegates for their high appreciation of the Azeri people and hospitality, whose expressed gratitude was overwhelming. The Chairperson reminded the delegates that Azerbaijan was now leaving the Committee, adding that staff of the National Commission for UNESCO had been very much involved in its work, with the intangible cultural heritage programme becoming a priority within the Ministry. The Chairperson thus conveyed his thanks to them, noting that today Azerbaijan had strong coverage and wide support for intangible cultural heritage. He also thanked the Members of the Bureau whose positive impact and support was felt every morning during the meeting. Special thanks went to the Vice-Chairs, especially the Rapporteur and the Brazilian delegation for chairing the sessions in his absence. He also thanked Ms Duvelle without whom nothing would happen, remarking on her dedication and attention to detail that yielded great results from the joint work. The Chairperson spoke of the excursion to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation whose building was designed by the world-renowned architect Ms Zaha Hadid. Other excursions and events were announced, and with a final expression of thanks, the Chairperson officially declared the eighth session of the Committee closed.

1. Representatives of a State Party, whether or not a member of the Committee, shall not speak to advocate the inclusion on the List mentioned in Articles 16 and 17 of the Convention of an item of the intangible cultural heritage nominated by that State or to endorse a request of assistance submitted by that State, but only to provide information in reply to the question raised.

2. Under ‘Promotion of Tenun Ikat Sumba cultural heritage by governments and private stakeholders’.

3. An element inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List in 2012 also submitted by Indonesia.

4. Yaokwa: the Enawene Nawe people's ritual for the maintenance of social and cosmic order.

5. 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict; 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property; 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage; 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage; 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage; 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.