Decision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 15.COM 7.1

The Committee,

  1. Having examined document LHE/20/15.COM/7,

  2. Recalling Chapter V of the Operational Directives and its Decisions 6.COM 8.3, 8.COM 6.b and 13.COM 7.b.3,

  3. Expresses its thanks to Brazil for submitting, on time, its report on the status of the element ‘Yaokwa, the Enawene Nawe people’s ritual for the maintenance of social and cosmic order’, inscribed in 2011 on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding;

  4. Takes note of the continued efforts undertaken by the State Party to safeguard the element, especially through the participatory documentation of the Saloma ritual, involving and training Enawene Nawe community members as researchers, as well as through interethnic dialogue between indigenous communities and public awareness raising and fostering knowledge and respect for the ways of life of indigenous communities;

  5. Invites the State Party to pursue its efforts to involve the Enawene Nawe community in defining and implementing safeguarding measures and monitoring the viability of the element and the threats to its safeguarding, and to ensure the necessary human resources for mediation, including through institutional partnerships;

  6. Further invites the State Party to further develop its safeguarding strategy by moving beyond participatory documentation and awareness raising to promote intergenerational transmission through activities targeting the young members of the community concerned;

  7. Further takes note that social processes and environmental conditions, such as urbanization, deforestation and pollution, among others, remain the major threats to the viability of the element, and also invites the State Party to strengthen cooperation with public and private institutions and non-governmental organizations in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the safeguarding measures, and to raise due attention in the respective policy sectors of the government with regards to environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources;

  8. Recalls the importance of community participation in the safeguarding activities and throughout the reporting process, and encourages the State Party to ensure the participation of the Enawene Nawe people in the preparation of its future reports;

  9. Requests that the Secretariat inform the State Party at least nine months prior to the deadline of 15 December 2023 about the required submission of its next report on the status of this element.

Top