LHE/20/8.GA/INF.1 - page 37

- and the informal working group to discuss the inter alia functions of the NGOs in relation to the Committee.
- 184. Having listened to the clarifications, the delegation of Peru was mindful of the fact that there was currently a process underway that had the full participation of NGOs and the ad hoc working group working alongside the Secretariat. The Assembly should therefore wait for the outcomes and not get ahead of itself by adding a paragraph to the draft resolution as this was neither the right place nor time. For this reason, it agreed with Serbia, Algeria and others to delete the paragraph.
- 185. The delegation of Switzerland congratulated the Chairperson on her election. Although it supported the idea behind Sweden's amendment, it was difficult under the circumstances to accept this amendment. It therefore seemed appropriate to follow Palestine 's proposal and work with the ad hoc working group, whose terms of reference should be clear so that a specific recommendation could be made at the next Committee.
- 186. The delegation of the Philippines added its voice to those stating that this was already an ongoing process, as reflected in the mandate of the informal ad hoc working group, ' to reflect in consultation with accredited NGOsonthe possible ways in which the participation of NGOs under the 2003 Convention could be further enhanced and how this would be reflected in the accreditation and renewal mechanisms of NGOs ' . It was not exhaustive and included, for instance, possible new measures, such as the one currently proposed. Thus, a way forward could be the deletion of the paragraph or the introduction of a general statement that took note of the ongoing reflection process on possible ways in which the participation of NGOs under the 2003 Convention could be further enhanced. In this way, the paragraph would be more general and open.
- 187. The delegation of Estonia fully understood the hesitation in adopting a decision on a new task without first knowing what exactly it entailed. However, the paragraph could be formulated to indicate that the General Assembly took note of the report and acknowledged the participation of NGOs and their importance in this process; a role that the Committee had reiterated several times. In this sense, the Assembly could go along with furthering discussions related to the role of the NGOs with the possibility of adding a separate agenda item to listen to the report so as to more seriously reflect on this issue.
- 188. The delegation of Sweden remarked that this was not a new issue and that it had raised this question in connection with the agenda at the previous Assembly in 2016. Nevertheless, Sweden could go along with Palestine's suggestion to return to the discussion, adding that without practitioners and NGOs there would be no intangible heritage.
- 189. The delegation of Austria agreed with Sweden, Iceland, Estonia, Finland and Norway that the role of the NGO Forum was crucial and that NGOs should play an active role in the Assembly's work. However, given the consequences of this paragraph, it suggested that a representative of the NGOForum confirm that it was aware of and supported this paragraph.
- 190. The delegation of Venezuela recognized the important role that NGOs play in the process of implementing the Convention. Indeed, it was stated in the Convention in Article 11(b), in Chapter 3 of the Operational Directives in paragraphs 90 - 99, where there is a detailed account of the involvement of NGOs and their work in the Convention, as well as a direct reference to the advisory capacity in which NGOs operate. For this reason, the delegation would go along with Algeria and others that suggested the paragraph be deleted, as this would indeed be too premature. It might also disrupt the work of the informal ad hoc working group.
- 191. The delegation of Honduras concurred that nobody was calling into question the importance of NGOs and the role they played in the work of the Convention and within the framework of other culture Conventions. However, the delegation believed that this paragraph should either be deleted or amended along the lines suggested by Palestine or the Philippines. The working group had been entrusted with examining the participation of NGOs and it should be left to discuss this issue without getting ahead of itself with a proposal of this nature.