- Cultural Heritage Fund. The Committee had examined the plan at its twelfth session and decided to submit it to the General Assembly. The Secretariat proposed allocating a significant part of the day to examining agenda item 9 on the draft overall results framework, and agenda item 10 on the revision of the Operational Directives for the implementation of the Convention, as these were important interrelated themes. There were four documents under these two items: i) Working Document 9 on the draft overall results framework, which presented the genesis of the framework, an overview of its content, its implications for States Parties, and possible ways of rolling out its implementation; ii) Working Document 10 on the revision of the Operational Directives for the implementation of the Convention, which covered the amendments recommended to the Assembly by the Committee, in particular with regard to the reform of the periodic reporting process to move towards a regional cycle of national reporting; iii) the summary records of the eleventh session of the Committee; and iv) the summary records of the twelfth session of the Committee. The afternoon session on 5 June would see the examination of agenda item 11 on the accreditation of NGOs to act in an advisory capacity to the Committee. Wednesday 6 June would begin with the election of the new members of the Committee. Wednesday afternoon would be dedicated to examining agenda items 12 and 13. Agenda item 12 was the result of the House-wide exercise on governance, as per Resolution 39 C/87 of the General Conference in 2017, which covered a number of recommendations of the Working Group on Governance that were of direct relevance to the 2003 Convention. Agenda item 13 on the revision of the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly presented proposals received by the Secretariat for the revision of the Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly in accordance with Resolution 6.GA 11.
- 30. With no comments or objections, the Chairperson declared Resolution 7.GA 3 adopted . The Chairperson reminded the Assembly that the Bureau would adopt the provisional timetable every morning as required. She opened the floor for general comments.
- 31. The delegation of Singapore congratulated the Chairperson and her Vice-Chairs on their appointments. Singapore was honoured to attend its first General Assembly following its ratification of the Convention in February 2018. It reaffirmed Singapore's longstanding commitment to safeguarding and promoting its heritage. The Convention had rapidly gained relevance and popularity among States, reflected in the growing awareness of the impact of globalization, technology and demographic changes on traditions and the need to safeguard them. There was also a clear recognition that both tangible and intangible were important components in cultural and national heritage. As a young country, Singapore's intangible cultural heritage is an important reflection of its history with roots dating back at least 700 th years when Singapore was a maritime emporium in the 14 century. Over the years, Singapore's location along one of the world's b usiest maritime trade routes had seen it transform into a melting pot of different communities. Its traditions had evolved and were interwoven to form a diverse, multicultural tapestry, the foundation of what it means to be Singaporean. In April 2018, the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth announced Singapore's firs t heritage master plan: 'Our SG Heritage Plan'. Shaped by contributions from over 7,000 people from all walks of life, this plan charts the future of Singapore's heritage across four themes: places, cultures, treasures and communities. In particular, the concept of cultures focused on the safeguarding and promotion of knowledge, practices and traditions passed on from one generation to the next. It was also developing an inventory of intangible cultural heritage elements in partnership with its communities, and it hoped to inscribe its first element on the Representative List in the near future. As a new State Party to the Convention, Singapore looked forward to working to promote and strengthen the implementation of the Convention so that it would continue to be a strong and effective international framework to guide efforts to safeguard heritage for future generations.
- 32. The delegation of Jordan expressed thanks for its nomination as Vice-Chair and congratulated the Chairperson on her election, as well as the new States that had ratified the Convention. There were now 177 States Parties, which was a victory for the communities, groups and individuals who were looking for help in safeguarding their intangible cultural heritage. Jordan expressed its deepest gratitude to the Committee for the multifaceted progress achieved, for improving the governance of the Convention and its capacity-building