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- 482. The delegation of India thanked the Chairperson for her excellent chairing of the Committee, and the Secretariat for its hard work and for the quality of its documents that was evident in the preparation of this session. As an outgoing member of the Committee, the States Parties could count on India's support as an Observer State and a State Party to the Convention. It thanked the Member States for their support in its idea to have representation of developing countries in the Culture Sector, which would allow developing countries, such as India, to take greater advantage of the opportunities offered under the Convention.
- 483. The delegation of Sri Lanka thanked all the States Parties that supported its successful candidature to the Committee and it congratulated all the newly elected members. Sri Lanka reiterated its commitment to constructively contribute towards the implementation of the Convention through the Committee. It concluded with thanks to the Chairperson, the Secretariat and the Assembly for the work accomplished over the past three days.
- 484. The Chairperson concluded by welcoming the Minister of Arts and Culture of Mauritius, the next Chairperson of the thirteenth session of the Committee who wished to say a few words.
- 485. The Minister of Arts and Culture of Mauritius , H.E. Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, congratulated the Chairperson for the very able way in which she presided over this session and he commended the Secretary and the Secretariat for their excellent work, as highlighted in the report on the activities presented earlier in the week. Notwithstanding the challenges faced by the Secretariat, and with the support of States Parties, remarkable progress had been made in raising awareness on the promotion and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. However, considerable efforts must be targeted towards the most vulnerable countries, such as SIDS, to protect their living intangible cultural heritage through capacity building, financial assistance and expert support. The Minister was convinced that with the right impetus the Convention would soon achieve universality. It was therefore fitting that Mauritius would have the privilege of hosting the next session of the Committee in November 2018. Mauritius was honoured to collaborate towards the organization of this major event, as it is a land of diverse cultural ethnicity and rich intangible cultural elements. The Government, together with local NGOs and local communities, devoted considerable efforts to safeguarding and preserving this unique melting pot of cultural wealth. The country valued this cultural diversity and unity, using it as a source of strength to maintain and consolidate social cohesion, mutual understanding, and respect for the cultures and traditions of others. Mauritius had inscribed the Traditional Sega [in 2014], the Geet-Gawai [2016], and recently the Sega tambour [in 2017], which were inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. On behalf of the government of Mauritius, the Minister spoke of his distinct pleasure in inviting and welcoming all States Parties to the Convention, Member States of UNESCO, NGOs, academics and all relevant stakeholders to Mauritius in November 2018 for the thirteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee. The Minister hoped that the delegations would experience the wealth of Mauritian intangible cultural heritage in person during their stay.
- 486. Thanking the Minister, the Chairperson spoke of her pleasure in welcoming him to this session of the General Assembly, adding that everyone looked forward to the meeting in Mauritius. She invited the Assistant Director-General for Culture to conclude the session.
- 487. The Assistant Director-General for Culture spoke of having been impressed by the interest and commitment of States Parties, non-States Parties, NGOs, observers and individual experts for the Convention, thanking them for their enthusiasm. He thanked the Chairperson for her efficient work that had managed to shorten the session by half a day. This seventh session marked a turning point in the life of the Convention with the adoption of the overall results framework, which would become a very important tool both to measure the impacts of the Convention and to guide States Parties in the way forward in its implementation. As asserted by the younger generation at the Youth Forum, intangible cultural heritage makes us who we are, reminds us of where we come, and gives us the keys to open ourselves up to others. It was essential for building a sense of belonging, and creating and sharing the values of peace. Hence, it was a central element of development policies now more than ever. In this regard, the Convention was a valuable tool for achieving the development goals