- Convention to be more proactive in working in a coordinated fashion with other culture Conventions, as well as other sectors, especially education with a view to integrating this work with the sustainable development goals. Much had been done in Colombia to cross- fertilize the work of the Convention with other sectors, not only to increase the visibility of intangible cultural heritage of the different communities in the country, but also to improve cultural, social, human rights and environmental protection policies. This is also a way to ensure that people have access to a livelihood based on their intangible heritage, which ties in with their activities as related to sustainable development and the work being done in the field of education and other Conventions. The delegation also thanked the Secretariat for the opportunity to present at this General Assembly a project representing the traditional knowledge of the indigenous peoples of Pirá Paraná in Colombia to be presented alongside the projects from Uganda and Mali, and which focused on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage as a means to improve the quality of life of its citizens.
- 37. The delegation of Gambia congratulated the Chairperson on her election, and thanked Nigeria and the Africa Group for their confidence in electing Gambia as Vice-Chair. The delegation spoke of the new Government in 2016 after almost two decades of autocratic rule, and wished to renew its commitment to all the Conventions that it had ratified, particularly the 2003 Convention that was ratified in 2011. Since that time, Gambia had made commendable efforts in implementing the provisions of the Convention and was committed to achieving its objectives.
- 38. The delegation of Mongolia expressed its warmest congratulations to the Chairperson and thanked the Secretariat for the concise and excellent report. It appreciated the emphasis on capacity building and the effective management of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund. The delegation was particularly pleased with the implementation of transversal cooperation among the culture Conventions in working together to project and promote both tangible and intangible heritage. As a committed State Party of the Convention, Mongolia had fulfilled its duties with regard to comprehensive international cooperation in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage since its ratification in 2005. Mongolia was an elected member of the Committee in 2014 - 2018 and worked on implementing the values, principles and requirements of the Convention as much as possible. Mongolia was actively working to develop existing relationships at regional, national and international levels, and to take responsibility in pursuing sustainable development goals. It strived to intensify its efforts within regional networks, such as the North Asia and Asia Pacific regions.
- 39. The Chairperson thanked the delegations for their remarks. She noted that there were more than 120 States participating in this session with the possibility of a significant number of States wishing to speak on a particular issue. The floor would thus be given to delegations in the order in which they raised their name plates. During the debates, priority would be given to States that had not yet spoken. The Chairperson would also introduce a time limit if deemed necessary. Each State Party would be granted two minutes to speak. Invited observers, such as States non-Party to the Convention and NGOs, may ask for the floor during the general discussions but not during the adoption of a specific resolution. The working documents were available in six languages, as was interpretation. However, screens for the adoption of resolutions were in English and French only. The Chairperson recalled that under Rule 11 of its Rules of Procedure, any significant change proposed must be transmitted to the Secretariat in writing or by email, as early as possible. The Secretariat would thus have the time to integrate the proposals and prepare a translation for examination during the adoption of the resolutions. Forms for amendments were available from the Secretariat on request.