Kiri

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, Place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France

T: +33 (0)1 45 68 01 78

Dear Madam/Sir, I am writing with regards to the future cycle of periodic reporting under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. As the first regional reporting cycle draws to a close, the Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention has endorsed the move towards a single global submission system for periodic reporting, most recently at its twentieth session in December 2025 (i.e. Decision 20.COM 6.c), which entails the following:

• Reports by States Parties on the implementation of the Convention and on the status of elements inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as well as reports by States Parties on elements inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, shall be submitted by 30 June 2027, and every four years thereafter.

• The General Assembly at its eleventh session (17 to18 June 2026 at UNESCO Headquarters) will examine the necessary amendments to the Operational Directives for the Implementation of the Convention to support the move.

• All States Parties are expected to submit their reports using the designated forms that are currently undergoing revisions to simplify them (Form ICH-10 and Form ICH-11). Further to the submission, the Governing Bodies of the Convention will continue to examine the reports, which will then be brought to the attention of the General Conference of UNESCO, pursuant to Article 30 of the Convention.

• In the meantime, the submission of all types of reports for the deadline of 15 December 2026 is suspended, including for overdue reports.

In this context, a global reflection meeting will be convened online from 28 to 30 April 2026, as part of the reflection year, to take stock of lessons learnt from the current reporting cycle, while laying the groundwork for the cycle ahead. Bringing together focal points for periodic reporting and leading technical stakeholders, the meeting will also provide an important opportunity for refining the proposed revisions to the periodic reporting forms (Form ICH-10 and Form ICH-11) before they are made available to reporting States. Updated information will also be shared on capacity- building activities that might be organised in your region.

To the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

13 March 2026

Ref.: CLT/LHE/26/032

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As a next step, kindly designate a focal point who will be responsible for coordinating the periodic reporting in your country (covering all types of reports) and communicate his or her name and contact details to ich- [email protected] no later than 10 April 2026. The Secretariat will provide the designated focal points with information about the global reflection meeting, including its agenda, in due course. Thank you for your support in the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Yours sincerely,

Fumiko Ohinata Secretary, Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

cc. National Commissions of the States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage