The nineteenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took place in Asunción, Republic of Paraguay from Monday 2 to Friday 6 December 2024. The session was chaired by H.E. Ms Nancy Ovelar de Gorostiaga, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Paraguay to UNESCO.

Following the work of its Evaluation Body, the Committee inscribed two elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and 58 elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (including 5 inscriptions on an extended basis); three elements were transferred from the Urgent Safeguarding List to the Representative List, recognizing their improved viability since their initial inscription.

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The Committee also selected three programmes for the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices. For the first time, Brunei Darussalam, Ghana, Myanmar, Rwanda and Somalia celebrated their first inscriptions. Furthermore, the session was marked by the inscription of 16 multinational elements involving 62 countries, serving as inspiring examples of international cooperation. There were 14 inscriptions involving countries from the Africa region and 4 inscriptions by Small Island Developing States (SIDS). In view of the next cycle in 2025, the Committee also established a new Evaluation Body.

At the session, 18 reports on the current status of elements inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List were examined. The Committee also took note of safeguarding trends, challenges and opportunities highlighted in the reports submitted by all 44 States Parties in Africa. Marking a significant achievement for the Convention, the 100% submission rate of periodic reporting of the States Parties in Africa was commended, reflecting the involvement and efforts of all stakeholders involved in the safeguarding of living heritage.

Concerning the management of the listing mechanisms of the Convention, an overview of the files submitted for the 2024 and 2025 cycles was presented and the Committee decided on a way forward for the 2026 and 2027 cycles. Furthermore, the Committee welcomed progress made in the ongoing reflection on a broader implementation of Article 18 of the Convention, with a focus on the establishment of the online platform for sharing good safeguarding experiences.

Additionally, the Committee reaffirmed the important role of intangible cultural heritage for inclusive social, economic and environmental development, and welcomed the progress made in the implementation of the thematic initiatives on the economic dimensions of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and climate change, and safeguarding intangible cultural heritage in urban contexts. The Guidance Note on climate action for living heritage was presented to the Committee.

The ICH NGO Forum presented its report, describing its activities that have the potential to strengthen the advisory role of accredited non-governmental organizations to the Committee. The Committee encouraged efforts aimed at increasing the number of non-governmental organizations based in underrepresented regions.

Finally, it was decided that the twentieth session of the Intergovernmental Committee would be held in New Delhi, India, from 8 to 13 December 2025.