H.E. Mr Priit Pallum
Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary
Permanent Delegate of the Republic
of Estonia to UNESCO
Ambassade de la République
d'Estonie
17, rue de la Baume
75008 Paris
23 April 2025
Ref.: CLT/LHE/25/0234900001
Dear Ambassador,
I am writing to invite your country to submit a report on the status of
‘Building and use of expanded dugout boats in the Soomaa region’
within the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural
Heritage.
According to paragraphs 160 to 166 of the Operational Directives for the
2003 Convention, each State Party to the Convention shall submit to the
Committee (in the fourth year following the year in which the element was
inscribed, and every fourth year thereafter) reports on the status of
elements of intangible cultural heritage present in its territory that have
been inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent
Safeguarding.
As the element in question was inscribed on the Urgent Safeguarding List
in 2021, your country’s first report is due to be examined by the
Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage at its twenty-first session in November/December 2026
and is therefore expected to be submitted to the Secretariat by
15 December 2025 at the latest.
The report should be prepared in English or French, using the Form ICH-
11. States are encouraged to use the online interface developed by the
Secretariat. To make use of this online tool, please provide us with the
name and e-mail address of the person in charge of coordinating the
preparation of the report by writing to
[email protected]. The
Secretariat will contact that person to explain the practical steps to be
followed and provide her/him with a code to access the online platform. To
facilitate the preparation of your report, please also find attached the word
version of the reporting form.
Your competent authorities are invited to pay particular attention to
Decision 16.COM 8.a.2, and to ensure that the information provided in the
report addresses the considerations and possible concerns that the
Committee expressed in this decision.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
7, Place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris 07 SP France
T: +33 (0)1 45 68 01 78
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Furthermore, when discussing reports on the status of elements inscribed
on the Urgent Safeguarding List, the Committee adopted a number of
decisions related to cross-cutting issues addressed to all States concerned.
Your country may wish to take these into consideration when preparing its
report, in particular the latest Decision 19.COM 6.a, adopted in 2024.
Documents of the Committee, as well as its decisions on periodic reporting
related issues from the past cycles are also available on the website of the
Convention.
Should your country wish to request the transfer of the element concerned
from the Urgent Safeguarding List to the Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, please be informed that such a
request should be submitted at the same time as your report, using Form
ICH-02 USL to RL.
For further information please do not hesitate to contact us at: ich-
[email protected].
Thank you for your interest in the safeguarding of intangible cultural
heritage.
Yours sincerely,
Fumiko Ohinata
Secretary, Convention for the Safeguarding of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage
Enclosure: Word version of Form ICH-11
cc: Estonian National Commission for UNESCO (UNESCO Eesti Rahvuslik Komisjon)
Ms Leelo Viita, Head of the ICH Department, Estonian Centre of Folk Culture