“World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan. Management, reporting and monitoring of UNESCO processes”
June 18, 2020, the expert group of the
International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS) composed of Director
Dmitry Voyakin, Dr. Ona Vileikis, prof. Michael Jansen, prof. Jordi Tresserras,
Ms. Tamar Teneshvili and other professionals attended a capacity building
webinar “World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan. Management, reporting and
monitoring of UNESCO processes” organized at the initiative of the Ministry of
Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan with the support of the UNESCO
Almaty Cluster Office for Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, following
the Decision 43 COM 7B.67 of the World Heritage Center. The aim of the video
conference was to raise awareness of local authorities, urban developers and
managers of the World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan, to promote a common
understanding of the significance and role of the World Heritage Sites in the
development of the city.
The conference opening ceremony was marked by a
welcoming speech of Ms. Aktota Raimkulova, Minister of Culture and Sports of
the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Feng Jing, Chief of the Asia-Pacific Unit of
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and Ms. Krista Pikkat, Director of UNESCO Almaty
Cluster Bureau. The event was attended by Akim of Turkestan Mr. Rashid Ayupov,
representatives of the administration of Turkestan region and the city of
Turkestan, as well as specialists of a number of involved departments and
organizations.
A brief presentation on the significance of the
1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage, international guidelines and principles for the management of World
Heritage Sites was continued by an active discussion, during which the IICAS
expert group shared its experience on the example of field missions at the
World Heritage Site “Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi”. Special attention was
paid to the issues of improving and optimizing the system of managing the World
Cultural Heritage Sites in the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as to the
importance of sites in the issue of urban development, taking into account the
preservation of their Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), integrity and
authenticity.
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