“World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan. Management, reporting and monitoring of UNESCO processes”

“World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan. Management, reporting and monitoring of UNESCO processes”

“World Heritage Sites in Kazakhstan. Management, reporting and monitoring of UNESCO processes”

19/06 2020

“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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