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First meeting of the International Advisory Board (IAB) of the Culture Masters Inc. was held online on 27 April 2023. Culture Masters (www.culturemasters.org) is a non-governmental organization in the Republic of Korea, with objectives to develop the innovative solutions for cultural initiatives, to promote the sustainable cultural development and to foster the next generation of culture leaders. International Advisory Board consists of leading experts in the field of cultural heritage from Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Norway, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Representative from International Institute for Central Asian Studies was nominated as the newly elected Chairperson of the International Advisory Board by unanimous consent. At the beginning participants of the meeting adopted the Operational Guidelines of the IAB that defines the functions and procedures of the board. Further, members of the IAB examined the draft concept and criteria of the Gugak Masters Designation Project in the field Traditional Performing Arts and Traditional Crafting of Music Instruments. The Gugak Masters Designation project is aimed to promote the status of artists, artisans and cultural communities. Candidates who excel in skill and mastery, creativity and innovation, and education and mentorship are selected for the designation. At first step, IAB evaluated two candidatures from the Republic of Korea: Mr. Jeon Je Seon (a senior artist of the Jeongseon Arirang Art Troupe) and Ms. Song Ji Hyun (artist of Korean traditional music). Both of them have been unanimously selected as Gugak Masters based on their correspondence to the approved criteria. Last agenda item of the meeting was devoted to the potential cooperative projects of Culture Masters. Members of the IAB proposed several recommendation regarding future activities of the Culture Masters, such exchange programs in crafts and traditional music, research projects on cultural diversity and Silk Roads cultural heritage, and others. Next, second meeting of the IAB will be organized on 25^th October 2023.

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