Shahin Mustafayev, the President of the Turkic Academy, actively engaged in the 6th online meeting of experts on “Support Silk Roads World Heritage Nomination(s) process to the UNESCO World Heritage List” on February 1, 2024.
Jointly organized by the UNESCO World Heritage Center and the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS), the meeting opened with a congratulatory speech by Mrs. Himalchuli Gurung, the Director of the Asia-Pacific Division of the UNESCO World Heritage Center. Participants energetically exchanged views, shared proposals, and deliberated on the goals and objectives of the 2024 project.
This initiative marks Phase III of the collaboration between UNESCO and the Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Preservation of World Cultural Heritage. The experts express confidence that the transnational nomination, the “Volga-Caspian Corridor of the Silk Road,” is poised for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Notably, other cross-border territories of the Silk Road have already secured a spot on the prestigious list.
The meeting boasted a diverse representation, with attendees including officials from the UNESCO World Heritage Center, Teikyo University, University College London (UCL), International Institute of Central Asian Studies, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Cluster Office of UNESCO in Almaty, the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan, and the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO. Additionally, two experts from each participating state and international experts joined the collaborative effort.
