UNESCO and EU launch a new project on the development of the corridors of the great Silk Road
These days Samarkand hosts the international conference “Afghanistan, Central Asia and Iran – Common Heritage along the Silk Roads and corridors to and from Europe”. The forum, which is attended by scientists, cultural experts, art historians, as well as representatives of national museums and international organizations, organized by the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty in partnership with the International Institute for Central Asian studies (IICAS). The main event of the conference is the launch the UNESCO/EU project on Silk Roads Heritage Corridors in Afghanistan, Central Asia and Iran – International Dimension of the European Year of Cultural Heritage. The project, for which the EU will allocate 3.4 million euros, has three objectives:
- strengthen capacities for safeguarding tangible and intangible cultural heritage,
- raise awareness and promote the common cultural heritage along the Silk Roads, and
- support sustainable local economic development through tourism-related initiatives by improving communication strategies and promoting the conservation of the routes’ natural and cultural heritage such as the caravanserais
