Along the Silk Roads

In the framework of the 6th edition of the Escale the town of Lacanau (Gironde), visitors are invited to follow the Silk Road as far as the Chinese border in the footsteps of the great travellers of the past.

Visitors will discover the cultures of faraway peoples through numerous events and activities including photo exhibitions posters, a screening of the Mongolian film "L'histoire du chameau qui pleure" (The Camel Who Cried) and a documentary on the Silk Road by Elise Blanchard, lectures, creative workshops, cooking and sporting activities. Moreover, the films produced by UNESCO and its partners in the framework of the "Integral Study of the Silk Roads: Roads of Dialogue" programme (1988–1997) will be presented to illustrate the fruitful interaction and cultural exchanges that have given rise to the region's rich cultural diversity.

Exchange and Sharing of Good Practices for the Promotion of Intercultural Dialogue in Central Asia

The Central Asian Round Table on the Exchange and Sharing of Good Practices in Intercultural Dialogue : Learning and Promotion of UNESCO’s Declaration on Cultural Diversity and a Workshop with UNESCO Chairs on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue.

The meeting brought together representatives from four countries of Central Asia, Chairholders from the Network of UNESCO Chairs on "Interreligious Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding", international experts and resource-persons.

Festival on Cultural Diversity and Dialogue in Central Asia

Situated at the crossroads of the Silk Road between East and West, the participating countries have long been home to peoples representing a wide variety of cultures. Central Asia is a unique cultural area that has long witnessed encounters between ancient civilizations and cultures and where many religions and beliefs, tangible and intangible heritages and sedentary and nomadic peoples continue to intermingle.

Serial World Heritage Nomination of the Silk Roads

Workshop in Central Asia 2005:

This workshop brought together the relevant authorities of each State Party in the sub-region (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan), China, as well as international and national experts from UNESCO and ICOMOS.

In November 2005, a UNESCO sub-regional workshop for the follow-up of the 2003 World Heritage Periodic Reporting Exercise for Central Asia was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The participants adopted an action plan that prioritized the serial nomination entitled "Central Asia Silk Roads". Further support for this approach was expressed at a workshop held in Turfan, China in August 2006, which was attended by fifty participants from Central Asian countries, China and UNESCO. This meeting also provided the opportunity to formally present the work being undertaken in China on the potential Silk Roads nomination.

The objectives of the workshop were:

The Role of Women in Intercultural Dialogue in Central Asia

Exchange of knowledge and best practices

The Conference was held within the framework of the UNESCO’s project on Intercultural Dialogue in Central Asia (Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 11-13 June 2003) in co-operation with the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office, the Tajik authorities and a financial support from Japan Funds in Trust Co-operation and the European Commission.

Its main purposes were to promote the exchange of knowledge and best practices, providing discussions, encouraging positive thinking regarding women's active role in building and nurturing a lasting intercultural dialogue and peace in Central Asia. It underlined the role of women in culture and sustainable development in a globalized world.

More than one hundred participants - scholars, intellectuals, leaders of NGO organizations and associations, journalists, diplomats, professors and students took an active part in the Conference and papers were delivered by twenty speakers from ten countries.

The Conference Declaration and Plan of Action were adopted and included the development of the Conference’s recommendations on maintaining dialogue between different women organizations through the creation of the Central Asian women’s cultural network and focusing in particular on women artists, artisans and journalists. The recommendations were also based on the use of new information and communication technologies.

UNESCO has supported the setting-up of the Central Asian cultural network with the following objectives:

• Serve as a forum for the women of Central Asia working in the area of culture, cultural education, arts and media in order to express and share their ideas and views on the issues of concern for them;
• Foster co-operation and exchanges among women's organizations.

As a practical follow-up to the Conference, an NGO Forum was held from 13 to 14 June 2003 with a joint effort of UNESCO, ACTED and Open Asia at ACTED Bactria’s Cultural Center in order to discuss the Recommendations of the Women Conference and the ways of its implementation.

The Proceedings of the Women Conference were published by the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office.