The Kazakhstan delegation held a seminar on «Heritage in Harmony with Development for a Sustainable Future» dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the inscription of the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi on the UNESCO World Heritage List

The Kazakhstan delegation within the framework of the enlarged 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (10-25 September 2023, Riyadh) held a seminar on «Heritage in Harmony with Development for a Sustainable Future».

The event was organized jointly with the UNESCO World Heritage Center with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Saudi Arabia and the Akimat of the Turkestan region.

At the opening ceremony, H.E. Mr. Berik Aryn, the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, emphasized the significance for the whole world of the inscription of the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in the UNESCO World Heritage List, as well as its importance for the national identity of Kazakhstan. In this context, the Kazakh diplomat noted the increasing mutual tourist flow between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia, including due to the growing interest of Saudi citizens to tourist places and historical sites of Kazakhstan, the most popular among which is the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi, who played an important role in the spread of Islam in Central Asia.

The event was also attended by Deputy Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Center Prof. D.Hosagrahar, Chairman of the Culture Committee of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.Seitova, Secretary General of the National Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan for UNESCO and ISESCO A.Baysabaeva, Coordinator of the Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals of ICOMOS O.Vileikis, General Director of the Tourism Information Center of the Akimat of the Turkestan Region S.Sandybaev, Project manager of «Kazrestoration» L.Beisembaeva, experts of the National Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan for World Heritage D. Voyakin and E.Maltseva, representatives of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kazakhstan at UNESCO, as well as a number of other international experts in the field of urban development and historical preservation.

In general, members of the Kazakhstan delegation in their speeches presented the state’s approaches to the protection of monuments of historical and cultural heritage in Kazakhstan and the strategy for realizing the tourism potential of our country and its regions. In addition, the participants exchanged views on topical issues of sustainable development of territories in the context of the conservation of World Heritage monuments.