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A Regional Workshop on “Strengthening Regional Capacity in Central Asia for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness for culture” been taking place since 8th of April in Almaty
The main focus of the activity “Strengthening Regional Capacity in Central Asia for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness for Culture”, implemented by the UNESCO Almaty Regional Office, is strengthening the capacities of World Heritage site managers and emergency preparedness.
UNESCO is supporting emergency preparedness activities in Central Asia through its Heritage Emergency Fund. This support offers a timely opportunity to address the threats and pay attention to the emergency preparedness for culture, emergency management systems at World Heritage (WH) Properties, museums and other heritage institutions in Central Asian countries.
The Heritage Emergency Fund is a financial mechanism established by UNESCO to support the protection of cultural heritage in emergency situations resulting from conflicts and disasters. The overall goal of HEF is to support the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism in emergencies related to conflicts and disasters caused by natural or human-made hazards, through better preparedness and response on the part of UNESCO and its Member States.
The workshop on “Strengthening Regional Capacity in Central Asia for Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness for Culture” had participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
International speakers covered the issues:
- Understanding the global architecture of emergency in culture;
- ICCROM's role in emergency preparedness for culture;
- Principles and concepts in risk management;
- Protecting Our Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites from Fire and some more relevant themes were highlighted.
During the event participants from the Central Asian region also discussed the topics on Heritage Risk Preparedness in Türkiye, Experience at the Carpet museum in Baku and The Status Quo and Experience of Disaster Risk Reduction and Emergency Preparedness for the Representative Component Properties of the Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor.
UNESCO Almaty would like to thank HEF donors for their support: the Qatar Fund for Development, the Government of Canada, the Kingdom of Norway, the French Republic, the Principality of Monaco, the Republic of Estonia, ANA Holdings INC, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Slovak Republic, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Principality of Andorra, the Republic of Serbia.
