28 September 2018
On 21 September 2018, the UNESCO Almaty Office organized a meeting in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to discuss the new pilot project "Promoting sustainable development in Kazakhstan through UNESCO-designated sites".
The event brought together representatives of local administration of Almaty city and five pilot regions of the project - Almaty, East Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Kyzylorda and Turkestan regions, directors of biosphere reserves and representatives of World Heritage Sites, tourism-related organizations in Kazakhstan, international organizations and other potential partners of the project.During the meeting, the participants discussed current situation in the field of preservation and management of the UNESCO-designated sites, tourism development and further action plan and cooperation within the project. UNESCO specialists made presentations to the participants about UNESCO-designated sites and programmes, explaining obligations and opportunities associated with the status of the World Heritage Site, UNESCO biosphere reserve and global geopark.
Among the most important activities to be undertaken in the regions and at UNESCO-designated sites the following were highlighted:
- revise national legislation in the field of World Heritage Sites, biosphere reserves and geoparks;
- development of information materials;
- capacity building trainings, including those for local administration, staff of UNESCO-designated sites and guides;
- activities to raise awareness of populations about UNESCO sites.
The project will start working on some of the above-mentioned areas, while to achieve results in all the above areas a significant long-term support from the government, local administration, private sector and other interested partners is required. The project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
UNESCO-designated sites (World Heritage Sites, biosphere reserves and geoparks) promote the holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development.
Permanent link: http://en.unesco.kz/roadmap-for-sustainable-development-at-unesco-designated-sites-was-discussed-in-almaty