BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 8. An opening ceremony for the international program on "Improvement of qualifications of world heritage specialists" has been held in Baku, Trend reports.
Speaking at the ceremony jointly organized by the Azerbaijani State Tourism Agency, International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the National Committee of ICOMOS in Azerbaijan, the agency’s Chairperson Azada Huseynova noted that the preservation of world heritage sites requires special skills & knowledge.
"Strengthening skills and knowledge in this area is of great importance for preserving the world cultural heritage. Therefore, this program provides a unique opportunity to improve skills in the field of protection of world heritage sites, exchange experience,” she said.
“As the State Tourism Agency, we are very pleased to become part of this initiative, contribute to building the capacity of World Heritage professionals in the region," Huseynova added.
Chairman of the Board of the “Icherisheher” State Historical-Architectural Reserve Shahin Seyidzade noted that the organization of this event in Azerbaijan is of great importance for increasing the practical knowledge of experts in the field of protection, restoration and conservation of world cultural heritage sites.
Then the participants of the meeting were presented with a video message from ICOMOS President Teresa Patricio. She noted the importance of the efforts of professional specialists for organizing effective protection and conservation of cultural heritage sites. Patricio added that the event organized in Baku is of great importance in terms of improving skills in this area, and wished the participants of the event success in this activity.
During the event, the Director of the ICOMOS Evaluation Unit Gwenaelle Bourdin made a presentation on the main directions and goals of the training program.
Representatives of Türkiye, Poland, Israel, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Russia, Romania, Moldova, Georgia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Oman and other countries are participating in the event.
Within the framework of the program, with the participation of experienced instructors from France, Poland and Georgia, discussions and exchange of experience were held on various topics, including the rules and procedures of the World Heritage Convention, criteria for selecting UNESCO World Heritage sites, and others.
As part of the five-day program, participants will make presentations about World Heritage properties in their countries. The practical part of the program is planned to be held on the territory of Icherisheher, near the Maiden Tower and the Shirvanshah's Palace, included in the World Heritage List.
Azerbaijan has a number of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List of UNESCO. Among them are Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace, Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, etc.
In April 2023, Azerbaijan said it submitted its proposal (on the country's Hirkan Forests) for the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's transnational nomination at the end of 2022.
Meanwhile, it should also be noted that as a result of the Karabakh war and Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani lands, a lot of Azerbaijan's cultural heritage suffered enormous damage.
