The Capacity-building Workshop on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and Sustainable Tourism for Central Asia, co-organized by CRIHAP and the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty, was held online from September 11 to 13, 2023.

Nineteen participants from four countries including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan attended the training.

Dr. Tamara Nikolić Đerić, a UNESCO facilitator, pointed out that the rapid development of the tourism industry poses both risks and precious opportunities for the sustainability of various types of ICH. Starting from the latest research and relevant policies on ICH and tourism from around the world, the facilitator taught the connection between ICH and sustainable tourism from social, economic and environmental perspectives through case studies.

She also emphasized that the conservation of natural and cultural heritage, as well as ICH, should be considered as an indispensable part of promoting the sustainable development of the tourism industry.

Since its establishment, CRIHAP has focused on Central Asia as one of its key regions of interest. With the deepening of training in this region in recent years and continued exchanges with various stakeholders, it has started to roll out "ICH+" themed trainings by integrating ICH with related disciplines and industries, so as to continuously expand the path of sustainable development for ICH.

This training is the second sub-regional cross-disciplinary capacity building workshop organized by CRIHAP following the "ICH and Creative Industries" themed workshop held in 2022. It aims to meet the growing demand in this sub-region for elements related to ICH and tourism, in order to further the safeguarding and sustainable development of ICH in the region.

To date, CRIHAP has organized a total of 70 intangible cultural heritage capacity-building workshops covering 41 countries and regions, with 2,790 direct beneficiaries throughout the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.