Priority areas of cooperation between Turkmenistan and UNESCO discussed in Ashgabat

The meeting of the National Commission of Turkmenistan for UNESCO was held in Ashgabat on June 12 under the leadership of the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov. This was reported on the website of the Turkmen Foreign Ministry.
The meeting was attended by members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, heads and representatives of relevant ministries and departments of the country. The meeting was also attended by Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office in Tehran Golda El Khoury and UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan Dmitry Shlapachenko.
Speaking at the meeting, Rashid Meredov focused on the specific results of the work within the framework of the Interdepartmental Commission for UNESCO, and also noted the priority areas for further activities. The participants of the meeting discussed issues related to the membership of Turkmenistan in the Executive Board of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO for the period 2021-2023.
Particular emphasis was placed on the joint work carried out to include the national values of Turkmenistan in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The participants noted the active work of Turkmenistan in the preparation and inclusion of multinational cultural values in the international registers of UNESCO. In this regard, it was recalled that last year three nominations - "The Art of Turkmen Embroidery", "Sericulture and traditions of silk production in weaving" and "Traditions of retelling Hodja Nasreddin's anecdotes" were included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
In May this year, at the 216th session of the UNESCO Executive Board, the Collection of Manuscripts of Makhtumkuli Fragi was included in the international register of UNESCO "Memory of the World". The unique collection of poems by the Turkmen poet Makhtumkuli, consisting of more than 80 divans, includes preserved manuscripts of his works, which spread throughout Turkmenistan in the 18th-19th centuries.
Continuing the topic, the delegates determined the actions to include the nomination "The Art of Breeding Turkmen Alabay" in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. The Director of the UNESCO Cluster Office, in turn, confirmed the Organization's intention to continue to support Turkmenistan in the implementation of joint measures aimed at promoting the national cultural heritage, which contributes to the global treasury of cultural heritage.
The participants named the sphere of education and science as an important area of cooperation with UNESCO. It was noted that the UNESCO Chairs function at the Turkmen State University named after Makhtumkuli and the Turkmen State Pedagogical Institute named after S. Seidi, and six schools of the country are included in the UNESCO Network of Associated Schools.
The meeting also discussed holding the 10th meeting of the National Commissions for UNESCO of the TURKSOY countries in Ashgabat. The event is scheduled for next year.

source: orient news