In her opening remarks at the seminar “Regional Cooperation for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage along the Silk Road,” Dr. Rakhshandeh emphasized the importance of strengthening the role of local communities, advancing community-based approaches, and enhancing regional cooperation in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.
Tehran – 30 June 2026 (9 Tir 1405) – The opening ceremony of the seminar on “Regional Cooperation for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage along the Silk Road” was held in Tehran, emphasizing the need to strengthen regional collaboration, enhance community participation, and leverage the shared civilizational heritage of ECO Member States in safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.
The event was hosted by the ECO Cultural Institute and attended by ambassadors and representatives of member states, scholars, researchers, and experts in the field of cultural heritage.
In his remarks, the Executive Director of the ECO Cultural Institute welcomed the participants and underscored the significance of the gathering in advancing cultural dialogue and regional synergy. He stated that intangible cultural heritage represents the living memory of nations and a powerful expression of identity, cohesion, and historical continuity, embodied in languages, arts, rituals, music, traditional knowledge, and everyday practices transmitted across generations.
Referring to the historical significance of the Silk Road, he noted that it was never merely a trade network, but a vital corridor for the exchange of ideas, knowledge, artistic traditions, religious interactions, and the formation of shared cultural practices across the region. He emphasized that a significant part of the intangible cultural heritage found today in ECO Member States is the result of centuries of cultural interaction along this historic route.
He further highlighted the rich diversity of living heritage across ECO Member States, including traditional music, oral narratives, Nowruz-related rituals, handicrafts, nomadic cultures, traditional craftsmanship, and indigenous knowledge systems, all of which transcend modern political boundaries and reflect a shared historical experience.
He stressed that in today’s world, intangible cultural heritage is not only a cultural concern but also a key resource for sustainable development, social cohesion, community empowerment, responsible tourism, and cultural diplomacy, describing its safeguarding as an investment in the future rather than merely a preservation of the past.
The Executive Director further pointed to emerging challenges threatening intangible cultural heritage, including globalization, changing lifestyles, migration, rapid urbanization, weakening intergenerational transmission, climate change, and technological transformation. He warned that without timely documentation and effective support for heritage bearers, an irreplaceable part of the region’s cultural memory may be lost.
He also emphasized that regional cooperation is essential in this regard, noting that international experience demonstrates that safeguarding shared heritage is most effective when based on partnership, mutual trust, and shared responsibility among countries.
Highlighting the role of the ECO Cultural Institute, he stated that the organization is well positioned to serve as a platform for regional cooperation by facilitating expert networks, promoting institutional collaboration, developing joint documentation projects, supporting multinational nominations, expanding capacity-building initiatives, and leveraging digital technologies for heritage preservation and dissemination.
He added that intangible cultural heritage is inherently dynamic and living, existing not in museums but in the daily lives of people—in music, family traditions, mother tongues, craftsmanship, oral histories, and the creativity of younger generations. For this reason, its safeguarding requires the active participation of local communities, including women, youth, artists, and tradition bearers, who are the true custodians of this cultural legacy.
He further stated that the ECO region has a unique opportunity to present a model of cultural cooperation grounded in mutual respect, cultural diversity, and intercultural dialogue, emphasizing that intangible cultural heritage should be viewed not as a source of division, but as a bridge connecting cultures and strengthening a shared sense of human destiny.
The ceremony concluded with a call for a new chapter of regional cooperation based on research, policy dialogue, knowledge exchange, and joint initiatives aimed at safeguarding intangible cultural heritage across the Silk Road and ensuring its transmission to future generations in all its richness and diversity.