Uzbekistan has four cultural and one natural site inscribed on the World Heritage list, namely the Historic Centre of Bukhara and Shakhrisyabz, Samarkand – Crossroad of Culture, Itchan Kala, and Western Tien-Shan. The World Heritage properties are required to have a Management Plan that includes visitor management and addresses tourism development in a sustainable manner. UNESCO supports the government in developing management plans of these World Heritage properties to reach international standards to protect the outstanding universal value with participation of a large number of relevant stakeholders, from citizens to the upper administrative levels.
In this regard, UNESCO stands ready to provide capacity-building assistance to Uzbekistan, notably regarding the implementation of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape to ensure coherence for the protection of wider urban settings, the application of Heritage Impact Assessments in line with ICOMOS guidelines, and other aspects of heritage management and conservation.
Building and strengthening the national capacity for effective safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in Uzbekistan and integrating ICH in formal and non-formal education
Although the perception of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and its potential role for sustainable development has significantly improved in Uzbekistan since the ratification of the 2003 Convention in 2008, the effective safeguarding of ICH remains constrained by the limited human and financial resources. In order to enhance the situation, since 2012 UNESCO supports the local government to strengthen the national capacities in the safeguarding of the ICH in the country through the UNESCO Global capacity-building programme. Also, UNESCO supports the integration of ICH in the formal and non-formal education which is implemented in close cooperation with the Ministries of Public Education and Culture of Uzbekistan.