Azerbaijan to mark UNESCO Silk Road Programme anniversary

Azerbaijan will mark the anniversary of the UNESCO Silk Road Programme on April 6.

The event program promises to be very diverse and includes scientific symposium, forum, film screening, exhibition and gala concert, Azernews reports.

A series of events are co-organized by UNESCO and the Permanent Delegations to UNESCO of Azerbaijan, the People's Republic of China, Republic of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Sultanate of Oman.

The celebration is expected to start with an International Forum on Silk Roads, Diversity, Dialogue, and Peace, which brings together five co-organizing countries, renowned international experts and UNESCO representatives.

The main goal of the forum is to define the UNESCO Silk Road programme's orientation and objectives to strengthen capacities for intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity in the current global context.

The forum will be followed by an official presentation of the photo contest themed "Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads" alongside an exhibition of Silk Roads artifacts.

Around 140 exceptional photographs will be displayed on the fences of the UNESCO Headquarters building in Paris from March to June as part of the exhibition.

A brief film screening session on the knowledge and scientific exchanges along the Silk Roads will be organized as well.

A Scientific Symposium on the Silk Roads Youth Research Grant will gather the young researchers and grantees of the first edition of the UNESCO Silk Roads Youth Research Grant to present the results of their grant winning research.

These presentations will be followed by a round table discussion of the scientific panel of the grant.

The celebration will end with a gala concert, featuring performances of artists from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and China.

Launched in 1998 with the Integral Study of the Silk Roads, the Roads of Dialogue (1988-1997), UNESCO Silk Road Programme highlights the cultural interactions between the peoples of East and West through scientific expeditions, field studies, conferences, and cultural performances along the Silk Roads.

Since launching its second phase in 2012, the programme has focused on three key areas: developing, mobilising and disseminating knowledge, building partnerships and networking, and empowering youth.

UNESCO Silk Road Programme traces the exchanges and mutual influences which occurred along the Silk Roads, seeking a deeper perspective on the development and social transformations of the modern pluralistic societies with a view to reinforce inclusion and peace through major initiatives such as the Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads international photography contest, the Thematic Collection of Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads, and the Silk Roads Youth Research Grant.