Workshop on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage through museums in Central Asia

From 8 to 10 September 2026, the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty, with the support of CRIHAP (the International Training Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region) held a three-day capacity-building workshop, “Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage through Museums in Central Asia.”

The workshop brought together museum professionals from across Central Asia to exchange experience, engage with international frameworks, and develop practical tools for integrating living heritage into museum work.

The first day introduced participants to the core principles of the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Sessions traced the evolution from intangible cultural heritage to living heritage, compared the 1972, 2003 and 2005 UNESCO Conventions, and explored key concepts such as communities, groups and individuals, safeguarding, viability and transmission. Particular attention was given to the roles and responsibilities of communities, States, museums and NGOs under the Convention. The day closed with a look at recent international policy developments from MONDIACULT to ICOM and the emerging professional skills and competencies museums now require.

The second day connected international policy developments and rights-based approaches with museum safeguarding practice. Participants examined questions of intellectual property, cultural authority and the responsibilities of museums in research, documentation, digitisation, interpretation and dissemination of living heritage. A central focus was the seven safeguarding steps and their application to museum-based activities, which set the stage for a hands-on practicum.

The final day was dedicated to applying what participants had learned. Divided into four groups, participants developed safeguarding programmes built around four core museum functions: exhibition, restoration/conservation, research, and inventorying/documentation. Each group presented its proposals, followed by a discussion of common challenges and opportunities across the four areas. The workshop concluded with participants identifying concrete, realistic micro-actions to strengthen the safeguarding of living heritage within their own museums’ existing work, resources and institutional context.