The Role of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in Sustainable Development of the Regions

The discussions were held within the XV International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum”.  There were two events in TISBI and polylingual educational complex Adymnar:

• Living Heritage and Education: The UNESCO Associated Schools and Their Importance of Continuity of Specialists and Experts
• Youth model of the World Heritage Committee

Nella Pruss, National Coordinator of the UNESCO ASPnet in the Russian Federation, Head of the UNESCO Chair, Director of the UNEVOC Centre, Member of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, Prof., President of the University of Management “TISBI”, participated in the discussions.

"Intangible cultural heritage also called “living heritage”, includes customs, presentation and expression, knowledge and skills, instruments, objects, artifacts, cultural spaces, recognized by communities, groups and, in some cases, individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage. Such intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly re-created by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history and creates a sense of identity and continuity, contributing to promote respect toward cultural diversity and human creativity." Nella Pruss Founder and President of TISBI

Experts on  cultural heritage, UNESCO Chairs, UNESCO ASPnet, educational organizations and other stakeholders were invited to participate in the event.

The moderators for the UNESCO ASPnet discussion platform were:

• Dina Kirnarskaya, Head of the Department of the History of Music, Vice-Rector for Public Relations, Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Psychology, Prof., UNESCO Chair of Musical Skills and Modern Musical Performance, the Gnesins Russian Academy of Music
• Nadezhda Filatova, Deputy Director, Head of the World Heritage and International Relations Department, Likhachev Russian Research Institute for Cultural and Natural Heritage
• Natalia Nagaychenko, Director of School No.334 of the Nevsky district of St. Petersburg, PhD in Pedagogy

The participants discussed the preservation of the cultural and natural heritage to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4 through the understanding of cultural diversity.

The main topic for discussion at the “Youth model of the World Heritage Committee” was drawing the youth's attention to cultural heritage preservation.

The participants made presentations on cultural and natural heritage of the Russian Federation which are not on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The participants were given an oppotunity to show the best of their regions, and learn about the most interesting natural and cultural places of different parts of the country.