Azerbaijan's statement was read out during the UNESCO session

The 10th session of the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage under the 2003 Convention, involving partner countries, has commenced at UNESCO Headquarters.

AZERTAC reports that Azerbaijan is represented by its Permanent Delegation to UNESCO at the session.

On the first day of the session, Elman Abdullayev, Azerbaijan's Permanent Representative to UNESCO, delivered our country's national statement. He emphasized Azerbaijan's commitment to the values and principles of the Convention, highlighting Azerbaijan's dedication to safeguarding intangible cultural heritage during armed conflicts and natural disasters.

E. Abdullayev, discussing the destruction of Azerbaijan's tangible and intangible cultural heritage by Armenia, brought to the attention of session participants that during the 30-year occupation period, Azerbaijan's cultural heritage had been systematically destroyed. He noted that as a consequence of Armenia's occupation, nearly one million refugees and internally displaced persons were deprived of their rights to practice intangible cultural heritage such as chovgan, carpet weaving and mugham music in their native lands.

The diplomat highlighted the coincidence of the opening ceremony of the "Kharibulbul" International Music Festival in Shusha in 2024 with the event marking Shusha as the "Cultural Capital of the Islamic World". He recalled that last year, Shusha also hosted the 9th meeting of the National Commissions of TURKSOY member countries under UNESCO, emphasizing the importance of these events in terms of safeguarding and promoting intangible cultural heritage.

As the host country of COP29, Azerbaijan emphasized the significance of climate change's impact on intangible cultural heritage.