UNESCO notes the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to hold in 2021 the International Cultural Forum “Central Asia at the crossroads of Civilizations” in Khiva, Uzbekistan.

The forum will be organized in collaboration with UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector. In light of current sanitary issues, the date of the forum will be confirmed in 2021.

“UNESCO has mobilized to promote the common history and shared cultural heritage of Central Asia for many decades, particularly within the framework of its Silk Roads Programme, in works which have included the multivolume book ‘The History of Civilizations in Central Asia’. The upcoming forum is another excellent opportunity to study and promote the shared culture and heritage of Central Asia which has played an important role in shaping civilizations in the region and beyond”.

UNESCO notes that as one of the ancient cities situated along the Silk Roads, Khiva has been a centre of education, science, and culture, and served as a cradle of civilizations spanning millennia, with ‘Ichan Kala’ inner city of the ancient oasis of Khiva inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1990.