Final Technical Report on the results of the UNESCO/Korean Funds-in-Trust Project: Support for the Preparation for the World Heritage Serial Nomination of the Silk Roads in South Asia, 2013-2016

Abstract

Report of the activities undertaken during the UNESCO/Korean Funds-in-Trust Project Support for the Preparation for the World Heritage Serial Nomination of the Silk Roads in South Asia. The project aimed to provide assistance to begin the Silk Roads nomination process in South Asia, by help to develop sustainable capacity, to protect cultural heritage sites, and bring forward future serial trans-national Silk Roads nominations. Specifically, it aimed to: 1) introduce the concept of ‘corridors’, in line with the ICOMOS Silk Roads Thematic Study (Williams 2014), to the State Parties of Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal, and to take steps towards identifying potential corridors for future serial and transnational nomination projects in South Asia; 2) support the participating States Parties in updating their Tentative Lists to reflect the potential Silk Roads sites in their territory; 3) to develop the State Parties capacities for trans-boundary activities and promote collaboration between the four States Parties; 4) recognising the different state of preparation of the States Parties, and that the platform of information within each State Party varied widely, to further develop institutions within the States Parties to facilitate the coordination of national research, management, and nomination activities between different authorities; 5) develop capacity-building efforts tailored to the necessities of each State Party; 6) and through these processes, to contribute to the protection of key segments of these internationally significant cultural routes.