Within the ongoing ‘Sustainable Research Data Collection for ICH Safeguarding: Focusing on Central Asia and Small Island Developing States’ project (FY 2022–2024), IRCI Associate Fellows Inoue Aina and Dudko Anastasia visited Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan during13–17 March 2023 to have meetings with project counterparts and related organizations, to discuss project activities and gather information on the current situation of ICH research in these countries.

In Uzbekistan, IRCI visited the Center for Promotion of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan ‘Umrboqiy Meros’, the project counterpart in Uzbekistan, to review the outcomes of this fiscal year’s activities and to discuss the details of the next year’s project activities. The meeting was attended by representatives of local partner organizations who were also experts in ICH, and they reported on the current status of the safeguarding of Uzbekistan’s traditional techniques, such as ceramics and embroidery. IRCI also visited the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS), National Commission for UNESCO, and the UNESCO field office in Tashkent to learn about their activities and research projects related to ICH in Uzbekistan.

In Kazakhstan, IRCI had discussions on the project with Dr Rustam Muzafarov, Vice-Chairperson of the Kazakhstan ICH National Committee that is the counterpart in Kazakhstan, along with participants from its partner organizations. At the meeting, IRCI explained specific project activities from the next fiscal year, and introduced its research activities to the participants. IRCI also visited the Central Academic Library of the National Academy of Science of Kazakhstan, the Abai National Pedagogic University, and the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan, which are partner institutions of the Kazakhstan ICH National Committee, and learned about their activities related to ICH, their publications related to ICH and how they are stored. In addition, IRCI visited the UNESCO field office in Almaty to receive advices on conducting projects in Central Asia.

This visit was a great opportunity to learn about the current situation of ICH safeguarding and related research in both countries. This is the first time for IRCI to implement a major project focusing on Central Asia, and the relationship that was established and strengthened through this visit will facilitate the effective implementation of the project in the following years.