Historical Development of Cooperation Relations Between the

International Organization UNESCO and Uzbekistan

Munisa Mukhamedova

, Shakhnoza Kasimova

, Feruza Khasanova

, Charos Ganieva

and Latofat Jabborova

National Institute of Art and Design named after Kamoliddin Bekhzod, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Keywords: UNESCO, IKOM, IKOMOS, Humanitarian and Cultural Cooperation, Symposium, Jubilees, Conservation,

Restoration, Convention, Declaration, Recommendations.

Abstract: In the middle of the last century, in the structure of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization - UNESCO became important. In the following years, several conventions, declarations,

recommendations, and other documents aimed at preserving the natural and cultural heritage of mankind were

adopted within this organization. In this article, the activities of UNESCO in cooperation with organizations

such as IKOM and IKOMOS, International Committee of Museums in the 60s-80s of the 20th century are

highlighted.

1 INTRODUCTION

The concept of historical and cultural heritage as a

scientific category emerged in the middle of the 19th

century, and with the adoption of a number of legal

and recommendatory documents related to this field

at the international and national levels, this concept

was widely established in the 20th century. The

concept of historical and cultural heritage includes a

wide range of both tangible and intangible

monuments. The historical and cultural heritage

includes both great examples of the creativity of

people who lived in the past, as well as typical objects

of material and intangible culture, as well as the

natural environment. So, the attitude to heritage is a

criterion and an indicator of the maturity of any

society, the level of cultural development of the

nation that makes up this society. Preservation of

historical and cultural heritage means preservation of

national identity and national statehood in conditions

where globalization processes penetrate into all

spheres of our lives. Analyzing the work carried out

by UNESCO on the research of historical and cultural

heritage objects within the spheres of cooperation in

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7574-9724

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1191-7071

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0696-7135

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3215-1573

https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2952-5810

Uzbekistan from a historical point of view and

highlighting the activities of the researched projects

in museology are among the current issues of today.

2 MATERIAL AND METHODS

Nowadays, popularization of the world cultural

heritage plays a decisive role in the socio-economic

life of the society. Great attention is paid to the

humanitarian and cultural cooperation of Uzbekistan

with UNESCO, an internationally prestigious

institution. It is observed that the attention of this

organization to the problems of cultural and social

construction in Uzbekistan is increasing. Exchanges

and relations are developing at the international level

in the field of culture, information and education.

These processes indicate the importance of

international attention to material cultural heritage

and the need for its research. The topic has been

partially studied on a general basis, but special

fundamental research works have not been created in

Uzbekistan. Some studies have been made in foreign

countries and some CIS countries, including Russia,

Mukhamedova, M., Kasimova, S., Khasanova, F., Ganieva, C. and Jabborova, L.

Historical Development of Cooperation Relations Between the International Organization UNESCO and Uzbekistan.

DOI: 10.5220/0012922000003882

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 797-802

ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8

797

only on the foundations of the formation of the

international system of monument protection and the

activities of UNESCO in the field of cultural heritage

preservation (Kashlev, Yu. B et al., 1986). These

sources mainly cover the foundations of UNESCO's

historical formation and the report of works carried

out on a global scale in the preservation of historical

and cultural heritage objects. The activities of

UNESCO and the processes of implementation of the

main normative documents are fully explained

mainly in English and French literature, in which the

annual reports of the organization, in particular, the

presentation of the work performed on the territory of

Uzbekistan, are also partially given (UNESCO, et al.,

2007).

3 RESULTS

One of the international organizations that

representatives from Uzbekistan participated in

cultural cooperation with foreign countries in the

Soviet era was UNESCO, educational, scientific and

cultural organizations of the United Nations. In this

regard, in 1945 in November a conference was

organized with representatives of 44 countries in

London. The UNESCO Charter, approved by this

conference on November 16, 1945, entered into force

on November 4, 1946. The Soviet Union joined this

organization in 1954 and since then actively

cooperated with it, contributing to its strengthening

and successful performance of its tasks.

Representatives of the Uzbek SSR are permanent

participants in the sessions of various UNESCO

bodies, conferences, symposia, seminars held by

UNESCO or with its participation (Rakhimbabaeva,

T., & Gulyamova, M, 1986).

In 1963, an international seminar of African

women organized by the UNESCO Commission of

the USSR and the Soviet Women's Committee was

held as part of the Tashkent UNESCO program.

Participants of the seminar - representatives of 14

African countries and 6 Soviet Socialist Republics,

including Uzbekistan - how to solve the problem of

women's education better and faster, study the

relevant experience of other countries, in particular,

the Soviet Union. exchanged (UNESCO and

modernity, 1966).

In 1964, a congress dedicated to the discussion

of the creation of an international intergovernmental

organization for the protection of monuments and

places of interest was held in Venice. 61 countries

took part in its work, and they sent different numbers

of delegates to the event: Italy 161, France 90, Central

Asia 25, the United States 9, and some countries only

one representative. they spoke. Nevertheless, each

state received the status of an equal unit. The main

principles of protection, restoration and

conservation

of monuments and sights were embodied in a

document called the Charter of Venice. All

participants of the congress IKOMOS (ICOMOS -

International Council of Monuments and Sights) -

They supported the proposal to establish the

International Council for the Protection of

Monuments and Landmarks. Its center was

designated as Paris. IKOMOS was joined by all

interested countries. An agreement was also reached

on the establishment of national IKOMOS

committees in each member country (Soviet

Uzbekistan, 1984).

In addition to the issue of establishing a new

international organization, developing an information

center, publishing an international magazine about

the principles and techniques of preservation and

restoration of ancient monuments and legislation in

this field, publishing new discoveries and including

them in the bibliography published by IKOMOS,

creating a documentation center, a number of

resolutions on financial aspects of preservation of

monuments and other issues were also adopted.

The document regulating the main directions of

IKOMOS activity is the Charter of Venice, which was

accepted by all delegates. The clauses provided for in

it cover a number of important issues regarding the

principles of protection, conservation and restoration

of monuments. In particular, the document notes that

the most important goal is to preserve monuments.

And the restoration should be carried out only in

emergency cases and should be stopped when the

hypothesis begins. It’s necessary to preserve the

layers of different periods, destroying one of them is

possible only if the destroyed details are not

aesthetically and historically important. Special

attention should be paid to monument complexes and

ensembles, including the environment.

Archaeological excavations should be carried out in

accordance with all scientific standards, and the

discovered ruins should be preserved. Also, issues of

personnel training in the faculties of history,

archeology, architecture, and art studies are

envisaged. The need to publish various information

on the preservation of monuments, information on

discoveries related to ancient monuments, and to send

a copy of the printed works to the IKOMOS library

was also determined. It was planned to copy this

information in the IKOMOS library and distribute it

to all members of the organization (Soviet

Uzbekistan, 1984).

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At the congress, lectures were given on various

aspects of monument protection and conservation,

legislation in the field, scientific research on the

method of fixation (in particular, photogrammetry),

involvement of natural and technical sciences in

solving practical problems, and other topics. These

lectures were published in a special collection

devoted to the results of the congress.

Italian scientist and practitioner Petro Gossola,

one of the most influential specialists in restoration,

was appointed as the chairman of the IKOMOS

organizing committee. In 1965, the IKOMOS

Council Committee was established, and Moscow

was designated as its center. Its representatives V.N.

Ivanov and A.N. Khalturin were members of the

IKOMOS organizing committee (Rakhimbabaeva,

T., & Gulyamova, M. et al.,1986).

During the past period, IKOMOS showed its

progress. This is not only the service of the

organization to the highest goals of humanity, but also

the result of its activity. With its activities, IKOMOS

united different countries for the common goal of

preserving the cultural values of humanity. The

activity of IKOMOS is distinguished by its

international spirit, because its functions covered not

only the countries that invest large amounts of money

or play a major role in the world political arena, but

all the members of the organization. In particular, the

main attention was paid to countries that lack

financial means or specialists. Over the past years,

IKOMOS has been involved in the preservation of

ensembles in the modern construction system, the

strengthening of stones, bricks, raw materials

and

wall decorations, the preservation of the appearance

of small towns and villages, monuments and tourism,

and the use of physics-chemical methods in the

practice of restoration. A number of congresses and

conferences were held on its application, the role of

cultural heritage in modern society and other topics.

One of the tasks of the IKOMOS organizing

committee was to collect and disseminate information

on various issues. For this purpose, IKOMOS

newsletters were regularly published and sent to

national committees. For many years, the

"Monument" magazine was published, which began

to publish current information for specialists in

various fields, as well as information for a wide range

of readers. A number of books containing the results

of the held conferences were also published (Soviet

Uzbekistan, 1986).

The Board Committee plays an active role in the

activities of IKOMOS. In 1969, he organized a

colloquium on the topic "Monuments and Society".

The participants of the event held in Moscow-

Leningrad also visited a number of historical cities of

the country. The committee collected information

about events important from the point of view of

IKOMOS and regularly sent them to the organizing

committee. Its representatives participated in a

number of conferences and symposiums held in

different countries. Since the staff of the Council

Committee was not large, and the number of its

members outside Moscow-Leningrad was limited, it

was decided to establish several regional initiative

groups of the IKOMOS Council Committee. They

unite several republics based not only on

geographical proximity, but also on the basis of

historical commonality reflected in cultural

monuments. In 1981, two groups were established

and began their work:

Baltic group including Latvia, Lithuania and

Estonia (centered in Vilnius);

Kavkazorti group, which includes Georgia,

Azerbaijan and Armenia (the center is in Tbilisi).

At the same time, the structure of the Central

Asian regional group, which is centered in Tashkent

and includes four Central Asian republics, was also

determined. For this purpose, the IKOMOS Council

Committee appealed to the Ministries of Culture of

the Republics and societies for the protection of

historical and cultural monuments. In 1982, the first

organizational meeting was held in Tashkent with the

participation of representatives of Kyrgyzstan,

Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and

Karakalpakstan. In it, the organizational issues of the

regional group were resolved, its main goals were

determined, and the planned work program was

adopted (Soviet Uzbekistan, 1984).

4 DISCUSSION

The regional initiative group of the Republics of

Central Asia of the IKOMOS Council Committee

consists of four groups, which had the right to

establish sections under the societies for the

protection of monuments of the republics. At the

same time, an organizational bureau was elected,

which coordinated the activities of the group by

coordinating the current issues through the chairmen

of the republican groups and their secretaries. Every

year, in each republic, four groups started holding one

conference on a topic close to their interests. The

following topics were developed and approved:

1. Protection of monuments in the republics of

Central Asia - Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

2. Principles of protection of archaeological

reserves and complexes (in the case of Nisa, Konyo-

Historical Development of Cooperation Relations Between the International Organization UNESCO and Uzbekistan

799

Urganch and Mizdaqkhan) - Turkmenistan, in

cooperation with Karakalpakstan, Ashgabat-Konyo-

Urganch-Mizdaqkhan.

3. Methods of structural strengthening of

architectural monuments and problems of using

original materials or their modern substitutes -

Kyrgyzstan, Uzgan.

4. Preservation of the buildings and architectural

decor of the peoples of Central Asia - Tajikistan,

Dushanbe.

The first conference was organized by the

initiative committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan,

where the plans and activities of the regional initiative

group of the Central Asian Republics of the IKOMOS

Council Committee were announced. The main topic

was "Protection of monuments in the Central Asian

Republics" (Soviet Uzbekistan, 1984). In addition,

the special topic "Problems of protection and

conservation of archaeological monuments" was

discussed at the branch meetings. Because in this

historical period, the protection of architectural

monuments gained special importance in the entire

Central Asian region. On the one hand, the expansion

of cultivated land, the construction of roads,

settlements, irrigation facilities, the rapid

reconstruction of historically formed cities –

Samarkand, Ozgan, Ora-Tepa, Leninabad, Konyo-

Urganch, etc. as a result, most of the monuments

began to disappear. On the other hand, in some cases,

archaeologists were irresponsible in their work and

left the excavated objects without conservation, so

they disappeared within a few years. In order to

widely promote the Council's restoration science and

practice, legislation on the protection of monuments,

the latest research and findings in this field, the

regional initiative group should send relevant

information not only to the IKOMOS Council

Committee, but also directly to the headquarters of

IKOMOS in Paris. It's done. This information was

published in newsletters. IKOMOS Council

Committee regional group activity results Central

Asian publications - "Construction and Architecture

of Uzbekistan" (“Construction and architecture of

Uzbekistan”), "Culture", "Science and Life"

(Tashkent), "Monuments of Turkmenistan"

(Ashkhabad) and magazines close to the field

published in Dushanbe, Frunze, Nukus began to be

widely covered. Printed articles should also be sent to

the IKOMOS Council Committee in Moscow and to

the IKOMOS Library in Paris. From Paris, their

copies are sent to different countries at the request of

experts. In addition to the inter-republican exchange,

the participation of the representatives of the regional

group in the annual meetings of the IKOMOS

Council Committee is planned. During these

meetings, the results of the work carried out during

the year and the results of IKOMOS activities were

presented (Soviet Uzbekistan, 1984).

The establishment of the regional initiative group

of the Central Asian republics of the IKOMOS

Council Committee has become a bright example of

the policy aimed at the peaceful coexistence of states

and peoples, and the preservation of the achievements

in cultural development throughout the history of

mankind.

Before our country adopted its independence, this

organization was very interested in Uzbekistan.

Taking into account the great contribution of the

Uzbek people to the treasure of world culture, this

prestigious international organization made a worthy

contribution to the wide celebration of the 1000th

anniversary of the birth of encyclopedists Abu

Rayhan Beruni and Abu Tawalludi. Abu Ali Ibn Sina,

2000th anniversary of the city of Tashkent. In 1969,

a symposium devoted to the study of Central Asian

art during the Timurid period was held in Samarkand.

On the basis of these events, relations between

Uzbekistan and UNESCO rose to a new level.

In 1978, the General Conference of UNESCO

proposed to pay tribute to Ibn Sina (Avicenna) in

1980 on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of his

birth and emphasized the great influence of his works

on the further development of science in all countries.

In 1980, solemn meetings were held in Moscow,

Tashkent and Dushanbe, and an international

conference was held in Dushanbe and Bukhara,

where Ibn Sina's great contribution to the

development of philosophy, logic, sociology,

literature, concrete, natural sciences and medicine

was emphasized [4 ]. As the Director General of

UNESCO said, "In Avicenna, compared to other

thinkers of his time, the original truth was confirmed,

which in a certain sense is the essence of the existence

and activity of UNESCO, that is, it serves the future

of civilizations [5].

5 CONCLUSION

On the basis of the event, concerts of Soviet and

foreign Eastern singers and instrumentalists were

held with a large audience. Uzbek and Tajik maqams,

Arabic maqams, Indian ragas and Maghreb music

were performed by modern composers. Foreign

guests got acquainted with the rich cultural life of the

Uzbek people. The Secretary General of the

International Music Council of UNESCO Vladimir

Stepanek (Czechoslovakia) shared his impressions of

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his days in Samarkand and told journalists in an

interview: "Earlier, the history of world music was

written from a Eurocentrism position. Leadership in

creating a multi-level history of world music "Our

council, which is tasked to do this, intends to create a

document from the point of view of the equality of all

cultures, and in this sense the Samarkand Forum is

very useful. The experience of the Central Asian

republics and all the republics in the east is very

important for us" (UNESCO Courier, 1980).

In 1982, UNESCO decided to celebrate the

2000th anniversary of Tashkent. The guidelines for

the preservation and protection of the unique cultural

heritage of any country are sealed in a number of

UNESCO conventions and are an ideal norm of

international law that accepts the national wealth of

each country as a component of the World Heritage.

Nevertheless, the set of legal culture problems in the

field of preservation of cultural assets has not yet

taken its place in museology. Cultural resources have

a great influence on the development of education,

science and culture, and help to enrich the cultural life

of peoples and mutual cooperation between countries.

According to the archive documents, the

following actions were carried out on the basis of the

decision (Kashlev, Yu. B, 1986):

A) Published every three months on the basis of

UNESCO publications "Культура" (Culture):

Continuity of traditions (“continuity of tradition”) 10-

12 pages in the magazine about the art and culture of

Uzbekistan. preparation of introductory articles by

January 1983;

B) in "MUSEUM" magazine “Folk memory in stone,

metal, silk....” ¬¬- Publication of an article about the

Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan;

C) Impakt, which is published every three months

(Science and society) academician S. Sirajdinov in

the magazine “A genius who stepped over the

centuries - to the 1200th anniversary of Al Khorezmi”

publication of the article.

D) "UNESCO News" it was recommended to publish

articles on the following topics in the information

analysis journal:

1. By reading ancient manuscripts

2. Description of new archaeological objects of

Tashkent

3. Tragedy and optimism (reconstruction after the

1966 earthquake and modern Tashkent)

4. Considering the publication of articles in Russian

and translation into other languages in the "Новости

Юнеско" magazine on the occasion of the 500th

anniversary of the birth of Zahiriddin Mukhammed

Babur.

5. Publication of books in Russian, English and

French with 8-10 pages of illustrations showing the

historical and cultural heritage objects of Tashkent

until October 1982 in the Cultural Heritage Sector of

UNESCO. Manuscript versions of the books were

requested to be submitted to the Cultural Heritage

Sector of UNESCO in May.

From September 15 to 25, 1983, "Tashkent Days"

was held at the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris,

organization of a press conference, photo exhibition,

art films, exhibition of artisans, sale of souvenirs was

organized with the funding of the UNESCO

organization. At the same time, the presentation of

stamps dedicated to the 2000th anniversary of the city

of Tashkent was held in harmony with the UNESCO

logo. Prepared by scientists of Uzbekistan

"Architectural masterpiece Central Asia XVI-XVII

century" The publication of the book was approved in

the plan of the UNESCO General Conference.

Academician G.A. Pugachenkova “Tashkent:

traditions and continuity of culture (to the 2000th

anniversary of the city)” article of December 17, 1982

No. 1159, Deputy Chairman of the Commission for

UNESCO Affairs G.V. It was published in the

magazine "Culture" of the organization based on the

recommendations of Uranov and the Minister of

Foreign Affairs B. Abdurazakov.

On March 9, 1983, in a letter sent by UNESCO to

the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan,

Bakhadir Abbasovich, in the letter No. OPI/SPE/130,

News UNESCO in Russian, English, French and

Arabic languages, taking into account the publication

of a special issue dedicated to the event, the General

of UNESCO during the visit of director Amadu

Makhtar M.Bou, he expressed his opinion on

speeding up the publication, considering that this

issue will be presented in a ready form. Vyacheslav

Kostikov, the Russian-language editor of the

magazine, during his visit to UNESCO in the last 10

days of April 1983, clarified the general materials.

In 1984, UNESCO Director General Amadu

Makhtar M. Bou was a guest of the Republic of

Uzbekistan. Here, he participated in the IV session of

the Intergovernmental Council of the International

Communication Development Program of UNESCO,

in the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of

Tashkent, and in the opening of the statue erected in

Tashkent on the occasion of the 1200th anniversary

of the birth of the great scholar of the Middle Ages

Khorezmi. The Director General of UNESCO visited

a number of interesting places of Tashkent and held

meetings and talks with state and public figures of the

republic. At a meeting with local journalists,

A.M.M.Bow said: "I am very happy to come to

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801

Tashkent. International Program for the Development

of Communication (IPDC International Program for

the Development of Communication) The work of the

Tashkent session was successful. It was very pleasant

for me to participate in the celebrations of the

anniversary of the city. In the building of Tashkent

State University, where boys and girls from dozens of

countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America study, I

was awarded the title of honorary citizen of Tashkent.

Residents of the capital of Uzbekistan can be

proud of their historical achievements in all fields.

The life and appearance of your city have changed

beyond recognition. Modern Tashkent is one of the

major industrial, scientific, and cultural cities. At the

same time, they pay tribute to the legacy of Al-

Khwarizmi and other ancient thinkers of the East. I

believe that Tashkent makes a great contribution to

the strengthening of universal peace and mutual

understanding between people of different races,

political and social views, and the development of

universal culture and cooperation." Recently, several

important new events were held through UNESCO,

in which Uzbekistan also participated. Thus, in

September 1986, UNESCO held an international

symposium on "Using and processing folk dance

resources." The repertoire of the folklore ensemble of

the Bukhara Palace of Culture of Uzbekistan was

presented at the symposium.

In conclusion, it should be noted that relations

between UNESCO and Uzbekistan are developing

year by year, and as a result of this cooperation,

Uzbekistan is widely known to the international

community, and its position in the world is

increasing. The task now is to participate more

actively in all the programs of UNESCO, in projects

and programs for the preservation of historical and

cultural heritage. Wide participation of Uzbekistan in

UNESCO events is of great importance for the

implementation of UNESCO's mission in Uzbekistan,

on the one hand, and for Uzbekistan, on the other

hand, in the recognition of its education, science, and

culture by the world community and at the same time,

it is of special importance in the development of the

economy, culture, education, science, communication

and tourism sectors in Uzbekistan, and in solving

problems in the field of ecology.

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