Through the meeting, the H.E. Minister Naderi emphasised the importance of integrating the role of culture in planning the urban regeneration. The Minister addressed that the experience of incorporating the Cultural Plan of Bamiyan to the Ministry’s City Master Plan had shown a good example of the necessity of the two organisations’ combined work. He confirmed that the Ministry will continue to fully support cultural projects within the scope of future urban planning.

The meeting also discussed that the birth of the National Programme for Culture and Creative Economy (NPCE) will expand opportunities of collaboration. The works of UNESCO will expand beyond its consultation of protecting tangible cultural heritage to developing the concepts of creative industry and economy. H.E. Minister Naderi requested UNESCO’s assistance in cultural advice in this regard, and as a result, UNESCO and the MUDH discussed the possibility of establishing an office inside the MUDH building, which will enable UNESCO’s better cooperation with the Government of Afghanistan in the future.

The role of the Peace Park around the Bamiyan Cultural Centre was also addressed. The Peace Park was confirmed to be funded by the MUDH and implemented by UNESCO in June 2016, during the first-stone laying ceremony of the Bamiyan Cultural Centre. The park will invite the local community of Bamiyan to introduce and support the Centre’s main idea of the growing of the creative industry and economy, which will influence immensely the future urban planning of the region. The landscaping and creation of the park is planned to start from April 2017.