The “Local Community Empowerment and Preservation of Shahr-e Gholghola, the World Heritage site in Bamiyan” project aims at investigating and preserving the Shahr-e Gholghola site, to foster local sustainable development, and to create opportunities through the development of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), creative industries and heritage tourism.

The workshop, which gathered more than 20 participants from government and non-government organisations, was officially opened by H.E. Mr. Mohammad Tahir Zahir, Governor of Bamiyan, who thanked UNESCO and the Government of Italy for their ongoing support to the World Heritage property and the wider Bamiyan region. Masanori Nagaoka, Head of UNESCO Culture programme in Afghanistan, took the opportunity to acknowledge the continuous engagement from the Afghan Government, both at national and regional levels, as well as the Government of Italy, and stressed the importance of this initiative and ongoing joint-initiatives for the preservation and promotion of culture across the country.

This workshop aimed at providing the survey skills that will enable participants to participate in a cultural mapping process and an in-depth baseline study on the production and consumption of cultural goods and services, in and around Bamiyan. The result of this study will guide the establishment of a project plan that will continue in 2019, to support and nurture the growth of the cultural and creative industries in the region.

This activity is linked to other ongoing heritage projects and the future Bamiyan Cultural Centre, which UNESCO and the Government of Afghanistan are currently developing, and has the potential to sustain local cultural practices, heritage tourism, and to generate additional income and to contribute to the long-term, sustainable development of the local communities.