UNWTO Silk Road Programme participates in the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Forum
UNWTO Silk Road Programme participates in the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Forum
Ms Alla Peressolova, Head of the UNWTO Silk Road Programme, participated in the 7th Cultural Routes Advisory Forum, which took place in Lucca, Italy on 27 - 29 September 2017. This year the Forum was dedicated to the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Cultural Routes Programme.
Ms Alla Peressolova took part in a workshop focused on the promotion of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue, where she gave a speech on the synergies between UNWTO and the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. She underlined the importance of joint actions to foster dialogue and the development of sustainable tourism along the routes.
The Silk Road Programme shared its insights and experience in developing sustainable tourism, whereby the UNWTO-EU Western Silk Road Tourism Development Initiative was showcased as a best-practice example in the field. Based on untapped Silk Road heritage located throughout Europe, the Western Silk Road project aims to ensure the flourishment of sustainable tourism products and initiatives.
In her speech Ms Peressolova invited the Cultural Routes with existing Silk Road heritage to join the Working Group of the Western Silk Road, the network designed to create the conditions for multiple stakeholders to interact and collaborate.
Since the signing of the joint Memorandum of Cooperation during the Cultural Routes Advisory Forum in Vilnius in 2016, UNWTO and the Council of Europe have increased collaboration and the exchange of best-practices in order to support Member States in their efforts to promote sustainable development, preserve natural and cultural heritage, and strengthen international cooperation.