On October 17, Turkmenistan joined the celebration of UNESCO's International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This event is of particular importance for the country, which has been actively cooperating with UNESCO for 31 years.

Turkmenistan became a full member of UNESCO on 17 August 1993. Since then, the country has made significant progress in preserving and promoting its cultural heritage internationally. In 2011, Turkmenistan acceded to the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, adopted in 2003.

To strengthen the national legislative framework in this area, the Law of Turkmenistan “On the Protection of National Intangible Cultural Heritage” was adopted on February 28, 2015. This permitted the country to participate more effectively in international efforts to preserve living heritage.

It is important to note that this international holiday is annually celebrated by the UNESCO Club “Languages of the World” at the Dovletmamet Azadi Turkmen National Institute of World Languages. The club organizes various events aimed at raising awareness of the importance of preserving cultural traditions.

The celebrations include exhibitions and meetings that focus on elements of Turkmen culture that are already included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, such as traditional singing and dancing.

These events highlight the importance of intangible cultural heritage as an integral part of national identity and its role in ensuring cultural diversity and sustainable development of the country.