The primary multilateral partners of the Republic of Azerbaijan in international cultural policy since regaining independence include UNESCO, the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the UN World Tourism Organization, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation (ITCHF), Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRSICA), among others.
In 1999, Azerbaijan joined the CoE/ERICarts comparative research project and online database, which features in-depth information on cultural policies, statistics, and trends, titled “Cultural Policy in Europe: A Compendium of Key Facts and Trends.” The 10th-anniversary meeting of the project “Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe” was held in Baku on 4-5 December 2008, with the participation of prominent researchers in cultural policy from member countries of the Council of Europe and the ICESCO. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan has been a stakeholder member of the Compendium of Cultural Policies and Trends Association since 2021.
“Icheri Sheher, Maiden Tower and Shirvanshahs Palace Complex” (2000), “Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape” (2007), “Historical Centre of Sheki together with Khan Palace” (2019), “Hyrcanian Forests” (2023) and “Cultural Landscape of Khinalig People and “Köç Yolu” Transhumance Route”, overall, five sites are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. “Prehistoric sites of the Azykh and Taghlar caves”, “Khudafarin Bridges and related sites”, “Ancient Gabala City”, and “Gamigaya and Goy-gol Historical-Cultural and Natural Complex” added in 2023-2024, overall, 12 sites of the Republic of Azerbaijan are included into Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage.
With 24 elements in UNESCO’s intangible heritage lists (“Azerbaijani Mugham”, “Art of Azerbaijani Ashiq”, “Novruz”, “Azerbaijani carpet weaving art”, “Chovqan, a traditional Karabakh horse-riding game”, “Yalli (Kochari, Tenzere), traditional group dances of Nakhchivan”, et cetera), Azerbaijan ranks 5th among 194 UNESCO member-states. 5 elements including “Craftsmanship and performing art of balaban/mey”, “Tandir craftsmanship and bread baking in Azerbaijan” were added in 2023-2024.
Three cities in the Republic of Azerbaijan have been added to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network: Sheki, recognised in the ‘Arts and Crafts’ category (2017); Baku, acknowledged in the ‘Design’ category (2019); and Lankaran, celebrated in the ‘Gastronomy’ category (2021).
ICESCO declared Baku the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World for 2009, Nakhchivan the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World for 2018, and Shusha the Cultural Capital of the Islamic World for 2024.
Ten elements of the intangible cultural heritage of Azerbaijan have been inscribed on the Islamic World Heritage List: “Yalli (Kochari, Tenzere) traditional group dances of Nakhchivan”; “Dolma making and sharing tradition, a marker of cultural identity”; “Pehlevanlig culture, traditional “Zorkhana” games, sports and wrestling”; “Azerbaijani Mugham”; “Copper craftsmanship of Lahij”; “Chovgan – traditional Karabakh horse-riding game”; “Art of Azerbaijani Ashig”; “Traditional art and symbolism of Kelaghayi, making and wearing women’s silk headscarves”; “Craftsmanship and performance art of the Tar, a long-necked string musical instrument”; “Traditional art of carpet weaving in Azerbaijan”.
The nominations “Shusha Historical-Architectural Reserve” and “Aghdam Imarat Complex and Juma Mosque” have been included in the ICESCO Preliminary List of the Islamic World Heritage.
TURKSOY declared Sheki the Culture and Arts Capital of the Turkic World for 2016 and Shusha the Culture and Arts Capital of the Turkic World for 2023.
The Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation (TCHF) and the Ministry of Culture signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2024.
Azerbaijan presented the “Culture for Climate” (C4C) initiative during the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) held in Baku, Azerbaijan (November 2024).
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