News

16 October 2023

Renewal of our UNESCO Chair

It is a pleasure and an honor to announce that, following a procedure of rigorous checking, activities of our UNESCO Chair, undertaken in the course of the latest 4-year span, were assessed positively by UNESCO authorities. As a result, the mandate of our Chair has been prolonged by the Organization for the next 4-year period. It would be most important and valuable for us to continue working as integral part of the worldwide family of UNESCO chairs.
29 September 2023

International Forum on Cultural Heritage and Interethnic Understanding

9th International Forum ‘Cultural Heritage of Northern Caucasus as Resource of Interethnic Understanding’ took place in Kabardinka, a resort town at the Black Sea, Russian Federation, from September 21 till 24, 2023. Scientific program of the Forum started with invited plenary report given by D.Spivak, entitled ‘Cultural Heritage and Interethnic Understanding in UNESCO New Strategy’. Having reviewed four Strategic Objectives of UNESCO for the present eight-year span, and having presented comments on such novel categories of the Strategy as ‘the diversity of heritage’, the speaker assessed the new Strategy as most constructive and timely.

Photo by D/Spivak
13 June 2023

3rd National Conference ‘Cultural Heritage and Moral Values in System of Strategic National Priorities of Russian Federation’

On June 8, 2023, 3^rd National Scientific and Practical Conference with International Participation ‘Cultural Heritage and Moral Values in System of Strategic National Priorities of Russian Federation’ took place, basing at the premises of Altay State Institute of Culture (Barnaul, Russia). About 60 researchers from the main Russian universities and/or research institutes part in the Conference, especially those from the Siberian region. Our Chair, D.Spivak, gave there an invited report entitled ‘Heritage Dialogue in UNESCO Cultural Strategy’.

Program (in Russian)

Photo by D.Spivak
25 May 2023

International Summit ‘Islamic Education in Present-Day World: Challenges, Trends, Possibilities’

From May 21 till 24, 2023, fellows of our Chair, Dr. Gulchokhra Seidova, and Dr. Asiyat Buttayeva, took part in International Summit ‘Islamic Education in Present-Day World: Challenges, Trends, Possibilities’, which was conducted in the framework of 5^th International Bolgar Forum ‘Theological Legacy of Muslims in Russia’ in the historical town of Bolgar, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation. Both of our fellows served as moderators of session meetings, as well as gave talks, dedicated to ‘Muslim Peripatetism in Context of Intercultural Dialogue’, and ‘Humanism as Paradigmatic Trend of Interfaith Dialogue’, respectedly.

Official site of the Forum (in English): International Forum “Theological Heritage of Muslims in Russia” (bolgar.academy).

Summit program (in Russian)

Photo by G.Seidova
11 April 2023

9th National Forum of Social Initiatives of Young People

On April 6, 2023, our Chair took part in the 9th National Forum of Social Initiatives of Young People. The Forum was organized under the auspices of UNESCO Associated Schools Network, basing at the premises of Secondary School No.639 in St. Petersburg, Russia. World and national heritage, both tangible and intangible, formed the key topic of the forum. About 200 persons from a number of regions of this country, as well as from neighboring countries, took part in its work. Scientific Secretary of our Chair, M.Stepanov, served as an official expert of the forum.

Photo: M.Stepanov
6 April 2023

Spring session of national Coordination Committee of UNESCO Chairs

On April 5. 2023, our Chair took part in the Spring session of the national Coordination Committee of UNESCO Chairs. The meeting took place basing at the facilities of G. Plekhanov National Economic University in Moscow, Russia, The session was led by the new Executive Secretary of the Commission of Russian Federation for UNESCO, Ms. T. Dovgalenko. A number of applications for foundation of new UNESCO chairs were discussed, presented by High School of Folk Crafts (St.Petersburg), Federal University of Kazan, Financial University under the Government of Russia, Ufa University of Science and Technologies, and G. Plekhanov National Economic University (Moscow). A representative of our Chair served as the official reviewer on the application submitted by the Kazan University, Tatar Republic. Implementation strategies of the decisions of the 214^th and 215^th Sessions of UNESCO Executive Council, concerning UNESCO/UNITWIN activities, were discussed.

Photo by D.Spivak
27 October 2022

International Forum in Kazakhstan

On October 26, 2022, 5th International Forum of Rapprochement of Eurasian Cultures ‘Challenges of Planetary Consciousness: Culture and Conscious Interdependence’, took place in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan. The Forum was organized by International Centre of Cultural Rapprochement under the aegis of UNESCO in the city of Almaty, together with Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and with the local Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies, in the framework of UNESCO International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures. Representatives of Kazakhstan and of a number of other countries of Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan) took part, as well as researchers and experts from Azerbaijan, India, France. Russia, Spain and Turkey. Our Chair was represented by: D. Spivak, who gave a talk on intercultural dialogue in UNESCO strategy, G. Seidova, who spoke on the activities of the Northern Caucasus affiliation of our Chair, and by our foreign member, L. Yerekesheva, who gave a talk on ‘Interfaith Interconnection and Dialogue as Cultural Identification: Primordial Aspects of Interaction at the Example of Zoomorphic Style’.

Photo by G. Seidova.

Program in Kazakh, English, and Russian.
2 October 2022

30th anniversary of UNITWIN / UNESCO Chairs Cooperation Program

On September 29, 2022, a special session, dedicated to the 30^th anniversary of the UNITWIN / UNESCO Chairs Cooperation Program. The session was organized by the Secretariat of Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, together with Tisby University (Kazan), both offline and online. About 60 representatives of UNESCO chairs from many Russian regions, ranging from State Yakut University in the East to Federal Northern Arctic University in the West, took part in the session. Our chair was represented by the chairperson, D.Spivak, who briefly reviewed the main directions of our recent activities. Monitoring present-day state of interfaith dialogue and intercultural rapprochement in the North Caucasus, and giving a new impetus to our relations with the academic community of Kazakhstan, and of Central Asia as a whole, served as the focal points.

Photo: online part of the session.
23 June 2022

Scientific Conference dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of UNESCO UNITWIN

On June 17, 2022, Scientific conference ‘30th Anniversary of UNESCO UNITWIN Program’ took place at the premises of Peter the Great Polytechnic University in St. Petersburg, Russia, under the auspices of National Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, under the guidance of its Secretary, Mr. G.Ordzhonikidze. About 50 reports, presented by leading researchers and experts of this country, were dedicated to various aspects of the UNITWIN program, and its unique creative potential.
Head of our UNESCO chair, D.Spivak, gave an introductory talk at the plenary session, which was dedicated to main trends of the UNITWIN strategy, and talked, inter alia, about our Network of UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs in Interfaith Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding. He also served as moderator of a session dedicated to Digital Transformation. Our Scientific Secretary, M. Stepanov, gave a talk dedicated to new trends in preservation of cultural heritage and their impact upon intercultural dialogue.

Photo by D.Spivak
23 May 2022

4th International Bolgar Theological Forum

On May, 19. 2022, 13^th International Economic Summit ‘Russia – Islamic World’ was conducted in the city of Kazan, Tatarstan, Russian Federation. 4^th International Bolgar Theological Forum ‘Theological Legacy of Muslims in Russia’ took part in its framework. Head of our North Caucasus affiliation, Dr. G. Seidova, took part in the Forum, and gave an invited talk. dedicated to Turkish- and Iranian-Language Legacy of Muslims of South Russia.