UNWTO and UNDP launch the Silk Road City Awards
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UNWTO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have formally launched the UN Silk Road City Awards Scheme. Developed within the framework of the Silk Road Initiative (SRI), the award scheme is to be implemented in the coming months. The key aims of the SRI are to improve policy and legal conditions for trade, to attract investment to the region, and to promote and attract tourism.
The Initiative currently involves the participation of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, though there are plans to expand the participation to other Silk Road countries.
The UN Silk Road City Awards will be held biennially, bestowing the title of ‘UN Silk Road City’ to cities that demonstrate their historic ties to the Silk Road and how a city’s traditions and culture have influenced its modernisation and development. Cities will also be evaluated to assess their commitment to sustainable tourism, cultural preservation and environmental protection, existing facilities and services and community awareness. The scheme is hoped to play a key role in highlighting the cultural wealth and diversity of the Silk Road and its tourism attractions and help raise greater awareness of the region internationally, and strengthen dialogue and cooperation among stakeholders at all levels.
Khalid Malik, UNDP Resident Representative for China, described the Silk Road as “the first wave of globalisation” and highlighted the need to develop “new institutions and mechanisms to facilitate tourism” as a means of delivering greater prosperity.
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