September 22, the “Dunhuang Forum – Knowledge Sharing Forum on the Protection of Human Cultural Heritage and Creative Industries” of the 8th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo was held in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. This forum was co‑organized by the World Bank, the United Nations Tourism Organization, UNESCO, and the Gansu Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. More than 100 government representatives, experts, scholars, and industry leaders from 13 countries and regions and 4 international organizations gathered together to discuss pathways for cultural heritage protection and innovative development, and to promote cultural exchange, mutual learning, and regional coordinated development.
Scene of the forum
At the forum, the Harnessing Culture and Creativity for Sustainable Development: Gansu Province Cultural and Creative Industries Policy Recommendations Guide was released. This guide was researched and compiled with the full participation of the UNESCO Asia‑Pacific World Heritage Training and Research Center Beijing Branch (for research documentation, see: 2024 Cultural Heritage Protection Joint Workshop Peking University Summer Course Research Documentation). Based on the “Urban, Culture, Creativity” (CCC) framework jointly developed by UNESCO and the World Bank, the guide provides an in‑depth interpretation of how Gansu can translate global consensus into local actions and further explores how to leverage its unique cultural resources to position Gansu as a hub for cultural tourism, creative entrepreneurship, and cross‑regional collaboration, offering important references for local governments, industry enterprises, and academic institutions.
Release of the Gansu Province Cultural and Creative Industries Policy Guide
The electronic version of this report will be made available in the Digital Library on the UNESCO official website in the future. Please stay tuned.
Covers of the Chinese and English versions
At the forum, Chinese and international guests discussed and exchanged development experiences from various countries around three themes: “Protection of Human Cultural Heritage and World Civilizations Exchange and Mutual Learning,” “International Tourism Cooperation and Regional Economic Development,” and “Cultural Heritage Protection and Creative Industries Development.” Li Guanghan, Executive Director of the Beijing Branch, was invited to attend the forum and shared the Beijing Branch’s practical experiences and international cooperation achievements in promoting world heritage protection and fostering the development of creative industries during the roundtable discussion session.
Roundtable discussion session
Sources: Gansu Government Affairs, Xinhua Net
