UNESCO Backs Uzbekistan's Plan to Protect Cultural Heritage From Climate Change, With Khiva Symposium Set for 2027

PARIS — UNESCO's Executive Board has unanimously approved an initiative led by Uzbekistan to strengthen the protection of cultural heritage threatened by climate change, natural disasters and rapid urban development, according to reports by the Dunyo news agency. The decision, adopted during the board's 225th session in Paris, also endorses Uzbekistan's proposal to host an international heritage symposium in the historic city of Khiva in 2027, in cooperation with UNESCO.

Illustration: The walled old town of Khiva, Uzbekistan, whose Itchan Kala district has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1990.

What Happened

The Executive Board adopted the draft decision, titled "Enhancing the Effectiveness of Measures to Preserve Cultural Heritage in the Face of Globalization and Climate Change," during its 225th session, held from October 5 to 20, 2026, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The initiative was put forward by Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on October 30, 2025, at the opening of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, and it was co-sponsored by 54 UNESCO member states, including China, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan, Dunyo reported.

One of the key outcomes of the decision is the approval of Uzbekistan's proposal to host the International Symposium on the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in the Face of Globalization and Climate Change in Khiva in 2027. The event is expected to bring together conservation specialists, researchers and representatives of international organizations to discuss practical ways of protecting heritage in a fast-changing world.

Before the board's deliberations, Uzbekistan presented the proposal to UNESCO delegations at an information session in Paris on October 2, organized by Uzbekistan's Permanent Delegation to UNESCO. According to Dunyo, that session considered the proposal's objectives and how it relates to UNESCO's existing conventions and programs.

Illustration: Delegates meet at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where the Executive Board adopted the heritage decision during its 225th session.

Background

The approved measure covers both tangible heritage — historic buildings and sites — and living cultural traditions. It calls for closer cooperation among governments, international organizations and researchers to prevent damage, improve risk management and share scientific knowledge and conservation methods, in the face of what the initiative describes as modern global challenges: climate change, natural disasters, rapid urbanization and socio-economic transformation.

Uzbekistan has been building its case for more than a year. The Samarkand General Conference in October and November 2025 was the first time in four decades that the conference had convened outside UNESCO's Paris headquarters, and President Mirziyoyev used its opening to propose a series of cultural initiatives. The heritage-protection decision adopted in October 2026 is the most concrete result so far of that push, and it continues a 2023–2027 cooperation program between Uzbekistan and UNESCO focused on heritage preservation, education reform and digital innovation.

Khiva's selection as the symposium's host city gives the meeting a setting closely tied to its purpose. The city's walled inner town, Itchan Kala, entered UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1990. Once a stopping place for caravans preparing to cross the desert toward Persia, it preserves mosques, madrasas, mausoleums and traditional houses within its historic walls. UNESCO identifies the town's urban composition — the relationships between its houses, courtyards and monuments — as a central part of its heritage value, meaning preservation depends on protecting the whole settlement, not just individual buildings.

That work comes with persistent difficulties. A 2024 state-of-conservation document published by UNESCO recorded erosion of mud walls, termite damage, and rising damp and salinity affecting decorative tiles. It also identified a shortage of staff qualified to carry out regular maintenance of the mud walls. In its 2026 decision on Itchan Kala, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee welcomed advances in monitoring, documentation and conservation training, but requested further information on work involving earthen structures, termite control and soil moisture. The committee also raised concerns about the adequacy of a proposed development plan for central Khiva, saying it did not sufficiently explain how planned changes would affect the property's heritage value, and it requested a revised plan and a heritage impact assessment.

Illustration: Conservation specialists restore an ancient mud-brick wall, the kind of earthen structure whose upkeep Khiva's 2027 symposium will address.

Why It Matters

The decision matters because it turns a national proposal into a shared international mandate. With 54 co-sponsors spanning Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America, the initiative signals broad agreement that heritage protection can no longer be treated as a purely local concern: rising temperatures, heavier rainfall, urban growth and tourism pressure affect historic places in much the same way everywhere, and the techniques for defending them — from monitoring soil moisture in earthen walls to training specialist conservators — are worth sharing across borders.

It also matters for the communities that live with heritage every day. In Khiva, as in other historic towns, conservation is not only about monuments; it is about houses people still live in, crafts people still practice, and streets that must keep functioning as a town while remaining a World Heritage site. The symposium's planned discussions — on threats to cultural sites, the use of modern technology, the preservation of traditional knowledge and specialist training — are designed to produce practical recommendations that countries can adapt to their own conservation needs, rather than abstract declarations.

For Uzbekistan itself, the decision strengthens a growing cultural-diplomacy profile. The country already counts Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva and Shahrisabz among its World Heritage sites, along with the Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor of the Silk Roads network, and its intangible heritage — including Shashmaqom music, the Lazgi dance, Navruz celebrations and traditional embroidery and ceramics — has earned UNESCO recognition. Hosting the 2027 symposium in Khiva would put one of its most fragile and most famous historic towns at the center of the global conversation.

What Happens Next

Preparations for the Khiva symposium are now expected to move forward, with UNESCO and Uzbekistan working out the program, the list of participants and the practical recommendations the meeting is meant to produce. Conservation specialists, researchers and representatives of international organizations are expected to attend, and the meeting is intended to build directly on the work begun at the Samarkand General Conference.

Separately, Khiva's own conservation file remains open: UNESCO has asked for a revised development plan for central Khiva and a heritage impact assessment, along with further information on earthen structures, termite control and soil moisture. How those requests are answered will shape both the symposium's agenda and the town's future.

More broadly, the decision will be watched as a test of whether a board-level mandate can translate into better protection on the ground. If the Khiva meeting produces concrete, adaptable recommendations — on risk management, technology, training and traditional knowledge — it could become a model for other historic towns facing the same pressures. If it does not, the initiative risks joining a long list of well-meaning heritage resolutions that changed little for the places they were meant to protect.

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FAQ

What did UNESCO's Executive Board approve?

The board unanimously approved Uzbekistan's draft decision on strengthening measures to preserve cultural heritage in the face of globalization and climate change, and endorsed Uzbekistan's proposal to host an international heritage symposium in Khiva in 2027, according to Dunyo.

When and where was the decision adopted?

The decision was adopted during the UNESCO Executive Board's 225th session, held October 5–20, 2026, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Who proposed the initiative?

Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed the initiative on October 30, 2025, at the opening of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand. It was co-sponsored by 54 UNESCO member states.

Why was Khiva chosen for the 2027 symposium?

Khiva's walled inner town, Itchan Kala, has been on UNESCO's World Heritage List since 1990 and faces the same pressures the initiative addresses — erosion of mud walls, termite damage, damp and salinity, and urban development — making it a fitting setting for the meeting.

What will the Khiva symposium discuss?

Planned discussions cover threats to cultural sites, the use of modern technology, the preservation of traditional knowledge and specialist training, with the aim of producing practical recommendations countries can adapt.

Sources

Diplomatic Watch, "UNESCO Backs Uzbekistan's Plan to Protect Cultural Heritage," November 3, 2026 (reporting Dunyo news agency); Muslim.uz, "UNESCO Executive Board unanimously approves the initiative of Uzbekistan to protect cultural heritage," October 26, 2026 (reporting Dunyo IA); WiseVoter, "UNESCO Board Approves Uzbekistan Heritage Initiative," October 26, 2026; BUZ.uz, "UNESCO Reviews Uzbekistan's Initiatives to Protect Cultural Heritage Amid Global Challenges," August 27, 2026.