UNESCO announces Peace Garden Declaration after successful Silk Roads meeting in Beijing

UNESCO launches the Interactive Atlas of Cultural Interactions along the Silk Roads in Beijing, June 1, 2017. (Photo provided by Guo Junkui)

UNESCO’s two-day Expert Meeting on the Development of an Interactive Atlas of Cultural Interactions along the Silk Roads ended in Beijing on Jun. 1. Fruitful outcomes were achieved, including the announcement of the Peace Garden Declaration and the launching of the Atlas project.

The Declaration states that the production of the Atlas is crucial, as it will illustrate the common heritage of humankind and show how cultures and peoples have mutually influenced each other and contributed to global development.

Ali Moussa-Iye, chief of the History and Memory for Dialogue Section of UNESCO, emphasized the great significance of making the Atlas, saying that it has provided an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen cultural exchanges and dialogues. He regarded it as “a great progress in human history.”

According to the Declaration, the Atlas should cover the entire geographic span of the Silk Roads, and it will target primarily the younger generation, the decision makers of tomorrow.

The Declaration stressed that the Atlas should incorporate only reliable, scholarly data. A scientific panel will be established to oversee the Atlas content.

Organized by UNESCO, the China World Peace Foundation, and the Beijing International Peace Culture Foundation, the Expert Meeting attracted more than 60 scholars, experts, and practitioners from all around the world in the fields of history, culture, linguistics, anthropology, heritage, and ICTs.

Attendees discussed the possibilities and modalities for producing an interactive Atlas, which they hope will capture the complex cultural interactions along the Silk Roads. A consensus was reached that the Atlas themes could include items such as the transport and transmission of goods, knowledge, ideas, and persons along the Silk Roads; science and technology; music and other arts; language and literature; religion, spirituality, rituals, and celebrations; food production and preparation, and gastronomy; and costumes.

In addition, modern information technologies, such as 3D, VR, and AI, will be used to make the Atlas more attractive and interactive for the general public.