TEHRAN – A number of cultural officials from countries where Nowruz is observed met in New Delhi on the sidelines of a UNESCO meeting to discuss coordination among member states of the UNESCO-registered festival.
The meeting was held at the invitation of the Islamic Republic of Iran and was attended by Ali Darabi, the deputy minister for cultural heritage, and Mohammad Fath’ali, Iran’s ambassador to India, IRNA reported on Saturday.
Representatives from Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Iraq and Mongolia took part in the meeting.
Darabi said member states should pursue structured, community-based cooperation to safeguard and promote Nowruz, a living intangible heritage shared across several regions.
He proposed establishing a coordinated and flexible mechanism, including annual virtual technical meetings among national focal points, the development of a joint calendar of activities such as workshops and community-based events, and greater involvement of local communities, non-governmental organizations and research institutions.
“These measures would increase effectiveness, prevent parallel efforts and strengthen evidence-based, community-centered approaches,” Darabi said.
He added that the Regional Research Centre for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in West and Central Asia was ready to host technical meetings, provide digital platforms for resource exchange and support joint projects.
“Nowruz is both a responsibility and an opportunity,” Darabi said. “All countries share the duty to safeguard and promote this living heritage.”
Nowruz, meaning “new day,” marks the first day of spring and the renewal of nature. Celebrated for more than 3,000 years across the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East, it includes rituals, ceremonies, family visits and shared meals, and promotes values of solidarity, reconciliation and neighborliness.
The festival was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009 and expanded in 2016 at the joint initiative of several countries, including Iran, India and Afghanistan.
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 21 as the International Day of Nowruz, encouraging member states to preserve the traditions associated with the festival and raise global awareness of its cultural significance.
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