Major Outcomes and Tasks for ICH Network Activities in Central Asia : Focusing on Case Studies and Experiences from the Recent Collaborative Work in the Region

International society, including the United Nations, has recently been making efforts to further promote a rapprochement of cultures in relation to alleviating military and political conflicts and other social clashes. In line with these efforts at the international level, there has been a growing interest on Central Asia and, in particular, on the Silk Road, which functioned as a trade route among ancient civilizations in the region and is also seen as a route that promoted cultural dialogue and exchanges.Given the amount of cross cultural dialogue and exchange, it is no surprise that intangible cultural heritage has historically been abundant and easily found in the region. However, this heritage was placed in considerable risk because heritage transmission critically weakened for seventy years under Soviet rule. Fortunately, since independence, there has been increasing interest in restoring community identity and reviving intangible heritage. Nevertheless, in spite of this interest, a lack of policies and cultural support in each country has made heritage safeguarding difficult.In this paper, I analyze the various phenomena that took place after the concept and international trends on ICH were introduced and speak about the experiences and outcomes obtained from collaborative network projects by ICHCAP and the Central Asian countries over the last six year. In addition, I would like take this opportunity to discuss how we can understand and develop collaboration in the intangible heritage field in Central Asia in a long-term perspective.