UNESCO 2008 Award of Excellence for Handicrafts in Isfahan

10 Oct '08

2 min read

International jury of experts in design, marketing and handicraft production held a meeting from October 4 to 8 in Isfahan, Iran, where they discussed in detail the marketing and protecting procedures for cultural industries.

Experts from both the private and public sectors of Afghanistan, Denmark, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the event.

Here, a number of delegates acted as the jury to evaluate and select the winners of the UNESCO '2008 Award of Excellence for Handicrafts' from the West-Central Asian Region.

This session was co-organized by UNESCO, Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) and the Central Asian Crafts Support Association (CACSA).

The four key criteria for judging products were excellence, authenticity, innovation and marketability. Besides, conditions of 'respect for the environment in materials and production techniques' and 'social responsibility' were not ignored.

The potential contenders included 225 products ranging from traditionally woven textiles to ceramics and silverware from Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

This event is held every two years. Winners receive an award certificate and also benefit from a range of capacity-building and promotional support.

Winning entries will be exhibited in five cities of Iran after the jury session and then travel to Kazakhstan for exhibition.

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