On April 17, 2026, the UNESCO Chair «International education and the integration of migrants» and the Faculty of Regional Studies and Ethnocultural Education of the Institute of Social and Humanitarian Education of Moscow Pedagogical State University held the next International Thematic Session «UNESCO World Heritage Sites.» The session was attended by teachers and students from IPSU and four universities in Ethiopia. The meeting took place within the framework of the UNITVIN international cooperation program and is timed to coincide with the International Day for Monuments and Sites, which the world community celebrates on April 18.
The series of meetings touch on the preservation of UNESCO World Heritage sites, more than 100 of which are located in Africa. This is the third meeting in the framework of the project «Intercultural Dialogue and Partnership in Education,» which the UNESCO Chair of MPGU is implementing with partners from the countries of the Global South. In 2025, meetings were held with students from universities in Egypt and Bangladesh. The purpose of the sessions is to educate young people in the preservation and popularization of the world historical, cultural and natural heritage, to promote the development of their intercultural competence. Online sessions are held in English.
The project is in the focus of the Russian Commission for UNESCO, the National offices for UNESCO of the participating countries, in accordance with the UNESCO mandate to promote inclusive, intercultural dialogue between generations on heritage conservation and sustainable development. The topic is a vector of international cooperation in the modern world and affects the widest segments of the population around the globe. It is gratifying that during 2025 the project was posted among the leading initiatives of UNESCO chairs on the UNITVIN page on the Organization’s website.
The success of the meeting with Ethiopian university students was largely due to Mr. Alemu Getahun Hailu, Secretary General of the Ethiopian National Office for UNESCO, who personally coordinated the preparatory phase from Ethiopia. In his welcoming speech, he noted the universal importance of cultural heritage, the concern for the preservation of which meets the fundamental principles of UNESCO. «World Heritage is not just monuments or landscapes, it is a living reminder of the preservation through centuries of creativity of past generations,» said Ademu Getahun, emphasizing the need for mutual development of principles for rational management of civilizational heritage.
The initiative was welcomed by Mrs. Ksenia Gaverdovskaya, Senior Counselor to the Secretariat of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Mrs. Oksana Novikova, Executive Secretary of the Coordination Committee of UNESCO Chairs of the Russia. Presenting St. Petersburg at the meeting, Oksana recalled that the center of the northern capital of Russia has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site for 25 years, and also noted that joint meetings of students and schoolchildren from different countries are extremely important in the framework of cultural diplomacy.
Dr. Gardachew Worku, President of the Injibara University (Awi, Amhara National Regional State), addressed the meeting with a welcoming speech from the academic community of Ethiopia. He stressed the importance of cultural exchange between the youth of the two countries, and also mentioned the regional intangible heritage – a special form of horse riding, which is waiting for the approval of UNESCO status.
In turn, Dr. Elena Omelchenko, Dean of the Faculty of Regional Studies and Ethnocultural Education at Moscow Pedagogical State University, addressed the audience: «This is a wonderful initiative. All of us, not only students, but also university teachers, want to learn more about the cultural heritage of Africa in general and Ethiopia in particular.» She conveyed words of support from the Rector of Moscow Pedagogical State University, Head of the UNESO Chair, Professor Alexei Lubkov. Mr. Yury Goryachev, Academic Director of the MPGU UNESCO Chair, also attended the meeting.
The session was moderated by Marina Krivenkaya, coordinator of the UNESCO Chair and Director of the Center for Regional Studies and Humanitarian and Educational Cooperation at Moscow Pedagogical State University. Opening a series of student presentations, she thanked the representatives of Ethiopia for their interest in the topic, active participation in the session and recalled that in this way the agreements reached in Addis Ababa in the fall of 2024 are being implemented. Then, during the Forum of UNESCO Chairs and Partners «Transforming knowledge for Africa’s future» in Addis Ababa, the Russian delegation, which included representatives of the MPGU UNESCO Chair, visited the National Commission for UNESCO Ethiopia and saw that concern for the country’s cultural heritage and participation in this youth are in the focus of Ethiopian colleagues.
Traditionally, the meeting with teachers and students from Ethiopia consisted of two sessions. In the first part, master’s students of the Faculty of Regional Studies and Ethnocultural Education, studying «Teaching and Popularizing the Russian Language, Culture, and History of Russia among Foreign Citizens,» made presentation reports on UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites in Russia. In the second part, students from Ethiopia presented reports on the cultural and natural heritage of their country and the problems associated with its management.
The MPGU students chose objects of intangible cultural heritage to meet with their Ethiopian colleagues, and in their presentations noted not only their historical significance, but also the relevance of modern reading. So, Mrs. Margarita Vakhrina in her report «The Universe on a Palm: from Medieval Icons to Avant-Garde Visions» led listeners through Russian art of different centuries and emphasized that each of us, like medieval ktitors, acts as a trustee, taking care of the preservation of cultural monuments.
Mrs. Victoria Dyakonova introduced the participants to the folklore and fairy tales of the Russian North, speaking with the theme «Sadko: The Legendary Musician of Novgorod». Having told about the hero of the Russian epics of the Novgorod cycle, the talented guslyar Sadko, Victoria presented the artistic incarnations of the epic plot in the opera by N. Rimsky-Korsakov, the painting by I. Repin, sketches for the famous ballet productions of S. Diaghelev. A logical continuation of the topic was the presentation of Mrs. Victoria Martes «Russian Ballet,» dedicated to one of the brightest «pearls» of Russian culture. Victoria offered an excursion into the history of ballet, introduced the most famous dancers and listed what makes Russian ballet a unique phenomenon of world culture. The internationally recognizable music of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, accompanying immortal productions, made this part of the meeting truly unforgettable.
On the Ethiopian side, the students in turn spoke about their country’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Ms. Mekdes Tilahun Yihun, a student of Injibara University, presented the report «The Living Heritage Paradigm: Integrating Community Stewardship with Modern Conservation», especially stressing the importance of building a complete system of management of cultural heritage sites. Mr. Fentahun Endele Lashiteh (Injibara University) in the report «Cross-Continental Perspectives: Sustainable Tourism and the Economic Vitality of World Heritage Sites» focused on economic models that, in his opinion, can attract tourists and thereby make Ethiopia’s cultural events better known in the world. Visiting folklore festivals where traditional songs are performed is the subject of his special attention, and Fentahun confirmed his involvement in the process by performing a traditional Ethiopian melody.
Ms. Ribka Tewodreos (Addis Ababa Science and Technology University) in the report «Digital Custodianship: Leveraging Emerging Tech for Heritage Preservation in Developing Contexts» focused on how technology influences cultural preservation practices. Ribka introduced those present to the Kingdom of Aksum, one of the oldest empires in modern Ethiopia, and then showed how to use digital analogues to introduce its heritage to the modern inhabitants of the planet.
Students from Ethiopia prepared more reports and were ready to talk about a variety of cultural monuments of their country. For example, Ms. Hawi Demoz (Addis Ababa University) chose the Lalibela Church, carved from stone and still keeping many secrets, for her presentation. Unfortunately, the time limit did not allow everyone to speak, but the large number of responses to the session indicates its possible continuation as a series of meetings. Also, following the results of thematic student sessions, all speakers were invited to joint publication in Russian in the «Ethnodialogues» Information and Analytical Almanac.
The meeting ended with a mutual invitation to visit each other, as well as an expression of readiness to continue communication between students of Russia and Ethiopia – not only on this topic, but also on everything that interests young people of the two countries. The professors welcomed the initiative and hoped that the session would launch a long and successful partnership between universities in Russia and Ethiopia in research and educational initiatives.
«This session was a remarkable example of international dialogue and cooperation. We explored different aspects of heritage preservation – from tangible monuments to intangible traditions, from community efforts to digital innovation. I hope this cooperation will continue in various forms, strengthening ties between our peoples and universities,» said Mr. Alemu Getahun, summing up the meeting.
We thank our Ethiopian colleagues for responding to the initiative of the UNESCO Chair of Moscow Pedagogical State University, for an interesting meeting, the desire to develop cooperation. We express our deep gratitude to the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO and the Ethiopian National Office for UNESCO for supporting the projects of the UNESCO Chair of the Moscow Pedagogical State University in the field of ethnocultural education of youth, multicultural education and international humanitarian cooperation.
All meeting materials will be published on the project page https://mpgu.su/mezhkulturnyj-partnerstvo-obrazovanii/
Marina Krivenkaya
