On October 3, 2025, the UNESCO Chair «International Education and Integration of the Migrants» and the Faculty of Regional Studies and Ethnocultural Education of the Institute of Social and Humanitarian Education at Moscow Pedagogical State University (Moscow, Russia), together with the Department of Dramatics at the University of Chittagong (Chittagong, Bangladesh), held an International thematic session «UNESCO World Heritage Sites.» This was the second session in a series of student meetings under the «Intercultural Dialogue and Cooperation in Education» project, which Moscow Pedagogical State University launched in 2024 as a priority area of cooperation with BRICS countries and countries of the Global South. The series of meetings opened by a session with students from Helwan University in Cairo, Egypt, on the eve of World Heritage Day (Monuments and Sites Day), which the international community celebrates on April 18. The meetings are being held on-line, in English.
A series of thematic meetings between students from different countries is being held to educate young people about the preservation and promotion of global historical, cultural, and natural heritage and to promote their intercultural competence. This topic is a vector of international cooperation in the modern world and affects broad segments of the population across the globe. The project is the focus of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO and is featured among the leading projects of UNESCO Chairs on the UNITWIN page of the UNESCO website.
Mrs. Ksenia Gaverdovskaya, Senior Advisor to the Secretariat of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO at the Russian Foreign Ministry welcomed the meeting participants. She noted that the initiative to share experiences in the field of cultural heritage preservation is currently at the forefront, and that engaging young people in this work is crucial given UNESCO’s priorities. On behalf of Alexander Alimov, Secretary-General of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, and on her own behalf, Ksenia wished the participants success. She expressed hope that the next step could be the practical implementation of these ideas and the participation of students representing their countries’ World Heritage sites in a program whose overall idea could be summarized as «Youth Preserving World Heritage.»
On the Bangladeshi side, Mr. Arafatul Alam, Associate Professor of the Department of Dramatics at the University of Chittagong, welcomed the students from both countries. «Bangladesh is proud to share knowledge about its UNESCO World Heritage sites, which are an invaluable reflection of our history and culture and a legacy for future generations,» he noted.
Mr. Mustafa Kamal Yatra, a guest lecturer at the University of Chittagong and Executive Director of UTSHO, a well-known Bangladeshi NGO dedicated to promoting access to education for all children, addressed the students with a farewell speech. Emphasizing the importance of intercultural communication, he said, «Any heritage belongs to someone, to the culture of a particular country, to a particular community, but its significance lies in the fact that it transcends national or religious affiliation. These cultural centers are of exceptional importance for education and society.» The professors welcomed the initiative and expressed hope that the session would mark the beginning of a long and successful partnership between the two universities in research and educational initiatives.
The meeting was moderated by Mrs. Marina Krivenkaya, Associate Professor of the UNESCO Chair and Director of the Center for Regional Studies and Humanitarian-Educational Cooperation at Moscow Pedagogical State University, and Ms. Sarmin Sultana, a graduate student in the Department of Cultural Studies at the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities at Moscow Pedagogical State University. She was the first to respond to the proposal for the meeting and attracted students and faculty from the Department of Dramatics at the University of Chittagong.
Opening the series of student presentations, Mrs. Marina Krivenkaya thanked the Bangladeshi representatives for their interest in the topic and active participation in the session. She recalled it was Bangladesh that initiated the inclusion of a day dedicated to the mother tongue in the UNESCO calendar of international dates at the end of the last century. International Mother Language Day, celebrated worldwide on February 21 since 1999, allows us to recall the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity and the special relationship with language as a shining example of the intangible cultural heritage of the world’s peoples.
Mrs. 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 just students but also professors and university staff, want to learn more about Bangladesh’s cultural heritage.» She suggested that not only students but also schoolchildren from both countries, especially those from UNESCO Associated Schools, participate in meetings on the world’s cultural heritage. Mr. Yury Goryachev, Academic Director of the UNESCO Chair at Moscow Pedagogical State University, also attended the meeting.
The students meeting consisted of two sessions. In the first, master’s students from the Faculty of Regional Studies and Ethnocultural Education, studying «Teaching and Popularizing the Russian Language, Culture, and History of Russia among Foreign Citizens,» presented on UNESCO World Heritage sites in Russia. In the second session, undergraduate and graduate students from Bangladesh presented on their country’s cultural and natural heritage. Sarmin Sultana, a postgraduate student in the Department of Cultural Studies at Moscow Pedagogical State University, opened the presentations by students from Bangladesh, describing the incredible beauty and unique lifestyles of the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest on Earth. Yeakin Haider, a master’s student in the Department of Dramatics at the University of Chittagong, led a virtual tour of the historic mosque city of Bagerhat, built in the 15th century. Arpita Bhattacharjee, a master’s student in the Department of Dramatics at the University of Chittagong, examined in detail the architectural features of the unique Buddhist Vihara complex in Paharpur.
Moscow Pedagogical State University master’s students, in turn, presented Russia’s UNESCO World Heritage sites. Varvara Vorontsova introduced the Bangladeshi representatives to the Orthodox tradition, providing a detailed history of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. Vitalina Kholomeeva displayed the beauty of St. Petersburg’s historic center, mentioning its great founders and famous residents of the past. Arina Burova and Oksana Belyaeva, along with conference participants, took a virtual tour of Derbent, Russia’s oldest city and a meeting point of East and West, North and South cultures.
Over 50 people attended the event, including fourth-year bachelor’s students studying in the Pedagogical Education program «History and Educational Work» and first- and second-year master’s students studying in the Pedagogical Education program «Teaching and Popularizing the Russian Language, Culture, and History of Russia among Foreign Citizens,» as well as MPGU faculty and staff. After listening to their international colleagues’ presentations, the future teachers noted not only the extraordinary beauty of Bangladesh’s cultural sites but also their great educational potential, providing insights into religious beliefs and cultural practices, social relations, and everyday life in the past. The Russian students emphasized that it was especially valuable that young people for whom the history of their ancestors is an important part of their own modern lives gave these presentations. Here are the comments the master’s students left after the session.
Varvara Vorontsova: «It was very interesting to participate in an international meeting. It is so impressive: in another country, thousands of kilometers from Moscow, students like us are sitting at computers, and we can share our cultural heritage, chat, and ask questions. The vibrant presentations and detailed reports from our international colleagues showed that, despite each country’s unique culture, Russia and Bangladesh have more in common than we thought».
Oksana Belyaeva: «I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the thematic session ‘UNESCO World Heritage Sites.’ A rewarding experience not only enriched my academic knowledge but also broadened my cultural horizons. This work provided invaluable insight into different educational systems and practices. The professionalism and enthusiasm of the organizers made this event truly unforgettable. Thank you again for making this valuable experience possible!»
The meeting concluded with a mutual invitation to visit each other and an expression of willingness to continue communication between students from Russia and Bangladesh – not only on this topic, but also on all topics of interest to young people in both countries.
We thank our Bangladeshi colleagues for their response to the initiative of the UNESCO Chair at Moscow Pedagogical State University, for the interesting meeting, and their desire to develop cooperation. We express our deep gratitude to the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO for its support of the UNESCO Chair’s projects in the areas of ethnocultural education of youth, policultural education, and international humanitarian cooperation.
Marina Krivenkaya
