Two workshops were held in Afghanistan in September 2011, one in Kabul and one in Bamiyan. The Kabul workshop was hosted by the Ministry of Information and Culture in the National Museum of Afghanistan. An international exert in intangible heritage safeguarding and a representative of ICOM (Prof A. Galla) were brought in to facilitate both workshops. As the implementation of the Convention and understanding of the concept of ICH is in its infancy in Afghanistan, the agenda followed the introductory aspects of documentation, promotion and safeguarding of ICH. The workshops were both well attended and well received, with participants from various local and national government departments of the Ministry of Information and Culture, both Kabul and Bamiyan Universities and representatives from several NGOs with an interest in ICH.

In Bamiyan in particular, there was a great eagerness to document and promote ICH as another significant component of the World Heritage properties, in this region where a large number of people live within and/or close to the boundaries. In this regard, participants were very interested in seeking UNESCO’s assistance in raising funds for a new museum in Bamiyan, which could become a centre for ICH documentation and implementation of the Convention.