Aijarkyn Kojobekova is a leading scholar and practitioner in the fields of intangible cultural heritage, memory studies, and civil society development in Central Asia. With over twenty years of academic and professional experience, she has combined research, teaching, and university leadership with international facilitation and capacity-building under UNESCO’s 2003 Convention. Her expertise spans safeguarding ICH, documentary heritage gender equality, and peacebuilding, with a particular focus on linking heritage to education, sustainable development, and civic resilience. She also works on the intersections of gender, climate change, and health, highlighting the cultural dimensions of sustainability and the need for gender-responsive approaches to climate adaptation and public well-being. She has facilitated numerous UNESCO workshops across Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific, contributed to global initiatives as a member of the UNESCO Memory of the World (MoW) Register Sub-Committee for Asia-Pacific and the MoW RSC for the International Register, and published widely on culture, identity, and governance. Fluent in Kyrgyz, Russian, and English, she bridges academic knowledge with practical action to strengthen cultural policies, empower communities, and foster inclusive development.