Silk Roads Living Heritage Network (SRLHN) grew out of the decade of experience and achievements gained from the collaborative works of ICHCAP with other institutions and experts in the field of living heritage in Central Asia. The Network’s legitimacy is based on the 2003 UNESCO Convention on Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Silk Road Programme.

The official inauguration of the Network took place on October 2021 along with the Living Heritage Forum “Promoting a Culture of Peace and Facilitating Sustainable Development along the Silk Roads.” The Coordinating Bureau members were nominated by the UNESCO National Commissions of nine founding member states (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, Tajikistan, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan) in addition to ICHCAP and International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS).

Following the success of the network launching, there have been a number of collaborative projects such as survey projects on ICH festivals and handicraft workshops, online photo-exhibition, as well as establishment of the web platform for centralising data, publications, and interactive contents.

In October 2022, ICHCAP in close collaboration with IICAS, the European Association of Folklore Festivals (EAFF), and the Traditional Arts Association in Turkiye held its annual Coordinating Bureau Meeting in Istanbul. The event was first in its character in terms of allowing all Coordinating Bureau members to gather offline within the framework of the International Folklore Dance and Music Festival BOSPHORUS. The participants discussed the amendments to the Network’s Statutes and Rules of Procedure, future activities, and mid-long-term strategy for the operation of the Network. At the meeting, 16 additional ICH Festivals have been accepted as Network members, which makes it a total of 39 Festival members. Along with that, a new partnership has been established with the International Centre for Documentary Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO (ICDH) and Busan Foundation for International Cooperation (BFIC).

Overall, the Network aims to strengthen the capacity to safeguard ICH by sharing information, raising international awareness, and ultimately promoting a culture of peace along the Silk Roads. The Network is open to both individual and institutional memberships, as well as partnerships with those interested in enhancing cooperation and networking among the ICH-affiliated institutions in the Silk Road region.