The official opening ceremony of the Tehran ICH Centre of UNESCO (The Regional Research Centre for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in West and Central Asia) was held on Saturday, November 10, 2012, at Iran International Conference Centre, and the members of Mana Naqsh participated in the ceremony, performing art and cultural programmes.
In this ceremony, the managers of this centre, the first deputy and the deputies of the president of Iran, the head of the Organization of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism, the ambassadors of foreign countries, the representatives of the countries in the Western and Central Asian region, the representatives of UNESCO, and some of the cultural managers of Iran and the world attended the ceremony, and Dr Yadollah Parmoon, the head of the centre, and the deputy of the president of Iran gave a speech and the members of Mana Naqsh performed a concert for the audience.
Tehran ICH Centre of UNESCO is the fourth centre in Asia and the fifth fourth centre in the world concerning intangible cultural heritage studies. The centre is one of the organizations under the auspices of UNESCO, which was established following the agreement between Iran and UNESCO after Iran joined the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and it officially started working on Saturday, November 10, 2012.