The idea for the International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations germinated during the Nomads Expedition in Mongolia, which was organized by UNESCO in 1992 as part of the Silk Roads project when an international team recommended an institute. During the 27th Session, held in 1993, at the General Conference, UNESCO confirmed the recommendation.
As a consequence of these events, under the auspices of UNESCO, the International Institute for the study of nomadic civilizations was established by an agreement concluded on 16th of September in 1998 between the governments of Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Mongolia with the assistance of UNESCO and the support of the Mongolian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and the Mongolian State Secretary for Science, Technology, Education and Culture.
Since 1999 the IISNC has successfully implemented projects, seminars, expeditions, symposiums with cooperation and support by various organizations, such as UNESCO, research institutions, universities, governments agencies, etc.
According to the 19th resolution C/3 of UNESCO approved in 2005, it was decided to establish the I, II category among the UNESCO institutes and centres; therefore, the IISNC has been included in category II institute of UNESCO since 2005.
In July 2009, during the official visit to Mongolia, the Assistant Director-General for Culture, UNESCO Ms. Francoise Riviere, visited the International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations. During her visit to IISNC, Ms. Francoise Riviere highly appreciated the scientific results of our Institute.
Furthermore, UNESCO Director-General Ms. Irina Bokova highly appreciated the IISNC’s activities at the open ceremony of the Scientific Conference on Culture and Heritage of Xiongnu Empire 10th of July in 2011 during her official visit to Mongolia. She said in her speech that “Mongolia are rightful inheritors and direct descendants of the Hunnu Legacy. And we have to preserve and cherish that legacy. We are witnessing today a rising interest in Mongolian archaeology and ancient history. UNESCO’s International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations in Ulaanbaatar has affirmed its position as a major actor of this movement and an important scientific institution of Central Asian Nomadic History and Culture.”
In 2019, the IISNC renewed its status as the category II Institute at UNESCO for 6 years.
2001 | “Change and Sustainability of Pastoral Land Use Systems in Temperate and Central Asia” international symposium. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2001 | “Dialogue among Civilizations: Interaction between nomadic and other cultures of Central Asia” international symposium Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2001 | “Nomads and Use of pastures Today” international symposium Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2002 | “Cultural Heritage of the Central Asian Nomads” international expedition. Mongolia and China was carried out through the territories of 8 soums |
2002 | The International Fifth Symposium of Asian Folklore Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2003 | “Nomadic civilization of Xinjiang Mongols” joint expedition Chinese Xinjiang region |
2004 | “Dialogue between culture and civilizations: Present state and perspectives of nomadism in a globalizing world” international conference Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2005 | “National Clothes of Nomads, Tradition and Customs” international Scientific Symposium Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2006 | “History and Tradition of Mongolian Statehood” international conference, dedicated to the 800 the anniversary of the establishment of Great Mongolian State by jointly organized of the National Committee “Great Mongolia State-800”, IISNC, Institute of Language and Literature, Institute of History, MAS, National History Museum, Mongolian Educational University and the Mongolian National Committee of UNESCO Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2006 | International joint project on culture, ethnography and anthropology in the borderland of Mongolia and China |
2008 | “Nomadic Society and Cross-Cultural Dialogue” international conference, in Occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the IISNC Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2009 | “Mongol Khoomii” international symposium Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2011 | “Cultural Diversity of Nomads” international conference Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2012-2014 | “Trader and free economic zone during the Russian empire: history, modern time and perspective” Mongolian-Russian joint project Mongolia, Russia |
2015 | “Nomads of the Great steppe and silk road” international conference Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
2018 | “The Silk Road and Nomads” international conference Arkhangai Province, Mongolia |
2019 | “The Tea Road and Nomads” international conference Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia |
