SAMARKAND, Thursday, October 30, 2025 : President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Thursday urged the international community to strengthen cooperation in education, cultural preservation, gender equality, and climate action while addressing the opening ceremony of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, held for the first time in 40 years outside UNESCO\u2019s headquarters in Paris.<\/p>\n
Welcoming global leaders, including UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, President Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107 of Serbia, and President Peter Pellegrini of Slovakia, Mirziyoyev said the hosting of the prestigious conference in Samarkand reflected the international community\u2019s trust in Uzbekistan\u2019s ongoing reforms and growing role as a hub of intercultural dialogue.<\/p>\n
THE UZBEK LEADER DESCRIBED SAMARKAND AS \u201cA LAND OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP AMONG NATIONS,\u201d EMPHASIZING ITS HISTORICAL LEGACY AS A CRADLE OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES, CULTURE, AND INTELLECTUAL EXCHANGE.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
He highlighted Uzbekistan\u2019s commitment to UNESCO\u2019s mission of promoting education, science, culture, and heritage protection, calling it \u201ca bridge of harmony between East and West, North and South.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outlining Uzbekistan\u2019s cooperation with UNESCO, President Mirziyoyev noted that a five-year partnership program up to 2027 is being implemented successfully. He cited several milestones, including the recognition of nearly twenty Uzbek cultural traditions\u2014such as Shashmaqom music, Lazgi dance, Navruz celebrations, and traditional crafts\u2014as intangible world heritage.<\/p>\n
He also underscored Uzbekistan\u2019s contribution to global heritage conservation, with cities such as Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva, and Shahrisabz listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the recent inclusion of monuments along the Zarafshan-Karakum Corridor. \u201cHundreds of cultural sites have been restored in accordance with international standards,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
During the conference, Uzbekistan is hosting a series of events, including the first-ever Contemporary Art Biennale in Bukhara, the inauguration of a UNESCO Regional Center for Early Childhood Education in Tashkent, and the presentation of the UNESCO\u2013Uzbekistan Abu Rayhan Beruni International Prize.<\/p>\n
Presenting a five-point agenda, President Mirziyoyev proposed new initiatives aimed at advancing UNESCO\u2019s global mission. He called for the creation of a UNESCO Platform for Inclusive Education for children with special needs, a World Summit on Vocational Education, and a \u201cSchool of Artificial Intelligence\u201d model project in Uzbekistan. He also proposed an International Expert Forum on AI Ethics to ensure responsible technological advancement in education.<\/p>\n
To safeguard cultural heritage, the President recommended declaring November 19 as the \u201cInternational Day of Documentary Heritage\u201d and establishing an International Institute for Digital Heritage under UNESCO. He also invited member states to participate in an International Handicrafts Congress in Bukhara in 2027.<\/p>\n
Highlighting gender equality as a core UNESCO value, Mirziyoyev proposed establishing a UNESCO Academy on Women\u2019s Leadership and organizing a Global Forum of Women Leaders in Samarkand to enhance women\u2019s participation in education, culture, and science.<\/p>\n
Addressing environmental challenges, he called for the launch of a \u201cUNESCO Ecological Capital\u201d initiative to recognize cities implementing sustainable and green programs, and offered to host an international symposium in Khiva on protecting cultural heritage from climate change.<\/p>\n
The Uzbek president further urged UNESCO to combat misinformation and digital discrimination by developing a global media literacy strategy and hosting an International Festival of Children\u2019s Cultural Content. He also called for joint efforts to counter radicalism and Islamophobia through interfaith understanding, proposing greater use of Uzbekistan\u2019s Islamic Civilization Center and related research institutes as global dialogue platforms.<\/p>\n
Expressing confidence in the success of the conference, President Mirziyoyev said, \u201cThe Spirit of Samarkand \u2014 rooted in UNESCO\u2019s eternal values \u2014 will inspire us to unite for shared progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
He concluded by reaffirming Uzbekistan\u2019s readiness to serve as a bridge for peace, mutual understanding, and sustainable development, calling the gathering \u201ca defining step in strengthening global cooperation for the future of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SAMARKAND, Thursday, October 30, 2025 : President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Thursday urged the international community to strengthen cooperation in education, cultural preservation, gender equality, and climate action while addressing the opening ceremony of the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference, held for the first time in 40 years outside UNESCO\u2019s headquarters in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":84356,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57,67,65,58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84355","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-asia","category-diplomacy","category-foreign-missions","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84355"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84355\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84357,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84355\/revisions\/84357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}