On October 30, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the opening ceremony of the 43rd session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), held in the city of Samarkand.
Mirziyoyev expressed deep gratitude to President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, President of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, heads of foreign governments, representatives of international and regional organizations, and all delegations for their participation in the conference.
The Uzbek leader put forward a number of proposals and initiatives aimed at developing key areas of UNESCO’s work.
The development of inclusive education and the use of artificial intelligence technologies were declared an absolute priority. The President proposed the creation of a UNESCO Platform for the Development of Inclusive Education for children with special needs and called for a World Summit on Vocational Education. Uzbekistan is ready to implement the pilot project “Artificial Intelligence – School” and organize an International Forum of Experts on AI Ethics under the auspices of UNESCO.
The leader of Uzbekistan also emphasized the importance of preserving intangible cultural heritage. Interest was expressed in advancing the UNESCO Memory of the World Program, established to protect and ensure access to unique heritage objects, such as oral traditions, manuscripts, archives, valuable historical documents and cultural records.
An initiative was put forward to declare November 19 as International Documentary Heritage Day and to establish an International Institute of Digital Heritage within UNESCO’s structure.
Mirziyoyev proposed holding an International Congress on Crafts and Folk Arts in Bukhara in 2027 within the framework of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
To promote gender equality and develop women’s leadership skills, the President advocated for the establishment of a UNESCO Academy for Women’s Leadership and the organization of a Global Forum of Women in Education, Culture, and Science in Samarkand, with the participation of renowned researchers, artists, educators, and innovators from all continents.
The Uzbek president emphasized the negative impact of climate change on cultural heritage and proposed the establishment of an international initiative, “UNESCO Eco-Capital”, as well as the development of a UNESCO Executive Board resolution on preserving cultural heritage in the context of globalization and climate change. Uzbekistan expressed its readiness to host an international symposium on this topic in Khiva.
Among other priorities, the need to counter the spread of misinformation in the digital space, protect public opinion, and combat discrimination, was emphasized. The President proposed organizing an International festival of children’s cultural content and developing a Comprehensive UNESCO strategy for media literacy development.
Mirziyoyev also stressed the importance of strengthening interfaith harmony, combating radicalism and Islamophobia, and promoting Islamic culture and enlightenment worldwide, stating: “It is important to widely promote such universal values as tolerance, mutual understanding, and concord”.
He proposed to actively leverage the potential of unique projects in Uzbekistan — the Center of Islamic Civilization and the research centers of Imam Bukhari, Imam Maturidi, Imam Termizi, and Bahauddin Naqshband.
Photo: president.uz
