Presentation of “National policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of science, technology and innovation (2022-2030)”
Today on 19 April, UNESCO presented a project “National policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of science, technology and innovation (2022-2030)”, which is implemented jointly with the Ministry of Innovative Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Minister of Innovative Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ibrokhim Abdurakhmanov, Head of UNESCO Office in Uzbekistan Alexandros Makarigakis, UN Resident Coordinator Roli Asthana and others made opening remarks at the event.
“National policy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of science, technology and innovation (2022-2030)” was developed in the framework of the UNESCO/IBD project “UNESCO Global Observatory of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Instruments towards strengthening inclusive Science, Technology, Innovation Systems for the Sustainable Development Goals”. This Policy provides a framework for achieving the country’s STI goals for the next decade, including using STI to successfully recover from the crisis caused by COVID-19 and to strengthen an inclusive, equitable and sustainable socio-economic development environment for the country.
The policy development process began in 2020 with a review of STI in the country, conducted according to the UNESCO GO-SPIN methodology in cooperation with MID, which is the authorized state STI authority in Uzbekistan and with financial support from the Islamic Development Bank.
Since the beginning of the current year, seminars were organized to discuss the draft document with the invitation of all interested parties, including representatives of government agencies, international organizations, universities, research institutes, etc. Suggestions and comments received in an official manner from the participants of the seminars were accepted and taken into account in the final draft of the document.
This Policy establishes the foundation for achieving the country’s STI goals for the next decade, including applying STI to successfully recover from the crisis caused by COVID-19 and strengthening an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable socio-economic development environment for the country. Furthermore, the Policy establishes a framework for reaping the benefits from the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) and the transformative potential of advanced technologies, while taking the necessary steps to address their potential negative impact on jobs and ethical concerns.
Participants noted that the National Policy will pave the way for new investments in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by eradicating poverty and creating an innovation ecosystem.