Uzbekistan and UNESCO strengthen ties in Education
During a visit to Uzbekistan on 15-16 July to represent UNESCO at the International Conference on “Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity, Challenges and Opportunities” convened at the initiative of H.E. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the Assistant Director-General for Education Stefania Giannini met with national authorities to strengthen cooperation at all levels of education.
Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Mr Aziz Abdukhakimov, she asserted her personal implication in the EU-funded project on “Skills Development for Employability in Rural Areas of Uzbekistan” implemented by UNESCO, stating its importance for socio-economic development. She proposed UNESCO’s technical expertise in data analytics and capacity building for education policies and planning, during a meeting with the Minister of Public Education, who shared with her the President’s five-pronged initiative for promoting lifelong learning among youth. She affirmed UNESCO’s commitment to cooperate on promoting human rights education during a discussion with Mr Akmal Saidov, First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and Director of the National Center for Human Rights. Ms Agrippina Shin, Minister of Preschool Education, conveyed how the government had quadrupled the number of preschool educational institutions in the past three years and expressed the country’s commitment to achieve SDG 4.2. The Government reconfirmed its intention to host the Global Forum on ECCE in Tashkent in Autumn of 2022.
Ms Giannini also moderated a panel at the high-level conference on regional connectivity, affirming that “Culture is the power of peace and development. Central Asia is one of the priority regions of our Heritage for Peace program launched last year. It will also host an international symposium later this year on the revitalization of historic cities along the Silk Road in Central Asia. Our partnership project with the European Union in Central Asia, Afghanistan and Iran is aimed at preserving and promoting cultural heritage, as well as improving living standards through heritage tourism”.