Uzbekistan unveils education and AI initiatives at UNESCO conference in Samarkand

Uzbekistan has utilized nan opening of UNESCO’s 43rd General Conference to coming a reform-driven imagination for world practice – 1 centred connected modernising education, expanding AI ethics, strengthening media literacy, safeguarding taste practice and advancing women’s leadership.

Addressing heads of state, ministers and delegates from 190 countries, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev unveiled a group of initiatives he hopes will guideline UNESCO’s schedule successful nan coming years.

They see a level to beforehand inclusive acquisition for children pinch typical needs, a exemplary School of Artificial Intelligence successful Uzbekistan, a world AI morals forum, an International Institute for Digital Heritage, a UNESCO Academy connected Women’s Leadership, and a “UNESCO Ecological Capital” model to recognise cities pursuing reliable greenish policies.

The announcements group nan reside for a milestone gathering – nan first clip UNESCO has held its General Conference extracurricular Paris successful 40 years and nan first clip ever successful Central Asia.

The prime of Samarkand places world decision-making successful a metropolis agelong associated pinch danasiwa and exchange, and signals Uzbekistan’s ambition to grow its domiciled successful multilateral taste and acquisition policy.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay called nan infinitesimal “historic”, noting that Samarkand, often described successful lit arsenic 1 of nan world's astir sparkling taste crossroads provides an evocative backdrop for debates connected education, taste heritage, subject and information.

Why Samarkand, and why now

In his address, President Mirziyoyev emphasised that nan venue is portion of nan message.

Samarkand, he reminded delegates, has shaped technological and intelligence history, pointing to nan observatory of Mirzo-Ulugbek, wherever prima tables later utilized by Copernicus and Kepler were charted.

“Hosting this forum successful Samarkand,” he said, reflects “the precocious spot of UNESCO personnel states successful nan large-scale reforms being implemented successful caller Uzbekistan.”

At a clip of geopolitical tensions and equipped conflicts damaging taste practice and widening gaps successful entree to exertion and education, he urged states to reenforce UNESCO’s domiciled arsenic a level for “constructive cooperation”.

A argumentation schedule built connected education, exertion and heritage

Tashkent’s proposals statesman successful classrooms – from a world system to grow inclusive acquisition to a aviator “School of Artificial Intelligence” and a world forum connected AI ethics. Uzbekistan besides backs a World Summit connected Vocational Education to equip young group pinch integer and imaginative skills.

Heritage argumentation follows, marking 19 November arsenic nan International Day of Documentary Heritage, expanding entree to manuscripts and archives done an International Institute for Digital Heritage and advancing UNESCO’s Memory of nan World programme.

Gender equality features prominently successful nan plan: a UNESCO Academy connected Women’s Leadership and a Global Forum of Women Leaders successful education, civilization and science, hosted successful Samarkand.

Climate argumentation enters done a UNESCO Ecological Capital initiative, recognising cities pinch verified greenish standards, alongside a symposium successful Khiva connected protecting practice amid ambiance change.

To combat online harms, Uzbekistan proposes an International Festival of Children’s Cultural Content and a broad media and accusation literacy strategy.

Additional events see a modern creation biennale successful Bukhara, opening of a Regional Centre for Early Childhood Education successful Tashkent, nan awarding of nan UNESCO-Uzbekistan Beruni Prize, and a forum connected AI successful museums. Uzbekistan will besides accede to nan Global Convention connected nan Recognition of Qualifications successful Higher Education.

Multilateral practice nether scrutiny

For UNESCO officials, nan week successful Samarkand is some symbolic and substantive.

Audrey Azoulay told Euronews nan venue reflects Uzbekistan’s readiness to prosecute nan world:

“People came from each region to talk taste heritage, h2o cooperation, acquisition and AI. This is simply a spot wherever ideas person ever travelled, and that matters successful our existent context.”

Matthieu Guével, UNESCO’s Director of Communications, underlined applicable outcomes:

“When 194 personnel states beryllium astatine nan aforesaid array and work together norms, whether it’s nan morals of neurotechnology aliases nan reconstruction of Mosul – that is not symbolic. It shows world practice tin still deliver.”

Tawfik Jelassi, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, said nan gathering will style UNESCO’s adjacent phase.

“This convention confirms strategy and budget, but besides really nan organisation adapts to caller knowledge, caller risks and caller opportunities. Samarkand embodies those themes.”

Regional and member-state perspectives

From Central Asia, Secretary-General of Kazakhstan’s National Commission for UNESCO Zhanna Arshaymenova described nan arena arsenic a shared achievement:

“We spot this arsenic a occurrence for our region. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan collaborate connected World Heritage and Intangible Heritage nominations because we stock taste roots and responsibilities.”

Norway’s Minister of Education, Karin Nessa Norton, highlighted early puerility acquisition and integer responsibility:

“Education for all, particularly girls remains essential. We request human-centred digitalisation and nan skills to recognise disinformation and harmful content.”

Georgia’s Foreign Minister Maka Bochorishvili noted nan negotiated worth of culture:

“For countries rich | successful history, protecting taste practice and linking it to modern challenges is simply a priority. This forum is an opportunity to deepen that conversation.”

From nan big nation’s taste sector, Gayane Umerova, Chair of Uzbekistan’s Art and Culture Development Foundation, reflected connected nan multi-year effort to bring UNESCO to Samarkand:

“The purpose was to position Uzbekistan arsenic a superior partner successful culture, subject and AI. Today we spot genuine liking successful practice crossed media, exertion and heritage.”

Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić praised nan geographic shift:

“It is simply a awesome acquisition to person this gathering here, extracurricular Paris. I dream this exemplary continues.”

Khaled al-Anani, a elder UNESCO official, added that “Member states expect UNESCO to reside emerging challenges without losing show of halfway activity – standards, capacity-building and solutions rooted successful cooperation.”

What it signals for Uzbekistan

Over caller years, Uzbekistan has expanded its UNESCO engagement, adding nan Zarafshan–Karakum Corridor to nan World Heritage list, safeguarding intangible traditions for illustration Shashmaqom, Lazgi and Navruz, launching UNESCO Chairs and restoring practice sites to world standards.

For Tashkent, hosting nan convention is nan adjacent measurement successful a foreign-policy trajectory built connected culture, acquisition and integer transformation. Mirziyoyev framed it arsenic aligning Samarkand’s bequest pinch modern needs: “knowledge, productivity and dialogue” arsenic engines of development.

The roadworthy ahead

If delegates beforehand UNESCO’s activity connected AI ethics, including neurotechnology, adopt a UNESCO Ecological Capital benchmark and move toward a world media-literacy framework, Samarkand will person shaped much than ceremony.

For UNESCO, nan metropolis offers a infinitesimal to reaffirm practice successful difficult times.

For Uzbekistan, it is simply a connection that betterment astatine location and world engagement tin reenforce 1 different crossed classrooms, museums, archives and laboratories.