Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 18 April, the international scientific and practical conference “Strengthening scientific cooperation for sustainable development of Central Asia” was held in Astana, organized by the Presidential Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan jointly with the UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty.

The event is timed to coincide with the proclamation by the UN General Assembly of 2024–2033 as the International Decade of Science for Sustainable Development.

Speaking at the conference, First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISMI), Akramjon Nematov, especially emphasized that Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan carry out important missions within the framework of UNESCO. In particular, Kazakhstan was elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for 2023-2027, and in 2025, Uzbekistan will hold the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand for the first time in 40 years outside of Paris.

Akramjon Nematov is convinced that through joint efforts the countries will make a worthy contribution to the development of international cooperation in the field of culture, science and education.

“And today’s conference in Astana is a clear indicator of the readiness of our countries to jointly participate in the international scientific dialogue, to jointly use the latest scientific achievements in the implementation of sustainable development goals both globally and in the Central Asian region,” he said.

According to the expert, undoubtedly, partnership with UNESCO can serve and is already serving as an important mechanism for unlocking the common scientific potential of the Central Asian states and establishing effective cooperation with the international scientific community.

According to him, there are all the prerequisites for this.

In recent years, the countries of Central Asia have taken their interaction with UNESCO to a qualitatively new level. In particular, following the visit of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to UNESCO headquarters in Paris in 2018, for the first time in the Organization’s practice, a Country Program was adopted, and following the return visit of UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay to Uzbekistan in 2019, a separate “road map” on the development of bilateral cooperation.

An important event was the holding, at the initiative of the leader of Uzbekistan, in 2021 in the ancient city of Khiva under the auspices of UNESCO of the international forum “Central Asia at the crossroads of world civilizations.”

The resulting declaration, unanimously approved by a resolution of the UNESCO General Conference, launched the so-called “Khiva Process” - a dialogue platform designed to promote regional and international cooperation in collectively ensuring sustainable peace and development in the region.

Akramjon Nematov expressed confidence that by joining forces, it is possible to fill this process with practical content and direct it towards solving the common problems that the region faces today.

It was noted that all conditions have been created for such interaction today. Thanks to the political will and joint efforts of the leaders of Central Asia in recent years, regional cooperation has become sustainable and is steadily developing along an upward trajectory.

A completely new political atmosphere of mutual trust, good neighborliness and dialogue has formed in Central Asia, and the trend towards the comprehensive development of mutually beneficial cooperation has firmly established itself.

Regional cooperation is producing tangible results.

From 2016 to 2023, foreign trade in Central Asia more than doubled, FDI in the region increased by 45%. The volume of mutual investments has increased almost 6 times. As a result, the total GDP of the countries in the region grew by 47%.

However, according to the recognition of the first deputy director of ISRS, the potential of Central Asia has not yet been fully realized. The region is located at the junction between centers of economic activity, has a sufficient resource base, developed production and human potential.

Home to 80 million people, it is a young, dynamic region where the average age is 28 years.

“Further development of regional cooperation will reveal the internal reserves of Central Asia, transform the region into an integral link of interregional interconnectedness, increase its self-sufficiency and sustainability, and the ability to more effectively respond to the challenges of our time,” concluded Akramjon Nematov.

The conference was attended by government and public figures, deputies of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations accredited in Kazakhstan, research scientists, experts and others.