Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences visited Uzbekistan

On 14-15 September 2021, Ms Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, accompanied by her colleagues Mr Mehrdad Shabahang and Ms Ana Fueyo visited Khiva, Uzbekistan, to participate in the in the International Forum 'Central Asia at the Crossroads of World Civilizations' following the invitation from the Permanent Delegation of Uzbekistan to UNESCO. The event was organized by the Government of Uzbekistan in under auspices of UNESCO at the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan H.E. Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In her speech, Ms Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences expressed her admiration for the region, in particular Khorezm, a place at the crossroads of prominent cultures, the land of great scholars, as well as the key role of the region, located at the center of global exchanges between East and West along the Silk Road for more than two millennia, in the development of many civilizations and the improvement of mutual understanding between them. She also noted, that 'this region is endowed with significant human and political capital to confront them, together, the challenges of today. While we continue celebrating our shared histories and cultural ties'. Ms Ramos suggested to make this Khiva Forum the beginning of a Khiva Process - a platform for policy dialogue and cooperation that gathers local and regional stakeholders regulary to find solutions to Central Asia's challenges. Also it was emphasized, that UNESCO's Social and Human Sciences Sector is ready to support the country to capitalize on the achievements of the Silk Road programme to provide the basis to organize necessary policy dialogue.

On the same day Ms Ramos had a bilateral meeting with Mr. Aziz Abdukhakimov, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Chairperson of the National Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan for UNESCO, dedicated to discussing further strengthening the cooperation between UNESCO and Republic of Uzbekistan, meeting with the Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Council of Turkey and others .

We are confident that the Forum, which also brought together a number of the Academic institutions, experts, and scholars of Central Asian studies, as well as Social and Human Sciences including Philosophy, Linguistics, History, Heritage, Arts, Anthropology, Sociology, Ministers of Sciences, Education, Research and Cultures of Central Asia and neighboring countries including, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Iran, Russian Federation and China will contribute to increasing the interest the interest of the international scientific community in the study of the scientific and intellectual heritage of the peoples of Central Asia, attract the attention and assistance of the world community to the activities carried out in Central Asia.

Photos by Ana Fueyo