Samarkand Hosts Historic UNESCO Conference: A New Era for Global Cultural and Digital Cooperation
By Kuban Andymen
SAMARKAND: The 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference has officially opened in the historic Uzbek city of Samarkand, marking the first time in over four decades that the event has been held outside the organization’s Paris headquarters. The conference will continue until November 13, 2025.
The opening session was attended by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić, Slovakia’s President Peter Pellegrini, and representatives from UNESCO’s 190 member states, along with delegates from international organizations, academic institutions, and cultural bodies. The Silk Road Samarkand Conference Center serves as a fitting venue, symbolizing centuries of exchange between civilizations.
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay inaugurated the general policy debate with a reflection on her eight years at the helm, invoking the Silk Road as a timeless emblem of cultural dialogue and intellectual exchange. She noted that under her leadership, UNESCO’s resources had grown by nearly $800 million, an increase of 82 percent, thanks to a strategic realignment that emphasized “concrete action on the ground.”
The conference agenda encompasses some of the most pressing global priorities — digitalization and artificial intelligence in education, cultural heritage preservation, sustainable development, gender equality, and youth engagement in humanitarian efforts.
In his keynote address, President Mirziyoyev welcomed delegates to Samarkand — “a city that has earned its place in human history as a cradle of humanistic thought, knowledge, and inter-civilizational dialogue.” He cautioned that “the gap is widening among nations in access to knowledge, technology, and digital resources,” which in turn “deepens inequality and poverty.”
“These complex circumstances compel us to unite our efforts more than ever to fully realize UNESCO’s noble objectives,” he said.
President Mirziyoyev also outlined several initiatives aimed at elevating cooperation with UNESCO, including the creation of a UNESCO Platform for Inclusive Education, the “School of Artificial Intelligence” pilot project, and efforts to strengthen the Memory of the World Program.
Additionally, he proposed establishing a UNESCO Academy for Women’s Leadership, a Network of UNESCO Cities to Combat Climate Change, and a global program to counter misinformation and foster mutual understanding in the digital era.
The choice of Samarkand — a crossroads of civilizations for millennia — underscores Uzbekistan’s rising stature, and that of Central Asia, as a dynamic hub of cultural dialogue and international cooperation.
