UNESCO meeting highlights united approach to advancing education, culture and sciences in Central Asia

The two-day event was the first of its kind in the region, gathering the National Commission officials from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the press release of the UNESCO Almaty reads.

The regional meeting was organized by the National Commission for UNESCO in the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurgali Tasmagambetov, Head of the Kazakhstan National Commission and Mayor of Kazakhstan's capital city presided. The Kazakhstan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yerzhan Kazykhanov, welcomed participants, as did Olzhas Suleimenov, Permanent Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to UNESCO, Sergey Lazarev, Director of the UNESCO Almaty Cluster Office, and Gulmira Isimbaeva, Parliamentary Deputy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Majilis and President of the Kazakhstan National Federation of UNESCO Clubs. Turkmenistan was represented at the meeting by its ambassador to Kazakhstan, Mr. Magtymulu Akmyradov.

In addition to presentations by the National Commissions for UNESCO and UNESCO field offices in Almaty and Tashkent, the meeting featured an exhibit dedicated to the contributions of UNESCO clubs, associated schools and children's' artwork. Special attention during the conference was paid to the importance of Central Asia's World Heritage Sites; member states agreed on the need to produce a greater number of nominations to promote the rich cultural and natural heritage of the region.

Participants drafted a set of recommendations reflecting the work of the meeting, including the need to hold conferences of the UNESCO National Commissions in Central Asia on a regular basis.