From 17 to 18 May, the Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT) hosted the first Model United Nations (MUN) Conference of the season with support from the UN Office (UNO) Tashkent. 

The opening ceremony was attended by Stefan Priesner, the UN Resident Coordinator, Abdumalik Djumanov, the Rector of WIUT and Abdudjabbor Abduvahitov, the Rector of the President’s Academy who later delivered a special lecture on the issue of disarmament in the global agenda. 

The delegates of the first MUN consisted of the students from WIUT, University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Management Development Institute of Singapore in Tashkent, Tashkent Islamic University, Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research and the American University in Central Asia.

After many years, the conference was held with an innovative eye on its methodology: sessions of two General Assembly Committees took place simultaneously with two separate issues on the table.

Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Committee debated the topic of “Ensuring the future prosperity for youth: focusing on youth unemployment”, while the delegates of the International Security Committee held heated discussions on “Fostering international peace and security: disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation”. 

The first MUN concluded with a certificate-awarding ceremony to all the delegates, while the most active participants landed special prizes from the UN Information Office and the WIUT for their outstanding work in such nominations as “The Best Position Paper”, “The Best Delegate and the Best Contribution” and “The Best Speaker”. 

Just in time for World Press Freedom Day, the UN Office (UNO) Tashkent co-hosted with the National Creative Union of Journalists, UNESCO and the World Bank, an award ceremony recognizing the dedicated journalists of Uzbekistan.

Winners of the contest in the areas of television, radio, print and online journalism were presented with certificates and badges and prize money. 

Bobir Komilov of UNO Tashkent presented Azamat Suyunov, of the “Vaziyat” newspaper, an award for his outstanding coverage of the Millennium Development Goals.

Through a creative competition, the status and scale of the participants has continued to rise. In the previous seven contests, 181 journalists were awarded main and supplementary prizes. This year, 410 journalists with about 6,400 creative works entered the competition.

For more photos of the event, visit UNO Tashkent on Facebook!

The UN Office Tashkent continues to keep everyone in the loop on the week's UN activities in Uzbekistan... see for yourself! 

In its eleventh episode, UNews shared knowledge on how the youth television complex Bunyodkor, in cooperation with the National Association of Electronic Mass Media, is preparing to launch a unique media project. A new training center will provide online instructions and information sharing with leading international media experts.

The new interactive platform training center for youth has become the place where people from all regions of the country can chat online with the world's media. The studio is fully equipped to conduct workshops, webinars and space bridges with international and regional stations. UNO interviewed Polina Komleva, Press Secretary of the National Association of Electronic Mass-Media in Uzbekistan, about the significance of the new breath of media.

For its part, UNDP continues to promote good democratic governance based on legal judicial reforms through its “Civil Justice Refom Project: Effective Court management”. Through its project “Supporting Uzbekistan in Transition to a Low-Emission Development Path” UNDP presents to students, from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy and Westminster International University in Tashkent, an electronic course on international climate negotiations. The e-course was organized with modern IT and teaching technologies to ensure better understanding of the negotiation process. The head of this Project Liliya Zavyalova spoke about the first module and plans for the future.

The Development Programme is also focusing on employment policy and planning, social legislation and administration, the advancement of women and supporting socially-vulnerable groups as part of a UNDP Inclusive Employment and Social Partnership Project. The crucial role of civil society organizations in policy formulation and in providing support and employment for vulnerable people has not been fully recognized or used. In this regard, UNDP and the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population launched a complex project “Inclusive employment and social partnership”. Listen online to learn how the Project aims to assist vulnerable groups that are victims of trafficking, domestic violence, women from poor households, single mothers and persons with disabilities.

Tashabbus 2013

Rounding off an even ten episodes of UNews Weekly, the UN Office Tashkent sprung into the rich festivals and holidays of the season in Uzbekistan.

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov initiated a traditional contest for entrepreneurs “Tashabbus-2013”. Tashkent hosted the wide-scale project of artists, art critics and craftsmen of Uzbekistan at the exhibition-fair Bazar-Art.  Watch the episode and learn more about the colourful and inspiring Tashabbus 2013 event.

Turning to UNESCO, the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization supported the development of Uzbekistan`s Education Sector through a seminar that took place in Tashkent on the revision and improvement of the country's draft Education Sector Plan.

UNESCO supports education in Uzbekistan

The episode also covered UNDP's successful Winter School on Human Development in Uzbekistan, which included an intensive on-line module with topics discussed by participants and forum moderators as well as an in-residence module conducted in Samarkand.  

And finally, UNO skyped with Elena Danilova-Cross, DPI Policy Analyst on Social Inclusion and Human Development in the Bratislava Regional Centre on the latest findings in the area of human development.