Uzbekistan – UN: A new stage of cooperation
Uzbekistan’s cooperation with the United Nations has reached a new level recently. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in his speeches at the UN General Assembly, usually draws the attention of the world community to essential issues for the people of the planet and puts forward several vital proposals. Most importantly, these proposals and initiatives are regularly recognized by the world community and reflected in official UN documents.
On the eve of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, it is worth recalling the speech of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, on September 19, 2017, which was of great importance not only for the country and the Central Asian region, but also for the whole world.
At that time, the Head of state first drew the attention of the international community to the fact that Uzbekistan had entered the stage of rapid development, implemented strict reforms, and formed a new image of the country.
He emphasized that the political activity in society has increased. The implementation of straightforward principles such as “Human interests are above all” and “It is not the people who should serve the state bodies, but the state bodies that should serve people”, and the establishment of a democratic state and a just society has been set as a priority goal.
It was noted that in cooperation with the International Labour Organization, effective measures are being taken to eliminate child labor and forced labor, a program of measures has been developed to strengthen the guarantee of human rights protection and open dialogue with national and international non-governmental organizations on human rights protection has been activated.
In his speech, the President said that fundamental problems in the region would be discussed at the high-level international conference in Samarkand in November. Following the meeting, a proposal to adopt a special resolution of the UN General Assembly to support the efforts of Central Asian countries to ensure security and strengthen regional cooperation is planned.
Thus, the same initiative put forward at the international conference “Central Asia: Common History and Common Future, Sustainable Development and Cooperation in the Path of Development” held in the city of Samarkand under the auspices of the UN on November 10, 2017, was supported by all countries and international organizations in the region. In addition, the initiative to hold regular consultation meetings of the leaders of the Central Asian countries, which was recently held 5 times, was announced by the President of Uzbekistan from the UN platform.
When it comes to issues related to security and stability in the world, we cannot ignore the vital issue of rational use of shared water resources. In this sense, Uzbekistan supports the draft conventions on using water resources of the Amudarya and Syrdarya basins developed by the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy.
Within the framework of UN activities, the Leader of Uzbekistan has been constantly drawing the attention of the international community to one of today’s most acute environmental problems – the destruction of the Aral Sea. In this session, Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that eliminating the consequences related to the drying of the sea requires the active integration of efforts at the international level. More precisely, from the podium of the UN, he demonstrated the map of the Aral Sea and the extent of its tragedy.
Consequently, the initiative of the Head of Uzbekistan to establish a Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea region resonated enthusiastically in the world community. One year later, on November 27, 2018, the Trust Fund was launched at the UN Headquarters in New York.
At the meeting, the country’s leader emphasized another urgent and vital issue – stabilization of the situation in Afghanistan “will be an important condition for ensuring not only regional, but also global security”. At the same time, it was expressed confidence that Uzbekistan makes a worthy contribution to the economic recovery of Afghanistan, the development of the transport and energy infrastructure of this country, and the training of its national personnel and that the work in this way will continue.
The main proposal put forward by the Head of Uzbekistan in the 72nd session is undoubtedly the issue related to the rights of the world’s youth.
At a time when the threat of international terrorism and extremism is increasing in the world, focusing on the need to fight against these evils not by using force, but by enlightenment against ignorance, Shavkat Mirziyoyev calls for not only eliminating the consequences of such adverse situations, but also identifying the main reasons that cause them. In this process, first of all, the most essential task is to form and educate the minds and thinking of young people based on enlightenment.
– Today’s world youth is the largest generation in the history of humanity, because they are more than 2 billion people”, – Shavkat Mirziyoyev says. – Tomorrow’s well-being of our planet depends on how our children grow up to be human beings. Our main task is to create the necessary conditions for young people to show their potential, to prevent the spread of the “virus” of the idea of violence. For this, it is necessary to develop multilateral cooperation in social support of the young generation and protection of their rights and interests. In this regard, Uzbekistan proposes to develop a generalized international legal document – the UN International Convention on the Rights of Youth – aimed at forming and implementing youth policy in today’s conditions of rapid development of globalization and information and communication technologies.
At this prestigious session of the UN General Assembly, the Head of the country drew the attention of the world public to another significant issue.
It is known that Muhammad Ismail Imam Bukhari, one of the many prominent figures of the Renaissance period in Central Asia, who made an invaluable contribution to world civilization, is recognized throughout the world as the author of “Sahih al-Bukhari”, the holy book after the Holy Qur’an in the Islamic religion. The opening of the Imam Bukhari International Research Center in the city of Samarkand and the establishment of the Islamic Civilization Center in the capital of Tashkent serve noble purposes to preserve and study the rich heritage of this great person and to spread his teachings about enlightened Islam.
The President addressed the session participants with an offer to adopt the special resolution of the UN General Assembly “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance”. It was noted that the document aims to ensure everyone’s right to education, help eliminate illiteracy and ignorance, establish tolerance and mutual respect, ensure religious freedom, protect believers’ rights, and prevent discrimination.
It is noteworthy that one year later, on December 12, 2018, at the plenary session of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, another initiative presented by Uzbekistan was implemented – a special resolution of the UN General Assembly entitled “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance” was adopted.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s speech at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly recognized the crucial role of the UN in international relations and emphasized that Uzbekistan would continue cooperating with the organization.
All the issues brought to the attention of the world community by the Head of state from this high platform are noteworthy for their vitality, urgency, and the fact that the initiatives were put forward promptly. After all, these proposals, which show the essential tasks facing humanity, are immediately recognized by the international community and are reflected in the primary documents within the framework of the United Nations Organization.
In a word, now the world community sees Uzbekistan as one of the active participants who set the agenda not only in the region, but also in the international arena.
Naturally, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will directly attend the 78th session of the UN General Assembly, which will begin its work on September 19 in New York City, and will deliver a speech as part of high-level political discussions. This time, the Leader of Uzbekistan is expected to introduce the international community not only to the consistently ongoing reform process in the country, the results achieved in human rights, and socio-political modernization, but also to promote several vital initiatives of both regional and global importance.
Gayrat Khonnazarov,
National News Agency of Uzbekistan
