ZEF/UNESCO project presents its achievements
The symposium was inaugurated by Prof Dr. Paul Vlek frmo ZEF, Prof Dr. Ruzumboy Eshchanov (rector of Urgench State University), Alexander Osipov (representative from UNESCO office in Tashkent), and Kamuljon Djumaniyazov (representative from the Khorezm Hokimiyat). Among the participants were representatives from the Uzbek Parliament (Oliy Majlis), Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Uzbek Committee of Nature Protection, Uzbek Universities in Tashkent, Samarkand, Andijan, Namangan, Uzbek Academy of Sciences, Academy of Uzbekistan, various Uzbek Research Institutes, farmers associations, Water Users Associations, and various Uzbek NGOs as well as from international financial institutions and development agencies operating in Uzbekistan such as the World Bank (WB), German International Cooperation (GIZ), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), National Commission of UNESCO in Uzbekistan, and the International Water Management Institute.
The main messages conveyed at the symposium were:
• Research findings and results from a decade of project achievements are to be out- and up-scaled by the Uzbek NGO KRASS, established by ZEF alumni in Uzbekistan and other ZEF/UNESCO Khorezm project staff and researchers. Although founded only recently, KRASS has been very active in implementing several small scale projects and has the potential to be the successor of the ZEF/UNESCO project;
• Representatives from the Uzbekistan Parliament promised to support the project team and KRASS and expressed their willingness to look into the required (legal) framework for disseminating the project’s results;
• The success of the next phase of ZEF/UNESCO Khorezm project will depend on strong partnerships with different organizations in the country, so a broader audience will learn about the innovations, and the possibilities of KRASS to cooperate in the country and in the region.
