The semester for the newly established chair will start in September 2011. For its curriculum, the chair will draw on the research and experiences derived from the ZEF/UNESCO project in Uzbekistan (starting in 2002), as well as the technical infrastructure it established such as a laboratory for Geographical Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing and soil analysis.

The UNESCO chair in Urgench was established due to a joint effort by the Educational Department of UNESCO in Paris, the UNESCO office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and the National Committee of Uzbekistan to UNESCO. It will be supported for a five-year period and integrated into the Faculty of Biological Sciences at the State University of Urgench.