UZBEKISTAN HEArT of THE SIlK roAd - Embassy of the Republic of ...

40 u z b e k i s ta n r e p o r tu z b e k i s ta n r e p o r t 41WORKING TOGETHER INUZBEKISTANSteve McNulty, Director of the British Council in Uzbekistan,highlights the fruits of this flourishing partnershipAs the UK’s official body for cultural relations,the British Council’s aim is to build engagement and trustfor the UK between people of different cultures through theexchange of knowledge and ideas. In our 110 offices aroundthe world we seek to achieve this aim through our work inour three main programme areas: Intercultural Dialogue, theCreative and Knowledge Economy and Climate Change.As Director of the British Council Uzbekistan, I wasdelighted to be asked to contribute to this edition ofDiplomat and to write about the work we are doing in thiscountry with the support and collaboration of a range ofpartners such as the Ministries of Public Education andof Higher and Specialised Secondary Education, the StateCommittee for the Protection of the Environment and theFund Forum of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan.I arrived in Uzbekistan in August 2009 and this was thefirst time that I had ever worked in Central Asia. It was apleasure to discover what a great place Tashkent is to live andto enjoy the warm hospitality of the Uzbek people.Early meeting with key contacts showed that educationwas a very high priority on the government’s agenda atboth secondary and tertiary level, and that the FundForum had a strong programme of activities aimed atcreating opportunity and empowering young people. Itwas also interesting for me to see the importance that isgiven in Uzbekistan to preparing young people for themodern world, while at the same time teaching them arespect for national heritage, traditions and customs.It was quickly clear to me that the staff in the Tashkentoffice were doing some marvellous work in collaborationwith a range of local partners and I am delighted thatBritish Council in Uzbekistan’s diverse programmeportfolio is contributing to national reforms in educationand arts, raising awareness of climate change issues andstrengthening partnerships between institutions andpeople in Uzbekistan and the UK.Some examples of recent work which illustrate this are:• The INSPIRE regional project launched in 2009 whichaims at establishing strategic partnerships between highereducation institutions in Uzbekistan and the UK. We havealready established four very successful links and aim to raisethe total number to 12 sustainable partnerships by 2012.• The collaborative work being done by Uzbek and UKdesigners as part of our New Silk Road project which hasbeen showcased at two international fashion events – theStyleUz Art Week in Tashkent in October 2009 and LondonFashion Week in February 2010.• The Climate Generation programme launched inNovember 2009 which aims to raise the awareness of ayoung population about climate change issues. This projectwas an exciting new development in our work whichwas made possible by the support of the State Committeefor the Protection of theEnvironment.• The attendance of therectors of the Universityof World Economy andDiplomacy and Universityof World Languages at theBritish Council ‘GoingGlobal 4’ internationaleducation conference in London in March 2010.Steve McNulty, Director, BritishCouncil in Uzbekistan• Tashkent – ‘The History of One City’ photo exhibitionwhich took place in Cambridge and London in March2010 and was a good example of our partnership withthe Fund Forum, Uzbek Embassy in London andthe British-Uzbek Society. This wonderful exhibitionconsisted of around 80 photographs capturing Tashkentat the most important stages of its history from latenineteenthcentury to the present day.• Our work in English language teaching and learning wherewe are working closely with the Ministry of Public Educationon the development of a teacher training programme forteachers of English and the promotion of our on-line learningand teaching resources. We also enjoy an excellent workingrelationship with UzTEA, the national English LanguageTeachers’ Association in Uzbekistan.I have enjoyed an extremely busy first eight months inmy post and look forward to a long and fruitful futurecollaboration with our partners in Uzbekistan, and theopportunity to see and learn more about this fascinatingcountry. www.britishcouncil.org/uzbekistan.htmSuzani embroidery from nineteenthcentury, Bukhara (Uzbekistan)The Burrell Collection, GlasgowMuseums, Culture and Sport(c) Jahon Information Agency under the MFA of UzbekistanOne of the famous azuredomes of Uzbekistanjuly/august 10 } diplomatmagazine.comdiplomatmagazine.com } july/august 10