On the occasion of the 23rd anniversary of the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Public Diplomacy Center in Tashkent held a briefing with local and foreign media representatives.

The Director of the SCO Public Diplomacy Center, Kabuljon Sabirov, informed about the work carried out and events implemented jointly with partners, such as cultural, scientific, and educational programs, delegation exchanges, thematic forums, exhibitions, music festivals, and sports events. Over the past six years, the organization’s activities have risen to a qualitatively new level.

Summing up the results of the Center’s activities over the past year and a half, Mr. Sabirov noted that 16 memorandums and cooperation agreements were signed with local and foreign partners, 37 scientific and practical workshops, roundtable discussions and creative evenings, 27 exhibitions, 16 festivals and contests, 61 meetings with local and foreign organizations, aimed at further deepening knowledge about the culture of the SCO peoples, strengthening mutual trust between peoples, preserving cultural diversity, were held. One book was published.

Almost 40 articles and information and analytical materials were published during this period to strengthen people’s trust and good-neighborliness, interethnic and interfaith harmony, strengthen inter-civilizational dialogue, expand cultural and humanitarian ties with the SCO member states, and interaction between civil society institutions of the SCO member states.

In 2021, the Center established the “People’s Diplomat” badge. This initiative aimed to encourage the exemplary activities of the Center's local and foreign partners in strengthening mutual trust, interethnic and interreligious harmony, inter-civilizational dialogue, expanding cultural and humanitarian ties, and creating a friendly environment for cooperation between civil society institutions, including youth and women’s organizations.

This badge is awarded to government officials, scientists, writers, representatives of science, art, and culture, civil society activists, youth, and women who make a worthy contribution to the development of public diplomacy in member states.

For the 23rd anniversary of the SCO, the Central Coordinating Council decided to award almost 50 people who contributed to the development of public diplomacy the “People’s Diplomat” badge.

Among them are leading employees of Uzbekistan's ministries, agencies, state and non-governmental organizations, education institutions, and ambassadors of several countries.

According to the SCO Public Diplomacy Center, at the event, memorandums of cooperation were signed between the SCO Public Diplomacy Center and the International Issyk-Kul Forum named after Chyngyz Aitmatov, the Tashkent branch of the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography named after S.A. Gerasimov and the Association of Women Scientists “Olima”.

This solemn event once again demonstrated the incomparable importance of public diplomacy in society. It made a significant contribution to further strengthening good neighborliness, friendship, and cooperation between countries and peoples.

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Photos by Asliddin Alijonov, UzA