At the International Institute for Central Asia (IICA), a meeting was held between the Institute’s Director, Javlon Vakhabov, and a delegation from the State of Utah, led by Senate President Stuart Adams.
The parties discussed a wide range of issues, including expanding cooperation in sustainable mineral resource development, new formats for attracting investment, and introducing modern technologies.
In his remarks, the Senate President highly praised Uzbekistan’s achievements in technological development and noted that the country’s success in information technology and digital transformation has attracted the interest of American businesses.
Special attention was given to supporting youth and developing educational programs. In this context, Jonathan Freedman, CEO of World Trade Center Utah, also highlighted the demographic similarities between Uzbekistan and Utah, where over 60 percent of the population comprises young people.
In turn, Javlon Vakhabov, Director of the International Institute for Central Asia (IICA), emphasized the role of education as the foundation of sustainable interstate partnership. Given the region’s rapid population growth, both parties expressed interest in attracting new educational initiatives from Utah and expanding youth and high-tech development programs.
Miles Hansen, President and CEO of the Stirling Foundation, noted that since 2019, the American nonprofit organization has implemented more than 450 projects in 45 countries worldwide. Uzbekistan has become one of the key destinations, where large-scale initiatives have been launched in education, healthcare, entrepreneurship, and intercultural dialogue.
Summing up the meeting, IICA Director Javlon Vakhabov stated that the agreements reached are taking concrete form thanks to the systematic support of initiatives from both sides. He also expressed the Institute’s readiness to facilitate the study of educational, humanitarian, and technological projects within the framework of regional and international cooperation.
G. Khonnazarov, UzA