Gayane Umerova, Head of the Department for Creative Economy and Tourism of the Presidential Administration, Secretary General of the National Commission of Uzbekistan for UNESCO, was elected Chairman. This decision was a recognition of the country's growing role in international cultural diplomacy and a confirmation of its contribution to the development of UNESCO's global agenda.
The Assembly determines the strategic directions of work in the field of conservation, promotion and management of World Heritage sites. The Chairman leads the meetings, coordinates interaction with the World Heritage Committee and the UNESCO Secretariat, and also represents the Assembly on international platforms.
The 25th session of the General Assembly will consider the selection of new members of the World Heritage Committee, strategies for the preservation of sites, the development of partnerships and the introduction of digital technologies in the cultural sphere. Special attention will be paid to the involvement of youth and the development of cultural tourism.
The Bureau of the Assembly was formed taking into account the geographical balance: the Vice-Chairmen were representatives of Belgium, Mexico, Kazakhstan and Senegal, and the speaker was Noufel El Majdoub from Morocco.
Gayane Umerova's election is an important achievement not only for Uzbekistan, but for the entire region. Central Asia is increasingly becoming a center of modern cultural and humanitarian initiatives.
The Samarkand session of UNESCO has become historic: it has been confirmed that the history of Samarkand dates back at least 3,000 years, the first international prize for ethics of artificial intelligence "UNESCO - Uzbekistan named after Abu Rayhon Beruni" was established, and Khaled El-Enani from Egypt was elected the new Director General of the organization.
Thus, Samarkand has once again confirmed its status as a world center of culture and science, where decisions are made that shape the global agenda in the field of heritage, innovation and ethics.
