One UN. Tashkent marks the UN Day
It is never a simply task to organise such a complex event as the UN day exhibition, one that requires input and coordination between every UN agency in Tashkent. Regardless, after months of ceaseless focus and effort, the UN Communication Group, the UN Information Centre and each country office in Tashkent succeeded in creating a truly memorable event. Each agency contributed time, focus and creativity to ensuring that every stall was engaging and informative, and the success of their work was evident in the interested expressions of the exhibition’s visitors.
It was earlier in the day that the first UN colleagues arrived the Tashkent Plaza Arts Centre, located adjacent to the International Business Centre and the Intercontinental Hotel, unashamedly yawning and swallowing large amounts of coffee. However, it didn’t take long for the excitement of the upcoming day to cut through the early morning doldrums. Little time had passed before each UN agency, including UNESCO, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNODC, UNICEF, The World Bank, UNFPA, WHO, UN Women and UNV, had arranged their own stalls. Each presentation consisted of tables groaning under the weight of pamphlets and booklets, laptops showing presentations, and informative posters highlighting each agency’s initiatives, messages and achievements. At the entrance of the exhibition stood a graffiti board designed to resemble a giant email to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, initially blank but soon to be filled with statements written by the event’s visitors. Meanwhile the centre’s entrance hall was decked out with banners, while photographers and camera crews stood waiting to capture the arrival of the events first guests. The scene was set for what would be a certainly historic and important date.
After the UN agencies from throughout Tashkent arrived to set up their stalls, and once their representatives were ready to present their agency’s work, the centre’s doors were opened and the interested guests began to arrive. It wasn’t long before the centre’s foyer was brimming with dozens of participants, including representatives of NGO and UN agency colleagues, journalists, business people and interested members of the greater public. The guests discussed and compared what they already understood about the UN’s work in Uzbekistan, shared their expectations for the day and posed for photos taken by the many roaming photographers. The air was abuzz with voices speaking in Russian, Uzbek and English.