Important Moments of 2011
In the speed and complexity of today’s professional world, it is only when the year ends that we have a free moment to stop and reflect on what we have achieved. This is an important opportunity to consider what we have endured, what we have and haven’t achieved, and the times that we have been successful and unsuccessful. It is as if we are seeing a whole year in review, and at this time we tend to focus on the moments that we are most proud of. Considering that 2011 has come to a close now is an ideal time to reflect on some of our exploits during the previous year, and to plan for the future.
United Nations Day
An undeniably important feature of the 2011 calendar was United Nations Day, an annual event which has marked every 24th of October since the UN’s founding in 1945. This year marked the event’s 66th anniversary, and has been considered a unique opportunity to highlight the achievements of UN agencies operating around the globe.
A number of events occurred in Uzbekistan in order to celebrate UN Day. These brought together a large group of individuals of various ages, nationalities and social origins, who participated in a series of meetings, negotiations, cultural occasions and light-hearted activities.
The recognition of UN Day began with a series of competitions designed to raise awareness of UN activities among Uzbekistan’s youth. On the 20th of October the Tashkent State Institute of Oriental Studies brought together ten teams of high-performing students from high schools in Tashkent, so they may participate in the Competition of Intellectuals. Conducted with the support of the United Nations Information Office (UNO), the Intellectual club ‘Zakovat’ and the youth Centre ‘Kelejak Ovozi’, this event was designed to test knowledge of the United Nations’ mission and operations. 60 hopeful students, and as many teachers, mass-media representatives and other students, crowded into the institute’s assembly hall to take part in the ground-breaking event.
The UN Day celebration in Uzbekistan continued on the 21st of October, when more than 50 journalists filed into the conference hall of the United Nations Office in Tashkent to participate in a national press conference. Hosted by the United Nations Information Office, the event gave journalists a unique opportunity to question the representatives of UN agencies in Uzbekistan. Many of the submitted questions related to the achievement of Millennium Development Goals in Uzbekistan, while other questions were directed towards specific organisations. Of particular interest was UNICEF’s work towards the prevention of Polio in Uzbekistan, along with various national initiatives conducted by the United Nations Population Fund. Other questions related to the participation of UN agencies in the planned International Symposium on the ‘National Model of Maternal and Child Healthcare in Uzbekistan: Healthy Mother – Healthy Child’.
Last but not least, the celebration of this international event concluded with an exhibition of the work of the different UN agencies in Uzbekistan, held at the Tashkent Plaza’s Art Centre. Each agency presented the activities they had undertaken during the previous year, while the exhibition also featured an awards ceremony for the Competition of Intellectuals and the associated Essay Competition. This event concluded with a performance by the traditional chamber orchestra ‘Sogdiana’.