Sadyr Zhaparov holds talks with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay

Bishkek, April 1, 2021 / Kabar /. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov today held talks with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay via video conference. During the talks, an exchange of views took place on measures to strengthen partnership and cooperation in the field of education, culture and science, the Kyrgyz president’s press service said. The head of state noted that Kyrgyzstan attaches great importance to cooperation with UNESCO and thanked the Organization for the rendered technical and advisory assistance to the Ministry of Education and Science of the country in the transition to distance learning, which made it possible not to interrupt the learning process of schoolchildren during the outbreak of coronavirus infection. The president expressed confidence that the development of cooperation with UNESCO will further improve the digitalization of the education system and improve the quality of education. The head of state, recalling that the UN declared 2021 the International Year of the Creative Economy for Sustainable Development, noted the active development of creative production in the country in recent years. Given the importance of this process, he called on UNESCO to strengthen cooperation in this area. In addition, Sadyr Zhaparov dwelled on the international initiatives of Kyrgyzstan to reduce the negative consequences of climate change and protect biodiversity, highlighting the ongoing efforts of the country to save the snow leopard, as well as the preparation of proposals to UNESCO on the inclusion of the Issyk-Kul basin in the global network of geoparks. The head of state invited Audrey Azoulay to an international conference in the field of higher education, which is planned to be held in September 2021, and also proposed to consider the possibility of her ascent to the 5000th UNESCO peak located in Kyrgyzstan to visually familiarize with the state of glaciers in the country. UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay noted the active foreign policy activities of President Sadyr Zhaparov, as well as the fruitful cooperation with Kyrgyzstan over the years of independence. She highlighted the importance of the activities of the Organization, which was especially evident during the outbreak of the coronavirus infection pandemic in 2020, when students around the world were forced to study remotely without face-to-face communication with each other. Audrey Azoulay expressed gratitude to Sadyr Zhaparov for active interaction with Kyrgyzstan in the educational sphere. Audrey Azoulay expressed satisfaction with the level of bilateral cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, and also accepted an invitation to visit the country in 2021 and climb the UNESCO peak in Kyrgyzstan. She also invited Sadyr Zhaparov to visit the UNESCO office in Paris for a full-scale meeting. In conclusion, President Sadyr Zhaparov once again confirmed the readiness of Kyrgyzstan, as a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO, to attach all efforts to advance the activities of the Organization and wished Audrey Azoulay success in the upcoming election of Director-General of UNESCO.