Peacekeeping is one of our most important tasks

Prof. Edward Yakubov, President of HIT, shares his thoughts on the Uzbek President's speech at the UN.

"Let us commit to ensure basic rights, freedoms, health and wellbeing for all citizens and people of the world.”

Professor Edward Yakubov, President of HIT, shares his thoughts on the Uzbek President’s ‘call for humanitarian action’ following the speech of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 75thUN General Assembly in NY

Professor Edward Yakubov, President of HIT

President Mirziyoyev spoke of mutual commitment between peoples and countries.

“Our goal is to jointly create a fair global system that ensures basic rights, freedoms, health and well-being of every human being. To this end, we propose an International Code of Voluntary Commitments of States during pandemicsunder the UN auspices. This document should reflect each state’s commitments to its citizens and international partners" said President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

It is no coincidence that I chose to quote these words. These are the words of a man who understands his enormous responsibility, not only to the citizens of Uzbekistan, but also to the citizens of the whole world.

This plea is of particular importance in the midst of the pandemic that not only “imitates borders” between nations and peoples but has also focused attention on the fragility of world stability, and our general vulnerability to a mutual, invisible and ruthless enemy.

I would like to believe that this initiative of President Mirzayev will be duly considered and swiftly adopted by both the UN and the leading powers of the world.

The President of Uzbekistan understands its significance firsthand. Already in the first days of his rule, dramatic positive changes took place in his country. In the last four years, the volume of mutual trade between Uzbekistan and its neighboring countries has increased fivefold. Of noteworthy importance, however, is the voluntary commitment of the Central Asian countries to each other, as President Mirziyoyev emphasized in his speech. "During this difficult time for all, our countries did not distance themselves from each other, but provided each other with mutual support."

Personally, I was encouraged by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s words, and impressed by the aspirations he expressed in his remarks for commitment to and between the nations of the world. 

Theinitiatives he proposed includea summit on food security during the ongoing crisis, adoption of the UN Convention on Child Rights, adoption of a special UN General Assembly resolution which would expand the role of parliaments in achieving sustainable development goals. 

I attribute great importance to the speech of the President of Uzbekistan. He directly addressed all the peoples of the world, and shared his vision for the prospect of cooperation which could strengthen international peace, security and stability.

Uzbekistan occupies a special geopolitical place on the world map, being the leading country in Central Asia. For centuries, it’s prominent position on the Silk Road placed it at the crossroads of different countries, cultures, people, languages and religions. The ability of the Uzbek President to maintain lasting and stable peace with all neighbors, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan, has had not only economic impact, but political significance.

This, together with its zero-policy for extremism and terrorism has helped create thousands of jobs for young Uzbeks. As a native of Uzbekistan, I know firsthand about talented young men and women who want to attend prestigious universities in order to expand their knowledge and skills. HIT - Holon Institute of Technologyis happy to help bring this aspiration to fruition, by opening its doors and sharing its knowledge in areas such as Information Technology, Digital Medical Technologies, Telemedicine, and Business Management.

I am pleased to note the first steps for academic collaboration between HIT and our partners from the National University of Uzbekistan and the universities of Samarkand and Bukhara have begun to bear fruit. We plan to further expand and deepen our cooperation with universities and youth organizations there for the further advancement of Uzbekistan.

Finally, I wish great success to the government and people of Uzbekistan in making their ambitious plans a reality. The world needs positive initiatives such as these.

Prof. Edward Yakubov,
President of HIT - Holon Institute of Technology 

First published in Uzbekistan National News Agency
http://uza.uz/ru/society/sokhranenie-mira-odna-iz-vazhnykh-zadach-24-09-2020