Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 30 October — The 43rd UNESCO General Conference officially opened on 30 October, taking place for the first time in four decades outside the Organization’s Paris headquarters. The historic city of Samarkand is hosting delegations from 181 countries, in a meeting marked by the conclusion of the term of office of Director-General Audrey Azoulay and the election of her successor.
During the opening day, the new President of the General Conference, Ambassador Khondker Mohammad Talha of Bangladesh, assumed his functions. His mandate will run until 2027. The opening session featured addresses by the Director-General, who presented an overview of her tenure, and by the President of Uzbekistan, H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The host Head of State highlighted the symbolic value of holding the Conference outside Paris, underscored his country’s cooperation with UNESCO, and presented a set of national initiatives to be promoted, including the creation of an artificial intelligence platform for inclusive education and the proposal of Bukhara as a host city of the Creative Cities Network in 2027.
The Cuban delegation will be headed by the First Deputy Minister of Communications, Ernesto Rodríguez Hernández, together with the President of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO, Ms. Dulce María Buergo Rodríguez, and Laura Álvarez Delgado, official of the Permanent Delegation of Cuba to UNESCO. Cuba participates with the commitment to contribute to strengthening the Organization in a complex and challenging international context.
Among the most relevant items on the agenda of this edition is the adoption of a Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology, considered one of the main expected outcomes of the Conference.
The UNESCO General Conference is the Organization’s supreme decision-making body. It defines its main policies and lines of action, approves programmes and budgets, and adopts decisions in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. It meets every two years and is composed of all Member States.