The role of education in maintaining and preserving peace and social cohesion were discussed in Bishkek

On February 6, “Education for Social Cohesion and Peace” conference was held in Bishkek. The conference was aimed at facilitating the exchange of experience, knowledge and ideas between representatives of the public sector, educational and research institutes, youth activists and experts in the field of education on key aspects of education for sustainable development, social cohesion and peace.

Education plays a crucial role in empowering children and youth to become active participants in the transformation of their societies. This is clearly articulated in Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure that all students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to promote sustainable development, including through training on sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, world citizenship and awareness of the value of cultural diversity and the contribution of culture to sustainable development.

Welcome speeches at the conference were delivered by Roza Otunbayeva, the former President of the Kyrgyz Republic; Nadira Dzhusupbekova, the Deputy Minister of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic; Charles Garrett, British Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic; Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, the head of the Aga Khan Development Organization in the Kyrgyz Republic and Christine Jaulmes, UNICEF representative in the Kyrgyz Republic. In addition, researchers, experts and representatives of civil society and international organizations made presentations and actively participated in the discussions.

The conference was organized by the Aga Khan Foundation and UNICEF in the Kyrgyz Republic with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic and financial support of the UK Government (UKAid).