00:02There are so many aspects that we can learn from this heritage and from this civilization,
00:07especially in today's volatile world.
00:11Interactions between civilizations have always taken place.
00:15It's not something new. We need to draw on it, leverage these interactions
00:20to pass it on to the next generation and build a culture of peace.
00:27For centuries, Uzbekistan has been a crossroads of ideas, scholarship and discovery.
00:33That rich history and its legacy were at the heart of a recent gathering at UNESCO in Paris.
00:40Initiatives like today's forum can reinforce the intercultural dialogue.
00:44I'm talking about the shared cultural legacies.
00:48Knowing this cultural legacy, knowing this history, can help us build trust,
00:53between the people of different cultures, making a better future for all of us.
00:59Civilizations are not growing in isolation.
01:02We cross-fertilize each other and it is a message that we need to share
01:07to see that we have much more in common than elements that separate us.
01:11UNESCO has been a part of the work of the UNESCO.
01:16We have been working to the UNESCO and the UNESCO and the UNESCO,
01:20the UNESCO and the UNESCO, the UNESCO and the UNESCO.
01:25A central feature of the meeting at UNESCO was Uzbekistan's new centre of Islamic civilisation.
01:32Initiated by the country's president in 2017, the flagship project in Tashkent brings together the nation's rich cultural and intellectual
01:41heritage.
01:42In this centre, there is a absolutely extraordinary museum that reflects all this great history.
01:50And in this sense, I think that for education, it's a great step forward for the people of Uzbekistan.
01:58And for the whole world, to be able to see all these magnificent objects
02:04that have been represented in this museum, it's extraordinary and unique.
02:08Uzbekistan is one of the key, let's say, countries along the historic Silk Road at the heart of Central Asia.
02:15These centres, like the Uzbekistan Islamic Civilization Centre, can help us to identify, to document,
02:22and also to promote our shared past, our shared history.
02:26The Islamic Civilization Centre, the President of the Islamic Civilization Centre,
02:30told us that this is the only way to cut our buildings and museums.
02:34This is the only way to cut the scientific platform.
02:39Alongside the Centre of Islamic Civilisation, several new research institutes across Uzbekistan
02:44are also helping to deepen understanding of the region's legacy.
02:49The emergence of the many centres around Uzbekistan, like the Centre for Islamic Civilization,
02:55the Al-Bukhari Memorial Centre, Imam Kermidi Memorial Centre, are shedding light into this cultural heritage.
03:02And by every passing day, we see more and more efforts and we look forward to much more.
03:08The question of whether cultural artefacts should be returned to their countries of origin also came into focus.
03:15It is a difficult process.
03:17Not many countries necessarily agree to give back something that they owned throughout the times and ages,
03:25but it is happening.
03:26I think it is very important that these artefacts go to where they belong, they go back home.
03:31At the heart of it all was the wider question of how heritage can foster greater mutual understanding.
03:38Uzbekistan has been very, very active for promoting, protecting its cultural legacies
03:43and we do hope that they continue to do this and it can inspire other countries as well.
03:48Finally, the culture is put forward.
03:52We can see them, we can touch them, we can study them.
03:55And that for us is a very, very great chance and a great opportunity,
03:59to advance in our research more and more.
04:01We live in a time where hate speech spreads very fast.
04:06So this opportunity is to sit, speak, exchange ideas and dialogue,
04:13help people understand each other and prepare for a culture of peace.
04:18I think there is much more need for attention, shedding light towards this part of the world,
04:24because it has a lot to offer in terms of the legacy, diversity, shared human heritage dialogue
04:30and efforts towards the betterment of the society and the humankind.
04:37The Forum in Paris was part of a wider programme to showcase Uzbekistan's heritage,
04:42with presentations also taking place at the UN in New York and Geneva.
04:47Thank you very much.
