Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 5-7 November, at secondary school No 329 in Tashkent, the second cycle of implementation of the “Hayotga qo ‘shil!”- a global program for the prevention of delinquency and drug use among young people through sports was launched.

This program is organized by the Regional Office of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Central Asia in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Within the framework of this program for 2020-2021, it is planned to train 44 physical education teachers, specialists in spiritual and moral education and psychologists and will cover 21 secondary schools in Tashkent and the Ferghana Valley.

The first three-day trainings were held from 5 to 7 November in Sergeli district of Tashkent city, and from 9 to 11 November in the city of Namangan. They were attended by 44 teachers of secondary education and were trained according to the methodology developed by the UNODC for trainers' guide “Line Up Your Life”, which was run through interactive sessions.

“I believe that the implementation of this program is very timely. The ministry plans to return to the standard form of education in the second quarter. And we hope that this program will help us to rally schoolchildren after long isolation in quarantine. Through this program, our teachers will gain new knowledge to strengthen the life skills of youth involved in sports and improve the protective factors against crime,” said Mr. Dilshod Kenjaev, Deputy Minister of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

“Through this initiative, the Uzbek government and UNODC are demonstrating their commitment to using sports not only to improve the physical and psychological health of people, but also to promote mutual respect and tolerance, and to teach important social and interpersonal skills that help young people avoid crime, violence and drugs,” he continued.

According to Mr. Kuhn Markwing, International Coordinator of the UNODC Regional Criminal Justice Program in Central Asia: “Cascade trainings under the Line into Life program are the next stage of 8 years of fruitful cooperation between UNODC and the Ministry of Public Education. And we are confident that this program will help coaches, teachers and other interested persons in working with young people from 13 to 18 years old to cope with problems in everyday life, especially in a post-quarantine environment. "

The ten sessions of guidance training are sport-based and carefully designed to address a specific set of challenges through the development of the following influencing factors:

- Developing life skills to help adolescents increase their ability to interact with others, build positive relationships and deal with negative emotions to help minimize risk factors and maximize protective factors.

- Raising awareness among young people about crime, violence and drug use, including risk awareness.

- Positively influencing young people's attitudes and behavior that are influenced by their wrong beliefs and beliefs about drugs and violence.

The pilot of the program was first implemented in 2019 in the cities of the Ferghana Valley.

According to Mr. Dilshod Kenjaev: “The piloting yielded results - during the period of the program in 10 schools in Andijan, no cases of offenses were registered among schoolchildren. In this regard, the Ministry made a decision to continue conducting cascade trainings of the "Line into Life" program in 2020-2021 in the Republic of Uzbekistan.”

This work builds on the 2015 Doha Declaration of the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which notes the participation of youth in crime prevention efforts. The tool that was developed as part of the final Global Agenda is also closely linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which highlights the role of sport in social progress.

Through the Doha Declaration Global Program and the UNODC Regional Program for Central Asia 2015-2020, UNODC seeks to assist the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in using sport as a tool to prevent crime and drug use among young people.