Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan is ready to host a regional office of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) to help Central Asian countries address terrorist threats, including those involving artificial intelligence.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the proposal on 6 November at a meeting of Central Asian heads of state in Astana. The meeting focused on security in the field of artificial intelligence and was held as part of the Aqaba Process, the press service of the President of Uzbekistan reported.
The proposed UN office would help countries in the region establish and operate channels for reporting terrorist content. Its responsibilities would also include identifying cases of terrorist financing, improving specialists’ skills and promoting the effective use of artificial intelligence in this work.
Another proposal concerns the Centre of Islamic Civilisation in Tashkent. Mirziyoyev suggested launching an international programme titled “Enlightenment Against Ignorance in the Digital Age” under the centre’s auspices. The programme envisages creating multilingual resources, preparing religious leaders to work in the information environment and supporting young researchers who promote the humanistic values of Islam.
The President also put forward an initiative titled “Digital Development for the Benefit of People”. It is intended to combine humanistic traditions of knowledge and education with advances in modern science. The initiative aims to use artificial intelligence to spread knowledge, strengthen mutual trust and create conditions for personal development.
Mirziyoyev said artificial intelligence offers humanity enormous opportunities but also creates new challenges. He described quality education and conditions for the full realisation of human potential as essential foundations of security.
The President praised the importance of the Aqaba Process amid growing threats to security and stability. Uzbekistan also expressed support for the UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance.
Participants discussed international and regional security, efforts to counter terrorism and extremism, and threats associated with the development of digital technologies. Particular attention was given to practical cooperation between states, the exchange of experience and improvements to mechanisms for preventing radicalisation, especially among young people.
Concluding his remarks, Mirziyoyev stressed that the future of artificial intelligence depends not only on technological progress but also on the purposes for which it is used. He said the shared task should be to turn new technologies from a source of threats into tools for promoting peace, security and human development.
The meeting was also attended by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, King Abdullah II of Jordan, senior representatives of Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan, and other foreign guests.
