Uzbekistan, UNESCO to Establish Regional Preschool Center

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan and UNESCO have agreed to establish a Category II regional preschool education center in Tashkent under UNESCO’s auspices. The agreement was signed in Paris during a meeting between Uzbekistan’s Minister of Preschool and School Education E’zozkhon Karimova and UNESCO Director-General Houssam Al-Anani.

The initiative to create the center was proposed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in November 2025 in Samarkand during the opening ceremony of UNESCO’s 43rd General Conference.

The new center is expected to become the first institution of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region. Its activities will support reforms in preschool education based on international best practices and expertise, positioning Uzbekistan as a regional hub for early childhood development.

The center will also contribute to accelerating progress toward United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4.2, which aims to ensure quality early childhood development and accessible preschool education for all children.

During the meeting, Houssam Al-Anani praised President Mirziyoyev’s efforts to strengthen cooperation with UNESCO and recognized his initiatives in the fields of international education, culture, and science.