UWED successfully held the First Central Asia Winter School 2026
From 5 to 10 January 2026, the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) hosted the first Central Asia Winter School. The event was held in an on-site format and became UWED’s first large-scale academic initiative aimed at in-depth analysis of key political, economic, geopolitical, and socio-environmental processes in Central Asia.
A total of 19 participants took part in the Winter School, including 15 international and 4 local participants. The international participants represented Belgium, the United States of America, Austria, the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, France, and Germany, ensuring a high level of international and interdisciplinary academic dialogue. Among the foreign participants were representatives of leading universities and academic institutions, including the CERIS Diplomatic School in Brussels, the University of Washington, the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, the University of St Andrews, the University of Grenoble Alpes, the French Institute of Geopolitics, the American University of Central Asia, the University of Wisconsin–Madison, the University of Tartu, the University of Bremen, and Goethe University Frankfurt.
Alongside international participants, the program also included representatives of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED), Westminster International University in Tashkent (WIUT), the Management Development Institute of Singapore in Tashkent (MDIS), and Amity University in Tashkent. Local participants were fully integrated into the academic program on an equal basis with their international counterparts, contributing to the development of sustained academic exchange and research dialogue.
The official opening of the Central Asia Winter School took place on 6 January. A welcoming speech was delivered by the Rector of the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Sodyq Safoev.
In his remarks, the Rector emphasized the significance of holding the first Central Asia Winter School at UWED, highlighted the growing role of Central Asia in contemporary international processes, and stressed the importance of academically rigorous analysis of regional transformations. He also wished the participants productive and meaningful work.
As part of the academic program, lectures and analytical sessions were delivered by Akram Umarov, First Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of UWED and Director of the Institute for Advanced International Studies; Hamza Boltaev, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Afghanistan and South Asian Studies; Javlon Vakhabov, Director of the International Institute for Central Asia (IICA); Ulugbek Ishankhodjaev, Head of the Center for American Studies at the Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS); Mirshokhid Aslanov, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Progressive Reforms (CPR); Iskandar Abdullaev, Senior Researcher at the International Water Management Institute; Khulkar Karimova, Associate Professor of International Economics Department at UWED; Shakhboz Akhmedov, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS); as well as Islomkhon Gaffarov, Political Analyst at the Center for Progressive Reforms (CPR) and Senior Lecturer at UWED.
The topics of lectures and discussions covered a broad and interdisciplinary range of issues, including processes of regional integration and the formation of regional identity in Central Asia, geopolitical competition and the interests of external actors, the specifics of the region’s multi-vector foreign policies, as well as issues of regional, transboundary, and water security. Particular attention was paid to the Afghan factor and its socio-economic, political, and geopolitical implications for Central Asia, as well as to sustainable development and environmental security, climate change adaptation, and natural resource governance. The program also addressed issues of economic transformation and structural reforms, investment and trade policies, energy and transport connectivity, the development of transit corridors, and the role of think tanks, expert communities, and academic diplomacy in shaping long-term regional strategies.
The Winter School program also included a study visit to the International Institute for Central Asia, as well as cultural and educational activities. Within this framework, participants visited the State Museum of the History of the Timurids, key historical and public spaces in central Tashkent, the “Memory and Honors” Memorial Complex, and the “Shahidlar xotirasi” Memorial Complex. These activities enabled participants to gain a deeper understanding of Uzbekistan’s historical, cultural, and socio-political context.
At the conclusion of the Central Asia Winter School, all participants were awarded certificates of successful completion. The Central Asia Winter School 2026 marked an important step in strengthening international academic cooperation at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy and reinforcing its role as a leading expert and educational platform for the study of Central Asia.
