The husband and wife duo took a weeklong break from her Fulbright work in Kyrgyzstan to visit Tashkent, Samarkand, and Khiva, and to talk about environmental and economic issues with students and professionals along the way.

Dr. Leighton, a lawyer and professor, and Mr. Dillon, an economic development expert and former policy advisor in the California State Senate, both commented on the reception that they received as guests of Uzbekistan. “It was far above the usual level of courtesy, especially in Samarkand and Urgench,” they said, noting the enthusiasm with which their arrival and presentations were greeted.

Dr. Leighton, the director of the University of San Francisco Law School’s human rights programs, is working as a Fulbright Scholar at the Kyrgyz Academy of Law in Bishkek, focusing on criminal justice issues, migration, and comparative sentencing. Supplementing her work in Kyrgyzstan, Leighton delivered talks on climate change and migration, and engaged in discussions with students in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Urgench.

When interacting with the students, Dr. Leighton stressed her desire to highlight the important links between climate and migration and introduce them to concepts that perhaps they had not previously considered. At Urgench State University, the students were “very inquisitive and engaged, and you could tell they had been thinking about the connections between the environment and the global economy,” she said.

Dillon encountered the same inquisitiveness and eagerness from the audience of professionals at the Academy of State and Social Construction following his talk on “Strategies for Economic Development.” After using case studies from U.S. economic experiences to talk about the development of a healthy agricultural sector, investment, and infrastructure in a growing economy, the audience had numerous questions about U.S. and Uzbek approaches to development, and inquiries on Dillon’s assessment of Uzbekistan’s potential.

“I told them that one of their best opportunities is the underdeveloped tourism industry,” he said. As someone who has always been interested in history, Dillon remembered hearing of the famous names on the Silk Road as far off and fantastic places, but had never had the chance to see them. “I’ve traveled all over the world and been to Damascus, Amman, Cairo, China, Indonesia, Europe, Central America and other great places of history, but the inside of Guri Amir (in Samarkand) was just astounding.” With sites like this, Leighton and Dillon agreed, Uzbekistan could have a thriving tourism industry.

Both of the guests were also charmed by Khiva, and reveled in the unique atmosphere of this “beautiful, exotic, and historical place.” More than just the architecture and history impressed the pair in Khorezm, though. They were “greatly impressed by the University of Urgench” and its available resources for students, particularly the graduate student training in natural resources and agricultural development, which Leighton described as “cutting edge.” She was also impressed by the University's cooperative achievements with ZEF (The Center for Development Research at the University of Bonn) and UNESCO toward creating sustainable use of natural resources in the region.

During their trip through Uzbekistan in December, the pair also had the opportunity to speak to students at Tashkent’s University of World Economy and Diplomacy, Samarkand State University, and Urgench State University, as well as meeting with local environmental journalists to discuss Western views on climate change and climate-induced migration.

They had a chance to lead a discussion with the U.S. Embassy’s English Discussion Club on environmental issues, and were surprised, again, by the level of enthusiasm and interest. The event was scheduled for one hour, but the experts interacted with the students for over two hours, and said afterwards that the kids could have kept going for hours.

Dr. Leighton said that both of them were eager to return at some point in the future, and by all accounts, their hosts would be happy to have them. She is also excited about the chance to collaborate more and develop contacts with specialists and students in Uzbekistan on a range of environmental and legal issues. “We didn’t get to do all we wanted to do, of course,” said Dr. Leighton, but added that she and Mr. Dillon were both “delighted and grateful to the U.S. Embassy for their work in making this trip possible.”