This event, part of the UN Fridays series which has been hosted by UNO every two weeks since its creation in mid-2011, was attended by over 70 Tashkent residents, media representatives, UN staff and members of the greater public.

The event announced the winners of the annual ‘Ask the UN in Uzbekistan Your Questions’ competition. The annual “Ask the UN in Uzbekistan Your Questions’ competition, which was first held by UNO Tashkent in 2008, has this year received a particularly strong response. The competition invites the greater public to submit questions regarding the UN’s operations both in Uzbekistan and around the world, of which UNO selects the best ten to answer. These answers are then delivered by UN representatives at the end of the competition, and the submitters of these questions are given prizes.

This year’s competition has attracted over 100 questions, submitted via email and Facebook, which have addressed matters including human rights, global conflict and human development. The magnitude of this response has made selecting the ten best submissions a challenging task. By providing the answers to these questions during the upcoming UN Friday, it is hoped that the participating guests will leave with a greater understand of how the UN functions and the importance of its work.

The UN Friday featured the screening of the UNDP documentary ‘Achieving Ecosystem Stability on Degraded Land in Karakalpakstan and the Kyzylkum Desert’, which presents an overview of the problems faced in the regions and the techniques used to address them.

This film highlights one of UNDP’s priorities in Uzbekistan; protecting fragile environments while supporting local populations. After this inspirational screening this film, UNO will detail the upcoming series of documentaries which will be presented over the coming months.