October 13, 2008
Politics:
Islam Karimov participated in CIS Summit and Interstate Council of EurAsEC
Economics:
Alternative power engineering and its perspectives
Economic forum to start next week
Tashkent to host industrial fair and cooperation exchange
Society:
Design and fashion week Style.Uz opens
Education of next generation
Reforming the Emergency Aid
POLICY
ISLAM KARIMOV PARTICIPATED IN CIS SUMMIT AND INTERSTATE COUNCIL OF EURASEC
On October 9-10 President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov visited Bishkek, where he took part in the meetings of the CIS Council of the Heads of State and the Interstate Council of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC), as well as the Summit of Heads of States of Central Asia, UzA reported.
CIS summit took place In Bishkek on October 10. The main issue of the summit was the discussion of economic development strategy of the Commonwealth. The document is based on the level of development, capacities and capabilities of each CIS member country and the strengthening of long-term economic cooperation and the intensification of economic integration processes.
It should be noted that this strategy prioritizes the development of economic relations within the CIS. According to observers and analysts, some documents among the measures taken within the Commonwealth still remained on paper. Discussion of Strategy at the Bishkek Summit shows that the CIS makes practical steps towards the full economic potential of the CIS.
Uzbek president has repeatedly stressed the need to adhere to the principle of “economy first, then politics” in CIS relations. Indeed, relations should be based primarily on economic cooperation.
The summit was an exchange of views on reforming the CIS, improve the performance of its organizations.
In the humanitarian sphere there is also necessity to develop multilateral mutually beneficial relations between the CIS countries. Relations in education, culture and the arts, health, sports, scientific research serve to mutual enrichment and development of culture and science, strengthening of friendly relations among peoples.
The summit was an exchange of views on strengthening security, the fight against crime. The sides also discussed the situation related with the international financial crisis, ways to prevent its possible negative effects.
Meeting of the EurAsEC Interstate Council talks focused on the issue of completing the process of formation of the Customs Union.
Presidents also addressed the issue of efficient use of transportation and transits.
Then a meeting of heads of states of Central Asia took place. During the talks the sides discussed the issues of the management of water and energy resources.
ECONOMY
ALTERNATIVE POWER ENGINEERING AND ITS PERSPECTIVES
Uzbekistan has developed a Program on the Use of Renewable Sources of Energy.
The main provisions of this program have been discussed at a roundtable session of the Oliy Majlis Legislative Chamber Committee for Agrarian, Water Resources and Ecology Issues and the State Committee for the Protection of Environment. Attendees also included representatives of the Republic’s ministries and agencies, Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan, United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan, Association of Farming Households, NGOs and enterprises, Uzbekistan Today reported.
Perspectives of the use of renewable sources of energy in Uzbekistan are favorable and in this sphere, as was noted by the roundtable participants, there is considerable scientific groundwork. In particular, the use of solar energy is expected to yield commendable results. Even in the northernmost parts of the country the duration of sunshine averages 2800 hours a year. Southwards, this figure will notable rise. In Termez it reaches 3050 hours. This, in turn, makes it possible to use daylight for a wide range of purposes in areas such as electric energy production, hot water supply and heating, desalinization, fruit and vegetable drying, etc.
Respective developments have been made in the “Fizika-solntse” (Physics-Sun) scientific and production association under the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan and other scientific centers and have been practically tested. Solar water heating collectors are intended to be used as a source of heat for hot water supply systems in residential and production buildings. The use of the said collectors is expected to save up to 70-80% of thermal energy used to cover needs for fuel-driven water supply.
“Foton” Joint Stock Company in collaboration with the Agency for the Transfer of Technologies has set up a production of autonomous photo energy systems of changing solar energy into electric energy for lighting units in distant desert areas, fridges, TVs, radios, and other appliances. Photo energy systems of this kind are being successfully used in Karakalpakstan, Samarkand and other provinces.
Some areas in Uzbekistan are favorable for the development of wind energy. Particular, this could be said of the region near the Aral Sea where wind devices could be set up and they will work all year round.
Big opportunities for the development of geothermal energy in Ferghana valley may also serve this purpose. Heat is also available for use in a number of other areas. In perspective, this heat may be used almost everywhere since the temperature in rock formations in the depth of 4000-6000 meters across Uzbekistan is between 70 and 300 degrees Celsius.
Renewable sources of energy also include agricultural waste. This waste is an excellent source of bio-gas, which can be used not only for household purposes but also for the production of electric energy. Local specialists have fared fairly well in manufacturing equipment necessary for this purpose.
The broad involvement of renewable sources of energy in the country’s energy stocks, as it was noted during the roundtable, will contribute to the preservation of energy independence for a long-term perspective, to the improvement of greenhouse gas emission as well as to the stable development of all spheres of the national economy.
ECONOMIC FORUM TO START NEXT WEEK
Next week Tashkent is hosting the representatives of the Austrian business circles. More that 20 Austrian companies representing different spheres of business will get acquainted with the opportunities of the Uzbek economy for development of mutual cooperation.
The Forum will be organized by the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Trade Department of the Austrian Embassy in Uzbekistan.
The purpose of the mission is establishment of direct business contacts and discussion of the mutual cooperation between the Uzbek and Austrian entrepreneurs.
The meeting is to discuss promising directions of trade-economical cooperation between Uzbekistan and Austria.
TASHKENT TO HOST INDUSTRIAL FAIR AND COOPERATION EXCHANGE
The National industrial fair and the Cooperation exchange will be held during 27 October-1 November at Tashkent’s Uzexpocenter, National Information Agency UzA reported.
The leading sectors of the economy and small business enterprises of Uzbekistan will present their products, including traditional and new ones, as well as prospective products for 2009.
Presentations of industrial and scientific and technical potential of the local enterprises will be held in the framework of the fair and exchange.
The participants of the forum will be able to familiarize themselves with the new products, choose suppliers of raw materials and parts, as well as sign contracts for their delivery in the coming year.
SOCIETY
DESIGN AND FASHION WEEK STYLE.UZ OPENS
The third Week of design and fashion Style.Uz 2008 opened in Tashkent on Sunday. It has been organized by the Fund “Forum of culture and art of Uzbekistan” and the Tashkent Style House.
World-famous designers, owners of popular jewelry and fashion brands, representatives of international organizations and TV channels working in the field of fashion, show business stars, editors of fashion magazines, public figures from various countries, including Austria, Germany, Israel, India, Italy, China, Latvia, Russia, France, Switzerland and Japan, are participating in the event.
The main aim of Style.Uz is development of the national and modern fashion and fashion industry in Uzbekistan, supporting young designers and creative dynasties related to producing fabrics, accessories and jewelry.
This year, such famous fashion houses as Sisi Wasabi (Germany), Wolford (Austria), DSQUARED2 (Italy), Revillon and Guy Laroche (France), as well as designers from Russia Alyona Ahmadullina and Julia Dalakian, Noria Surikabe from Japan, Sunit Varma from India, and Beijing institute of clothing technology have brought their collections to Tashkent.
From the Uzbek designers, collections of Saida Amir, Umida Muminova, Artyom Drobyshev, Sherzod Atabayev and Guli, are presented.
The first day of the Design and fashion week ended with a concert of the world-famous Spanish singer Julio Iglesias.
The Style.Uz 2008 week will close on 17 October in Samarkand with a grand defile and traditional Festival of national dress.
EDUCATION OF NEXT GENERATION
The Uzbek Ministry of Public Education launched testing of a basic curriculum for compulsory schools. The new program will fundamentally change the course of teaching process.
However, the date of nationwide introduction of the program is not known. The project is developed by the Scientific Research Institute for Pedagogical Sciences, Republican Education Center and the country’s leading scientists in the sphere of psychology, theory of education and teaching subjects. Scientists note that the further improvement of the quality of education is practically impossible without essential reforms of the teaching process.
“The basic curriculum is a completely new and so-called green-field-developed document, meeting the current requirements,” the head of a department of the Ministry of Public Education for improvement of educational standards, curriculums and introduction of progressive teaching technologies to teaching process, Said Hidirov, commented. “Working on the project, scientists resolved such main problems as to stimulate further interest of students in study, to improve comprehensibility of material given to them and to create maximal conditions for education they are interested in.
As a result, the number of subjects went down but the volume of knowledge gained by children remained unchangeable. It became possible by excluding the repeated themes from curriculums and uniting some school subjects. For instance, ethics, alphabet of constitution and bases of spirituality were united in a new subject – axiology. The spare hours are used for profound study of concrete subjects, which will enable to set up groups of students in accordance with their personal and individual interests, for example, group for profound study of biology or information science, etc,” Said Hidirov noted.
Basing on age peculiarities of children’s development, the time of teaching subjects was reviewed. For instance, taking into account that foreign languages (English, German or French) are mastered better in early age, teaching of the subject was suggested starting not in the fifth but in the second grade as it is done now.
“The new curriculums will widely introduce modern teaching technologies,” the interviewee highlighted. “At present, science reached a high level of its development and it is impossible for one person to know all. In this connection, we task teachers with giving basic data on all subjects and teaching students to work with a wide range of information so that each of them can choose the needed one out of its diversity.
Upon the end of testing of the curriculums, they will be improved. Their developers will have an organized approach to the introduction process as well, preparing preliminarily the necessary teaching resources and personnel. For the time being, schools continue working on the current curriculums which are also improved,” S. Hidirov said.
REFORMING THE EMERGENCY AID
Emergence medical aid makes about 70 % of the entire doctors’ work. These are the cases when every second counts as it may cost a life. Ten years ago the Ministry of Health began reforming the “03” (Emergency Aid) service of Uzbekistan to increase quality of its work.
A system uniting pre-hospital and hospital stages of medical aid was created. The system is headed by the Republican Specialized Scientific Emergency Medicine Centre (RSSEAC). It has branches in all areas and Nukus with 173 more “first aid” branches at central regional and city hospitals assisting them. More than a hundred specialized brigades of constant readiness were formed in case of an emergency. A reliable internal telemedical communication is adjusted between all divisions, which will allow Tashkent doctors examine a patient, say, in Bukhara and advice colleagues from the region on the treatment. And if necessary the specialist can go there by sanitary airplane. There is a good teamwork and doctors render professional aid to any seriously ill patient.
Leading experts of the center posses advanced technologies of rendering of medical aid. In their work they have united all the best of domestic practice and foreign experience, with which they are well familiar. Many specialists trained in leading clinics of Russia, Ukraine, Japan, Korea and other countries. RSSEAC itself is a base for retraining and improvement of professional skill of emergency medicine specialists. This allows to systematically improve quality of the service in all regions.
“Development of the center promoted distribution of modern diagnostic methods in the country allowing to put any diagnosis quickly, including computer tomography,” - told Elena Borisova, head physician of RSSEAC about the system. “Every year our specialists do thousand of various surgeries. These are surgical interventions of the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, and at injuries. Almost all kinds of closed cavernous operations are carried out using endovisual equipment. Specialists of the center also carry out most complicated microsurgies on “sewing” of limbs “lost” after injuries.
The center has the latest equipment, which is not available in all clinics of the Central Asian region, and there are specialists, who carry out unique surgeries, underlined Elena Borisova. So, for example, RSSEAC has the last generation x-ray vascular device, which allows to perform closed surgeries of vessels. Thanks to the modern equipment brain surgeries through nasal bosoms have been mastered here as well.
The service constantly receives new equipment. So, for example, the Andijan branch finished installation of new equipment these days. Thirty three names of the most up-to-date diagnostics-medical equipment were specially acquired for this purpose. The new equipment includes two mobile surgery x-ray diagnostic devices, which allow rendering the first medical aid to extremely bad patients without transporting them anywhere.
Statistics show that all of this serves to health of the nation. Every year the emergency medical aid serves about one and a half million people including hospitalization of 600 thousand people. And the “03” service answer about 5 millions of calls annually.