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Stihia N+1

The Great Territory: a look from today into the future.

A forum about how we influence our present and future.

Organized with the support of the GIZ mission in Uzbekistan.

May 7, 12:00-13:00

Session 1: “The present and the future of the Territory”

What was the territory 5 years ago and what it can become in 5 years.

Speakers:
  1. Galina Stulina – biologist, leading researcher of SIC ICWC, since 2005 the organizer of 11 complex expeditions with the support of GTZ, UNDP, UNESCO to study the dried bottom of the Aral Sea.
  2. Elena Bykova – PhD in Biology, co-founder and member of the Saiga Conservation Alliance (SCA), has been working as a field zoologist for more than 25 years, and for the last 15 years has been engaged in the conservation of biodiversity of Uzbekistan.
  3. Dilfuza Kutlymurotova – in the last five years, she has been developing tourism, extreme tourism and agrotourism in the Aral Sea region, a member of the UzLiDeP party, and was awarded the “Mehr Saxovat” award.
Moderator:

Julian Felten – works for a project on ecologically oriented regional development of the Aral Sea Region. His professional experience focuses on climate change adaptation and perception of ecological changes in rural communities.

May 7, 13:15-14:15

Session 2: “Ethnography and development of rural areas”

What is ethnography and how does it help us understand society and culture, as well as how the festival movement can influence the development of post-industrial territories.

Speakers:
  1. Olga Esipova – employee of the Alliance for the Conservation of the Saiga in Uzbekistan. She is also one of the founding members of Youth for Wildlife Conservation.
  2. Ksenia Gavrilova – Candidate of Sciences (History), since 2014 she has been a researcher at the Center for Social Research in the North of the European University in St. Petersburg. Ksenia specializes in studying the Arctic zone of Russia, the Northern Sea Route, economic prospects and social problems of rural settlements and cities in the Far North.

  3. Eleonora Mitrahovich – theater producer and mediator (Russia, France). Researcher of performative and decolonial practices. Works on projects that bring together artists and the public with migration experience.

Moderator:

Otabek Suleimanov – general producer of Stihia festival. His main place of activity is being a partner of Centil, a law firm, a leader in consulting on cross-border and investment projects in Central Asia. He collects vinyl records and has a large collection mainly in the electronic music genre.

May 7, 14:30-15:30

Session 3: “Tourism’s critical impact”

What does sustainable tourism mean, what are the development opportunities for it in the Aral Sea region, and how the public and private sectors should work together to ensure the sustainability of tourism in Uzbekistan.

Speakers:
  1. Sanjar Halmuradov – co-organizer of the Stihia festival, founder and director of the travel agency Peopletravel. He has been developing tourism in the Aral region since 2007, he is also a supporter of the development of sustainable tourism in Uzbekistan.
  2. Chingiz Batyrbekov – co-founder and director of the music festival Kol Fest, entrepreneur and activist in the field of tourism development in Kyrgyzstan.
  3. Jurabek Abdurakhmonov – co-organizer of the Stihia festival, Chief Specialist at the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
  4. Azamat Matkarimov – entrepreneur, guide, passionate about tourism, takes an active part in exploring the tourism potential of the region. Currently, Azamat works at the regional office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on a small business support project.
Moderator:

Sophie Ibbotson — Uzbektourism’s Tourism Ambassador to the UK, author of Bradt Travel Guides’ Uzbekistan. Sophie has worked in Central Asia since 2008 and is the Chairman of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs.

May 8, 12:00-13:00

Session 1: “Development of the desert ecosystem of the Aral Sea region”

What is the Aral Sea ecosystem like now, and what could be done for its development.

Speakers:
  1. Vadim Sokolov – Head of the Agency for the implementation of IFAS projects in Uzbekistan. As the Head of the Agency of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea for the implementation of projects in the Aral Sea basin, he provides supervision, practical guidance and implementation of programs and projects related to solving the problems of the Aral Sea basin.
  2. Jaldasbai Torejanov – political scientist, was for several years the director of the Muynak forestry. At the moment, he is the rais of the fifth meeting of citizens of the Muynak region.
  3. Alexander Kuranov – member of the Union of Architects of the Republic of Uzbekistan, author of more than 800 architectural and design projects, more than 300 of which have been implemented in different countries. Head of the Uzbekistan block of TASI.
Moderator:

Olga Esipova – employee of the Alliance for the Conservation of the Saiga in Uzbekistan. She is also one of the founding members of Youth for Wildlife Conservation.

May 8, 13:15-14:15

Session 2: “PPP management of rural towns”

What is a “charter” city, what are the advantages and disadvantages of private management of territories, and what are the main mechanisms for interaction between the public and private sectors in the management of territories.

Speakers:
  1. Elina Vildanova – coordinator of PPP projects in the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan. She coordinates work with all stakeholders on the development and implementation of PPP projects. The main areas of her PPP projects are housing and communal, social and partly energy.
  2. Sergey Luzan – Director of Infrastructure and Project Finance Practice at PwC, consultant in the field of investment project implementation with a wide range of experience in supporting transactions on the part of banks, borrowers, EPC contractors and government executive authorities.

  3. Otabek Suleimanov is a partner of Centil, a law firm, a leader in consulting on cross-border and investment projects in Central Asia. 

Moderator:

Oybek Yuldashev – Senior Manager of Advisory practice at PwC Uzbekistan. Supports public sector, IFIs, IDIs, local and international investors in strategy, operations and infrastructure projects.

May 8, 14:30-15:30

Workshop with local businesses on development

What activities may appear in Muynak and have high investment potential; what are the existing bottlenecks that continue to undermine the development of  local businesses; what are the perspective points of growth for increasing the attractiveness of territories and businesses

Moderator:

Oybek Yuldashev – Senior Manager of Advisory practice at PwC Uzbekistan. Supports public sector, IFIs, IDIs, local and international investors in strategy, operations and infrastructure projects.