Uzbekistan Education SDG Booster provided a platform initiating multiple new partnerships
3 December 2021
Finnpartnership in close collaboration with partner organisations successfully executed the second SDG Booster of year 2021, this time focusing on Uzbekistan’s education sector. The SDG Booster, a series of 3 workshops, was organised in September-November with a record number of participants, leading to the initiation of multiple collaboration and partnership schemes between Finnish and Uzbek companies.
SDG Booster organisers included Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Ministry of Education and Culture of Finland, Finnish National Agency for Education, the Education Finland programme, State Inspectorate for Supervision of Quality in Education under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Honorary Consulate of Finland, Uzbekistan, and UNICEF Uzbekistan. The overall initiative also received support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The workshop series had following focus sectors: teacher training (incl. teacher in-service training), early childhood education, education and learning materials, vocational education and training, as well as digital solutions as a cross cutting theme. Participant input during the course of the SDG Booster allowed further finetuning of fucus sectors based on both communicated needs as well as participant solutions and offering.
The first digital workshop was organised at the end of September with over 170 Finnish and Uzbek participants – an astonishing record-breaking number! In addition to private sector solution providers and educational institutions, the event had an impressive number of high-ranking government officials present. Uzbek education sector opportunities were presented, and all participating companies and educational institutions had the opportunity to present themselves and communicate the type of collaboration and partnership that is of interest.
The second digital workshop in mid-October was limited to Finnish participants, with sector-specific group discussions supporting the identification and early-stage development of joint offerings. These discussions also provided input and partly dictated the selection of specific thematic areas for the group discussions in the last workshop early November, where both Finnish and Uzbek solution providers and additional stakeholders again convened for discussing joint activities and partnerships. At the workshop, both UNICEF and the Islamic Development Bank presented their local operations, focus areas and collaboration avenues for the private sector to engage in their work in Uzbekistan.
Multiple partnerships have already been established as a result of this latest SDG Booster, and the organisers continue to be at the disposal of the participants for supporting additional collaboration and partnerships still to be formed.
Rahmat! Thank you! – To all particpants and organisers for a fantastic SDG Booster!