Kyrgyzstan promoted sustainable mountain development during the UN conference in the State of Utah, USA

The 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference took place in Salt Lake City, USA from August 26-28, 2019. The main theme of this UN conference was "Sustainable and Inclusive Cities and Communities" and the implementation of the sustainable development goal #11, which focuses on those issues. As Maruxa Cardama, a Chair of the conference said: "The 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference will be the first United Nations conference held in the United States, outside of New York, since the San Francisco Conference in 1945. This will give many participants the occasion to experience such a conference for the first time and bring the United Nations closer to the people".
Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev during presentation at the 68th UN Civil Society Conference
Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President to the Kyrgyz Parliament participated at the conference on behalf of the Kyrgyz Republic. He read a letter with greetings to the conference participants from the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Mr. Sooronbay Jeenbekov, which mentioned that, "For the Kyrgyz Republic, where people live in the cities as well as in the mountainous areas, the issue we consider today is of a key importance. I believe that the concerns of the mountain communities, the most vulnerable to the modern challenges like climate change and migration, must be highlighted in the final document of the Conference and remain in the focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda 2030".
Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev with Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, Mrs. Alison Smale.
Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev participated at the conference under the personal invitation of the co-organizer of the conference, Vice President for Global Engagement at Utah Valley University (UVU), Dr. Baldomero Lago. During the workshop on SMD, The Plenipotentiary Representative of the Kyrgyz President to the Kyrgyz Parliament focused attention of the conference participants on the efforts of the Kyrgyz Republic to advocate the sustainable mountain development (SMD) agenda of the United Nations through the celebration of the International Year of Mountains under the umbrella of the UN in 2002, and also the initiatives of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbay Sharipovich Jeenbekov in 2018 and 2019 to develop regions of the country. He also highlighted the partnership established in 2006 between the Kyrgyz Republic and state of Utah, including UVU, which encouraged the Kyrgyz Republic and UVU delegates to advocate for different aspects of SMD at ECOSOC forums from 2016-2019.
Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev during the meeting with a co-host of the conference, Salt Lake City Mayor, Jackie Biskupski
During the UNCSC, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Kyrgyz President to the Kyrgyz Parliament met and discussed further cooperation to advocate SMD at the UN, and in particular its adoption in the final document of the conference with UN officials, including Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. Mrs. Alison Smale, co-hosts of the conference, Salt Lake City Mayor, Jackie Biskupski, and Dr. Baldomero Lago; UVU faculty and students – old partners of Kyrgyzstan in cooperation in this area both at the UN and globally.
Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev during the meeting with a co-host of the conference, Vice President of UVU on Global Engagement, Dr. Baldomero Lago
As a result of the joint efforts of the representatives of Kyrgyzstan, state of Utah and members of the Utah International Mountain Forum, a coalition of student clubs at UVU, the outcome document of the 68-th UN Civil Society Conference mentioned in its preamble, that "We recognize the interdependence of rural and urban prosperity, as well as the need to address the specific conditions of mountainous areas and small island developing States." As a result, this happens for the first time when such attention was paid to mountains at one of the major UN conferences on implementation of sustainable development goals.
Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev after presentations at the UNCSC with representatives of the UN, civil society, UVU faculty and students.
The Plenipotentiary Representative of the Kyrgyz President to the Kyrgyz Parliament, Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev, also advocated for Kyrgyz culture and traditions during the conference, while also informing UNCSC participants about reforms in the country.
Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev explains advantages of the Kyrgyz "Kalpak" hat to the British- American singer Alex Boye
Mr. Kurmanbek Dyikanbaev during the conference with representative of the Native American Navajo tribe
Ermek Abdrisaev
Kabar News Agency