On January 15, 2026, in Paris, at the UNESCO headquarters, the first meeting took place between the new Director-General of the organization, Khaled Al-Anani, and the Permanent Representative of Kyrgyzstan to UNESCO, Sadik Sher-Niyaz. This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic.
During the meeting, it was emphasized that Kyrgyzstan is actively striving to strengthen cooperation with UNESCO, especially in the field of protecting and preserving cultural and historical heritage. The Kyrgyz side also proposed its candidacy for membership in the UNESCO Executive Board for 2025-2029, which was supported.
Sadik Sher-Niyaz noted that thanks to political stability and economic growth, Kyrgyzstan has achieved significant success in sustainable development and can set ambitious goals. The main areas of his work include adaptation to climate change, protection of water and land ecosystems, combating poverty, and developing the creative industry.
The Director-General of UNESCO, in turn, highly appreciated Kyrgyzstan's contribution to cultural projects and expressed readiness to consider the possibility of providing patronage for two events: the VI World Nomad Games and the International Issyk-Kul Forum named after Chyngyz Aitmatov.
At the end of the meeting, both sides expressed confidence in the further development of practical cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and UNESCO, emphasizing the implementation of new joint projects.
