The symposium marked the first anniversary of the adoption of the Samarkand Declaration on Technology Diplomacy. Signed on November 1, 2025, in Samarkand during the UNESCO General Conference, the declaration is considered the first document of its kind in the world.

The symposium reviewed achievements over the past year and explored opportunities for jointly advancing technology diplomacy across Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

The opening ceremony featured remarks by Rustam Karimjonov, Deputy Minister of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan; Bakhromjon Aloyev, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Firdavs Abdukhalikov, Director of the Centre of Islamic Civilization; and Sabine Machl, UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan. This was followed by a presentation of the symposium’s central theme by Ayumi Moore Aoki, Founder and President of TDGI.

The symposium comprised three thematic roundtable discussions. Around 25 representatives of government agencies, international organizations, academia, business, civil society and youth took part. Participants exchanged views on priority areas for regional cooperation and future commitments.