Mr. Amir Piric，Director of the UNESCO Almaty Office, delivered a video opening address. He noted that while Central Asia, Iran, and Pakistan are still in the initial stages of integrating AI and digital technologies into education, some institutions have begun making attempts in policy and practice. He highlighted the region's active economic planning and future talent pool， but acknowledged uneven development. He emphasized the critical need for an ethical and responsible application framework and effective capacity building to foster AI in education and digital education at the regional level. Ms. Lira Samykbaeva, Deputy Minister of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic, stated in her opening remarks that Kyrgyzstan fully recognizes the potential of AI and the urgent need to focus on key measures such as policy development for integrating AI into the education system, teacher capacity building, and curriculum updates to ensure balanced development between technology and talent.

Mr.Amir Piric, Regional Director of UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty, delivered a speech.

Ms.Lira Samykbaeva, Deputy Minister of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic, delivered a speech.

Professor Wayne Holmes, Full Professor of Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence and Education at UCL and UNESCO Chair in the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Education, IRCAI, Slovenia, delivered a keynote speech. He pointed out that in this era of accelerated AI-driven transformation, special attention should be paid to the long-term impact of AI, as well as human-centered and ethical technology application. When formulating relevant education policies, governments should not overlook human elements, such as public well-being, socio-emotional needs, and the potential environmental impact of technological upgrades on energy consumption and the green transition for human life. He also referenced the recently published UNESCO report "AI and the Future of Education: Disruptions, Dilemmas and Directions" encouraging all stakeholders to reflect on and improve the current state of technology application and policy-making frameworks.

Professor Wayne Holmes, Professor at University College London and UNESCO Chair in the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Education, IRCAI, Slovenia, delivered the keynote speech.

On October 29, Mr. Nurbek Teleshallyev, Programme Specialist in UNESCO Regional Office in Almaty, chaired the policy-sharing session and presided over the launch of the Russian version of the "Global education monitoring report 2023/2024". Representatives from the ministries of education of Iran, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan presented their respective countries' educational policy visions, AI applications, and the status of teacher capacity building. With support from experts, participants engaged in workshops to systematically conduct policy needs analysis, stakeholder analysis, and action plan formulation, ensuring that technology application fully respects human subjectivity.

Ms. SU Rui, Chief of the Knowledge Production and Communications Centre at UNESCO-ICHEI, shared the practices of UNESCO-ICHEI and the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) in empowering higher education institutions in the Global South with AI and digital competencies. This is achieved through various solutions and cooperation models, including the global partner network, IIOE National Centres, the IIOE Micro-certification Project for Higher Education Workforce Digital and AI Competency Building, and the Smart Classroom Project. During her presentation, Ms. SU systematically demonstrated the IIOE platform to over 50 participants both on-site and online, showcasing series courses based on the digital competency framework, generative AI courses, "AI + Discipline" integrated courses, as well as the platform's localized management and deployment. This presentation sparked widespread interest and attention. Participants found the IIOE courses and training aligned with their countries' educational needs and suitable for higher education teacher training and talent cultivation.  Representative of the Board for Academic Affairs, JSC National Centre for Professional Development“ORLEU”mentioned that a micro-certification course co-developed by UNESCO-ICHEI and UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE)  had garnered significant local attention, with over 250,000 teachers enrolled and 180,000 having received the certificate. They expressed hope for future collaboration in developing courses in Russian and other local languages.

Chief of the Knowledge Production and Communications Centre at UNESCO-ICHEI, Ms. SU Rui

This meeting stemmed from the in-depth collaboration among UNESCO-ICHEI, the UNESCO Almaty Office, and UNESCO IITE in the Central Asia region. Representatives from the UNESCO Almaty Office and participating countries expressed their willingness to engage in dialogue and explore cooperation opportunities with UNESCO-ICHEI, identifying the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) as a key partner in enhancing teacher competencies in artificial intelligence and digital skills, thereby advancing the digital and intelligent transformation of higher education in Central Asia.

Group photo of participants