The focus of the meeting is the mission of Creative Central Asia 2026, the forum's strategic goals, and its role for Central Asia: from strengthening professional connections to the emergence of joint projects and a clear "common language" for industries, institutions, and the state. The topic of regional integration will be addressed separately: why it is particularly important to synchronize the efforts of Central Asian countries now and what new opportunities this opens up for specialists and organizations.
Speakers from the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will present their vision for participating in the initiative. Among the announced participants are the Director of the British Council in Uzbekistan, Michael Holgate; a creative industries expert from Kazakhstan, Anastasia Goncharova; the Chair of the WCCE International Steering Committee and Advisor to the UK Minister for Culture, John Newbigin; the Executive Director of the Kyrgyzstan Association of Creative Industries, Nazgul Kubakaeva; and a representative of the delegation from Turkmenistan, Gayane Israelyan. The conversation will be moderated by Odil Mukhamedov (MOC). The press conference will conclude with a Q&A for the media; the total duration will be approximately 40–45 minutes.
The program is presented as a comprehensive "networking package" for the region's creative industries: presentations, rapid professional networking in a speed dating format, a keynote by John Newbigin, as well as panel discussions on the "invisible infrastructure" of creative cities, the language of values (investment, impact, and sustainability), and who shapes the cities of the future (Gen-Next Cities). Additionally, a presentation of the "City Rating" hackathon results and the release of the Creative Central Asia digest are planned.
Registration is open on ccaforum.uz, and the panel sessions are promised to be streamed online on the forum's YouTube channel.
