On 17-19 May of this year, an international conference on Cultural Awareness and Development of Sustainable Tourism in Hojaley district of the Republic of Karakalpakstan was organised by the Tashkent State University of Economics.

At the conference, Professor Tony Zou, Vice-Rector of "Silk Road" International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage, Tongqian Tongqian, delivered a lecture on "Climate Change and Tourism Transformation: Theoretical Frontiers and Best Practices". Speaking at the conference, the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Professor Kongratbay Sharipov, spoke about the importance of the conference. Nobel Peace Prize recipient, officials from Karakalpakstan government, UNESCO Uzbekistan Commission, experts from UNEP and Harvard University delivered speeches on the conference. More than 200 scholars, officials and university students took part this conference.