On October 29, 2021, on behalf of the members of the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF) a coalition of student clubs at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, I moderated an virtual meeting with faculty and students at Osh Technological University (OshTU)  in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. This was an introductory meeting over zoom in preparations for our joint observation of the International Mountain Day (IMD) on December 1, 2021. The observations are held one week before December 11, the officially designated day by the UN for IMD, but in our school, it coincides with the week of the final examinations. We have hosted IMD observations every year since 2010. As per the UN, this year IMD theme is about sustainable tourism in the mountains.

From Left to Right Top: Baktybek Abdrisaev, Alitha Thompson, Tariel Talantbek  uulu Bottom: Maysalbek Zakirov and Tatiana Panfilenko

 

UVU faculty and UIMF members have established a partnership with OshTU since our joint celebration of IMD in 2012. At that time, UIMF members participated at the  international conference “Mountains and Climate” which was held in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz Republic.

Alitha Thompson clarifies format for the logistic task assignment

 

Since then, UIMF and OshTU have worked jointly on different initiatives to promote a sustainable mountain development (SMD) agenda. Yesterday's event was a new opportunity for old partners to jointly promote the cause of the mountain communities and families both in North America and Central Asia.  

            I was glad to meet for the first time as participants of the meeting Tatiana Panfilenko and Tariel Talantbek uulu, two faculty from OshTU.  Ms. Panfilenko teaches geology and Mr. Tariel Talantbek uulu teaches business information and digital economy at the College of Economics and Management at Osh Technical University.

Tatiana Panfilenko  speaks during the event

Both teachers are very knowledgeable about the need for sustainable development, especially in Kyrgyzstan, which 93% of the geography is mountains. I was glad to hear from their experiences on tourism and sustainable development. I am also positive that our projects and future endeavors, in particular through jointly implementing through a student engaged learning (SEL) model, will benefit greatly from their experiences. SEL encourages students to work as a group to solve real problems, such as sustainable mountain development, with a faculty member serving them as a mentor.

Tariel Talantbek uulu speaks during the event

Maysalbek Zakirov, a geology student of OshTU, was also a valuable asset to our meeting. He gave great insights into our future projects and I am excited to get to know him better. He will probably be one of presenters during the 2021 IMD observation and speak about sustainable tourism in Osh. Another student, Nazik, was unfortunately unable to join us because of connection problems. During our next meeting, we will try to get more participants from both sides and become better acquainted with each other.

Maysalbek Zakirov, a geology student of Osh Technological University

 

As preparations for 2021 IMD observation, our OshTU partners have produced a short video about the city of Osh, one of the oldest cities in Kyrgyzstan which existed along the Silk Road.  

All of the attendants took the time to introduce themselves in English to make me feel welcome. As this was my first meeting with non-English speakers, I was nervous. I did not want to misstep and accidentally offend them. They were most gracious, especially with my attempt at Russian.

Dr. Baktybek Abdrisaev, former Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States,  mentor of the UIMF and faculty at Utah Valley University helped to facilitate a conversation between the two groups.  He was very good at balancing the needs of everyone. The meeting had the feeling of a group of longtime colleagues rather than an introduction. Russian is a beautiful language and I hope to be able to introduce myself to them in Russian one day.

After this meeting, I have a better grasp on the presentations of our partners from the mountainous Kyrgyzstan, direction for our International Mountain Day event and future projects, in particular the joint participation at the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. They are a valuable asset to the Utah International Mountain Forum and people I would be honored to know better.

                           Alitha Thompson, President of the UVU Foreign Affairs Club and Vice President of the Utah International Mountain Forum