On 16-17 October the OSCE Academy and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation co-organized Interdisciplinary Conference on “Value Transformation in Central Asia.” Distinguished Speakers and Participants were welcomed by Dr. Alexander Wolters, Director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Alexander Rosenplaenter, Director of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, and Johanna Lutz, Head of the FES Office of Democracy, Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Austria.
Regional and international experts discussed to what extent institutional changes and shifts from autocratic to democratic systems have been accompanied by a shift of democratic and human rights values and how - so-called - traditional values in post-soviet Central Asia contradict or complement modern emancipatory norms.
The Keynote Speakers, Prof. Dr. Anna Lührmann, Assistant Professor & Deputy Director, V-Dem Institute, University Goetheburg, Sweden; Dr. Saodat Olimova, Sociologist, Director SHARQ (ORIENS) Research Center, Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Prof. Christian Haerpfer, President of World Value Survey, University of Vienna, Austria and Dr. Ksenyia Kizilova, Secretary of World Value Survey, Vienna, Austria presented the global and regional perspective on value transformation and democratization, and World Value Survey results 2020 for Central Asia.
Within the three sessions experts from the Open Society Foundation, Central Asian Barometer, KIMEP University, University of Tartu, TALAP Research Center, the Center of Sociological Research "Zerkalo," and the OSCE Academy talked about the experiences and Realpolitik in Central Asia as well as provided an overview of the value transformation in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The conference was moderated by Prof. Dr. Anja Mihr, DAAD Associate Professor OSCE Academy, Bishkek.
The recording of the Conference is availalbe on the Academy's YouTube channel.