A future for the planet
and Karakalpakstan
Autumn
2026
ARAL CULTURE SUMMIT IS AN EMERGENT INITIATIVE DEDICATED TO THE SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE ARAL SEA REGION THROUGH ART, CULTURE, SCIENCE, AND DESIGN.
The Summit
Aral Culture Summit brings together local and international activists, artists and scientists to explore and implement ecological, social and cultural pathways to sustainable development of Karakalpakstan.
It will act as both an itinerant platform for exchanging ideas and a placemaking initiative to revive the regional landscape and strengthen the community identity, while attracting new businesses that align with the principles of circular economy, creating sustainable economic growth.
The Mission
Aral Culture Summit aims to draw attention to the ecological challenges and opportunities in and around Karakalpakstan, empower and unite the local community, and evolve the region into an environmentally sustainable and culturally enriching destination.
Research
Books
“Aral: Untold Stories from Before, During and After the Sea” begins with a simple question: what is something you wish people knew about the Aral Sea region that they don’t already?
From there more complex questions emerge: How is it we know that the water level of the Aral Sea has fallen and risen multiple times in the past? Did the divine priest Zarathushtra, father of Zoroastrianism, gaze out upon the Aral’s vast waters? Why did Igor Savitsky choose Nukus, capital city of Karakalpakstan, to display and preserve his treasure trove of textiles, jewellery, ornaments and dissident art?
One way or another, it all comes down to the Aral, and in this new book of essays, commissioned for the inaugural Aral Culture Summit, voices from Uzbekistan and beyond share their stories about the Aral Sea region, a place that is far more diverse, complex and inspiring than global headlines often allow.
Articles
Archive
Nukus, Karakalpakstan
April 4–6th, 2025
Aral Culture Summit 2025 brought together leading cultural figures, policymakers, artists, and environmental experts to explore and implement sustainable solutions that address the Aral Sea crisis and global climate challenges. Aral Culture Summit was inaugurated during the first Global Climate Forum in Samarkand (4th April), attended by regional and European heads-of-states.
It continued in Nukus, Karakalpakstan near the Aral Sea with a two-day, multidisciplinary programme of panel discussions, keynotes, artistic performances, and exhibitions, addressing critical issues such as environmental regeneration, creative economy, and cultural diplomacy.
The next Aral Culture Summit will be held in October 2026.
— Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan
— Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan
— Sadyr Japarov, President of Kyrgyzstan
— Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan
— Serdar Berdimuhamedow, President of Turkmenistan
— Ursula von der Leyen, The head of the European Commission
— António Costa, President of the European Council
— Saida Mirziyoyeva, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
— Mukhtar Babaev, Climate Issues Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, COP29 President
— Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment of the Arab Republic of Egypt
— AnaClaudia Rossbach, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director of UN-Habitat
— Tatiana Molcean, Under-Secretary- General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of UNECE
— Ivana Živković, Assistant Secretary- General, Assistant Administrator, and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS
— Ibrahim Thiaw, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of UNCCD
— Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
— Megumi Seki, Executive Secretary of the UNEP Ozone Secretariat
— Sang-hyup Kim, Director General, GGGI
Moderator: Sabine Machl, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan
— Opening remarks by Saida Mirziyoyeva, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
— Opening remarks by the government of Karakalpakstan
— Opening remarks by Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation
— Opening remarks by Ivana Živković, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and CIS (UNDP)
— Valéry Freland, Executive Director of ALIPH Foundation
— Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Foundation for the Development of Culture and Art of Uzbekistan
— Valéry Freland, Executive Director of ALIPH Foundation
— Jan Boelen, Programme Director of Aral School
— Oktyabr Dospanov, Head of the Archaeology Department, State Museum of Arts named after I.V. Savitsky, Uzbekistan
Moderator: Aric Chen, Artistic Director of Nieuwe Instituut
— Maurizio Montalti, Officina Corpuscoli, Italy
— Dana Molzhigit, Bio-designer, Founder of Ancient Futures, Kazakhstan
— Ross Lovegrove, designer, with a focus on biotechnology, UAE
— Saidbek Sabirbayev, Karakalpak artist, participant of the first residency cohort at the Center for Contemporary Art, Uzbekistan
Moderator: Cyril Zammit, Design Advisor
— Dilfuza Egamberdieva, Head of the Laboratory of Biological Research and Food Safety, TIIAME, Uzbekistan
— Joshua Evans, Senior Researcher & Group Leader, Sustainable Food Innovation Group, Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark
— Elena Kan, KIVA Center, Uzbekistan
— Murod Khusanov, Founder and CEO of Growz, Uzbekistan
Moderator: Philip Maughan, Writer and Journalist, UK
— Antonina van Lier, Co-director of Save Balkhash, Artcom Platform, Kazakhstan
— Gulmira Esengeldieva, Climate Change Program Coordinator, MoveGreen, Kyrgyzstan
— Nargis Kasymova, Chief Editor of EKOLOG.UZ, Uzbekistan
— Natalia Idrisova, curator of the “Polygon” Art Group, Tajikistan
— Oscar Fraser Turner, co-founder of Amu Darya Project, UK
Moderator: Gulnara Khudaybergenova, Project Manager, CAN EECCA, Uzbekistan
— Islambek Arepbayev, Doctor of biological sciences, Wildlife Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan
— Laura Becker, MEL team coordinator, The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, Iceland/USA
— Nabi Agzamov, Architect, Researcher at 5th Studio, Uzbekistan/UK
— Ollivier Rasmus, Chief Operating Officer Central Asia and Caucasus, SUEZ, France
Moderator: Selbi Jumayeva, research and development strategist, Turkmenistan
— Robert Willard, Director of World Aral Sea Charity
— Vadim Sokolov, Head of the Agency for the Implementation of Projects of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS)
— Murat Mustapaev, Project Manager for Karakalpakstan, UNDP
— Bakhitjan Khabibullaev, Director of IICAS, Uzbekistan
Moderator: Ayzada Uzakhbaeva, Regional manager for Karakalpakstan, GIZ
— Azamat Matkarimov, Entrepreneur, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Uzbekistan
— Beknazar Abdikamalov, co-founder and CTO, Hupo, Uzbekistan
— Erlan Kereev, Project Manager, Technopark Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan
— Yusup Kamalov, Chairman of the Aral and Amu Darya Protection Union
Moderator: Alisher Fayzullaev, Regional Director of IT park Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan
— Guljakhan Kalmuratova, content creator, founder of Qarashay.kr blog
— Sultanbek Muratniyazov, content creator
— Mutabar Khushvaktova, eco-activist, content creator
— Islambek Arepbayev, doctor of biological sciences, wildlife photographer, Uzbekistan
— Otabek Suleymanov, CEO of Stihia Festival
Moderator: Kamal Uteniyazov, content creator, podcaster, founder of Go’je’ Media Channel
— Kamola Alieva, Lawyer, Women’s Rights Expert
— Mukhabat Mamirova, Co-Founder of the First Women’s Podcast in Uzbek
— Gulsara Shirmatova, Vice President of the Representative Office in Uzbekistan, The World Aral Region Charity, Inc.
— Gulnaz Abutova, initiator of “Clean Water” Initiative in Karakalpakstan
Moderator: Mutabar Khushvaktova, eco-activist, content creator
— Kanat Abdikarimov, publisher and entrepreneur
— Kydirniyaz Babaniyazov, contemporary poet, content creator
— Aygul Pirnazanova, head of the ethnographic department of the Savitsky State Museum of Art
— Aijamal Yusupova, director of the State Museum of History and Culture of the Republic of Karakalpakstan
Moderator: Gulnara Zholdasbaeva, local coordinator, communications manager at the KAS project
