Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 4 December 2020, the 38th General Assembly of the World Council of Craftsmen of the Asia-Pacific Region (WCC-APR) was held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The event was attended by the President of the World Council of Craftsmen Rosie Grinlees, President of the World Council of Craftsmen of the Asia-Pacific Region Gada Kaddumi, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan Adham Ikramov and other members of the WCC-APR (WCP APR) from more than 30 countries.

The main issue at the meeting of the General Assembly was the ratification of the transfer of the chairmanship of the World Council of Craftsmen of the Asia-Pacific Region to Uzbekistan for the period 2021-2024, holding meetings of the board, organizing international symposia and exhibitions.

For this event, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry has done tremendous technical work to provide a live broadcast of the 38th General Assembly of the World Council of Craftsmen of the Asia-Pacific Region (WCC-APR).

Historically speaking, the World Crafts Council was founded by Ms Eileen O. Webb, Ms Margaret M. Patch and Ms Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay at an international meeting at Columbia University in New York, United States of America on 12 June 1964 to maintain, strengthen and secure the status of handicrafts as a vital part of cultural life, as well as to promote the universal values of the handicrafts and a sense of camaraderie among artisans around the world.

The World Crafts Council is the only organization that supports the aspirations of artisans around the world, whether in upholding noble inherited traditions or in pushing boundaries through experimentation and innovation.

The main goal of the World Council of Craftsmen is to strengthen the status of handicrafts in cultural and economic life. The council aims to encourage camaraderie among craftsmen by offering them support and assistance.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ms. Gada Hijawi Kaddumi, President of the National Assembly of Kuwait, Marzouk Al Ghani, and Rosa Greenlees, made a welcoming speech, where they noted that craft plays an important role in the culture and industry of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The speakers focused on the fact that Uzbekistan pays special attention to the development of culture and art, in particular, supporting handicrafts, strengthening its role in the life of society.

It is worth noting that in 2019 one of the most important events was the holding in the city of Kokand of the I International Festival of Handicraftsmen under the auspices of UNESCO. This festival was attended by 570 international artisans from over 78 countries of the world, including foreign scientists and specialists known for their scientific work and practical activities in the field of handicrafts. And also 2,200 local craftsmen of folk art.

The assignment by the World Council of Craftsmen to the city of Kokand the status of "City of World Crafts" for woodcarving brought great pride and high recognition to Uzbek folk art at the international level.

All this is happening with the support of the head of our state Shavkat Mirziyoyev. It was on the initiative of Shavkat Miromonovich that purposeful and systematic work was carried out to develop folk art, embodying an ancient and rich history, unique values, customs and traditions.

Thanks to the measures taken, today the number of members of the Hunarmand Association is 36 440, which is 6440 more than (+ 14%) for the same period in 2019. This contributes to the creation of new jobs. In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated November 28, 2019, loans in the amount of US$50 million were allocated for the Craft Development Program, and an additional US$50 million were allocated in April 2020. For example, new jobs created by foremen (hunarmands) have increased by more than 125 thousand compared to last year.

At the conference, the issues of approving the program for the development of handicrafts were discussed, and reports on the activities of the organization for the period 2019-2020 were also deserved.

It was honorable that the candidacy of Dr. Gad Hijavi Kaddumi was approved for the post of President of WCC-International for 2021-2024, as well as the candidacy of Professor Adham Ikramov for the post of President of WCC-APR at this event held in Tashkent in an online format.

At the event, the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan Adham Ikramov made a speech, where he expressed deep gratitude to all members of the Council for approving the candidacy of Uzbekistan for the presidency of WCC-APR for the period 2021-2024.

We also note that the inauguration of Uzbekistan for the presidency will be held within the framework of the II International Festival of Craftsmen in Kokand in September 2021.