Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) -- «Digital Valley» IT camp in Andijan, Uzbekistan, is a collaborative initiative by Digital City Technology Park, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) with the support of the Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Khokimiyat of Andijan region. This camp organized in the framework of a joint FAO-UNFPA project «Shared Prosperity through Cooperation in Border Regions of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan» funded by the UN Peacebuilding Fund and aimed at expanding cross-border cooperation on socio-economic and environmental issues among young people and women in target communities of the border regions.

The «Digital Valley» IT camp is held in Andijan and its primary objective is to foster friendship and cooperation in the IT sector among the youth of neighboring countries in Fergana Valley. It provides participants with the opportunity to gain knowledge about digital technologies and their application for sustainable development. The IT camp summer training serves as a platform to facilitate development of joint projects and foster the ICT potential of the Fergana Valley, establishing it as an advanced IT hub in the region. 

The camp welcomes 60 students with IT knowledge from universities of Uzbekistan (Andijan, Namangan and Fergana regions), Kyrgyzstan (Batken, Jalalabad and Osh regions) and Tajikistan (Sughd region). During the camp, students are divided into three groups, focusing on programming, graphic design and digital marketing, respectively. Each group has a dedicated facilitator, and attended educational sessions and speeches conducted by mentors and guest speakers. 

«This IT camp is an important opportunity for young people in Central Asia to learn about digital technologies and how they can be used to improve their lives,» said Mr. Yu Yu, UNFPA Representative in Uzbekistan. «We are committed to supporting young people in the Central Asian region to develop the skills they need to succeed in the 21st century, including ICT skills. These skills can be used to access information and resources about sexual and reproductive health (SRH), and to advocate for their own rights and those of others. We believe that ICTs can be a powerful tool for empowering women and girls and promoting SRH.»

Sherzod Umarov, Assistant FAO Representative in Uzbekistan, highlighted that «Empowering and inspiring our youth to embrace the transformative potential of digital technologies is crucial. They hold the key to nourishing our world and safeguarding the environment for future generations.»

The five-day camp aims to equip the students with the necessary knowledge and skills for their future careers through informative and motivational lectures by IT experts and successful professionals. The camp's curriculum covered various topics, including an introduction to digital technologies, web development, app development, data science and digital marketing. Guest speakers from the IT industry also shared their insights on leveraging digital technologies to start businesses and promote sustainable development.