A three-day training course for public-sector communications staff has started in Uzbekistan’s Tashkent region under a European Union-funded project delivered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with the country’s Ministry of Justice.
More than 25 public relations specialists from public service institutions across the country are taking part, with the programme focused on improving how government services are explained and promoted to citizens, the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan announced on Thursday cited by the European External Action Service (EEAS).
The course, titled “Bringing Public Services Closer through Better Information”, includes masterclasses, group work, simulations and practical exercises.
Participants are being trained in citizen-centred communication, use of social media, digital storytelling, media relations, visual content creation, artificial intelligence, crisis communication and professional resilience, the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan said.
EU Ambassador Toivo Klaar said reforms work “only when citizens understand them, trust them, and know how to benefit from them”, adding that communication should be treated as “an essential public service in its own right”, the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan reported.
Mentoring support after the training
The training also covers teamwork, internal co-ordination, managing workplace stress and building resilience in demanding communications roles, according to the same statement.
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Uzbekistan Anas Fayyad Qarman said that as public services are digitalised, citizens need information that is “clear, timely, understandable, and accessible.”
After the course, participants will receive mentoring support to help them apply what they have learned within their institutions.
The training forms part of the “Further Improvement of Public Services Delivery in Uzbekistan” project, funded by the EU with a total budget of €4.9 million and running from 2024 to 2029.
