UNODC and Ministry of Public Education: Sport as a tool for crime prevention among youth in Uzbekistan

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan launched the second phase of UNODC’s “Line Up Live Up” youth life skills training program.

In 2020-2021 year-cycle, 44 number of teachers of physical culture, specialists in spiritual and moral education and psychologists will be trained and some 21 schools covered in Tashkent city and Fergana valley.

The first of two planned three-day training-courses took place in the Sergeli district of Tashkent city from 5 to 7 November 2020. Some 22 schoolteachers participated in the training’s interactive sessions, which are based on UNODC’s “Line Up Live Up” Trainer Manual.

“I believe that the implementation of this program is very timely. Through this program, our educators gain new knowledge to strengthen the life skills of youth involved in sports and improve resilience to crime”, stated Mr. Dilshod Kenjayev, Deputy Minister of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

“With this initiative, the Government of Uzbekistan and UNODC are demonstrating their commitment to use sport not only to enhance physical and psychological health of people, but also to promote mutual respect and tolerance and teach important social and interpersonal skills that help young people avoid crime, violence and drugs”, he continued.

According to Mr. Koen Marquering, International Coordinator of the UNODC Justice Program in Central Asia: “These cascade trainings under the Line Up Live Up program are the next stage of 8 years of fruitful cooperation between UNODC and the Ministry of Public Education. We are confident that this program will help coaches, teachers and others who work with youth aged 13 to 18 to cope with problems in everyday life, especially in the current post-quarantine environment".

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Comprising 10 sports-based exercises carefully designed to target a specific set of issues, the Trainer Manual ultimately addresses three key mediating factors:

- Boosting life skills to help young people increase their ability to interact with others, to develop positive relationships, and to cope with negative emotions to help minimize risk factors and maximize protective factors;

- Increasing young people's knowledge on crime, violence and drug use, including their perception of risk; and

- Positively influencing young people's attitudes and behaviour that are affected by their beliefs and misconceptions around drug use and violence.

The UNODC programme “Line Up, Live Up” was piloted for the first time in various cities of the Fergana valley in Uzbekistan in 2019.

According to Mr. Dilshod Kenjayev, Deputy Minister of Public Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan: “The initial pilot in 10 schools in Andijan produced good results. - No cases of offenses were registered among schoolchildren. Hence, the Ministry decided to continue and replicate the program in more schools in 2020-2021”.

The Line Up Live Up initiative builds on the Doha Declaration adopted in 2015 at the 13th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which notes the importance of youth participation in crime prevention efforts. The initiative is also closely linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which emphasizes the role of sport in social progress.

Through the Doha Declaration Global Programme and the UNODC Programme for Central Asia, UNODC is committed to assisting the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in using the power of sport as a tool to prevent crime and use of drugs among youth.

 

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For more information, please contact Vasilina Brazhko (Mrs.)

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E-mail: vasilina.brazhko[at]un.org