As part of the EXPO 2025 Osaka Theme Week programmes, an event was held on the topic of ‘Revitalizing ecosystems: from the Aral Sea to the world.’

The discussion focused on the environmental and social challenges facing the Aral Sea region, as well as the search for sustainable solutions through science, culture and international cooperation. Participants noted the importance of the Aral Cultural Summit, which began as an initiative to transform the region through art, science and design, and presented a new postgraduate research programme, ‘Global Laboratory of the Future,’ which will launch in 2026 with a focus on water and food issues.

Speakers included Professor Kenji Tanaka of Kyoto University, Oktyabr Dospanov, head of the archaeology department at the State Museum of Art named after I.V. Savitsky, Anastasia Sinitsyna, programme director of the Aral Cultural Summit, and Dilfuza Egamberdieva, head of the biological research laboratory at TIIAME.

The event was moderated by climate journalist Philip Mogan, editor of the book Aral: Untold Stories Before, During and After the Sea, published by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation for the 2025 Aral Cultural Summit.