Where is this conference being held?

The conference is scheduled to take place in Lund, SWE.

What is the primary focus of this event?

The event focuses on societal transformations and global challenges within Central Asia, covering countries like KAZ, UZB, KGZ, TJK, and TKM.

What is the format of the conference?

The event is a conference format, designed for in-depth discussions and presentations.

Societal Transformations and Global Challenges in Central Asia

Name: Societal Transformations and Global Challenges in Central Asia
Start: 2026-12-14T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-12-16T00:00:00Z
Location: Lund

Dec 14–16, 2026Lund, SwedenIn-person

Registration open

This conference, hosted in Lund, SWE, focuses on the multifaceted societal transformations and global challenges impacting Central Asia. It provides a platform for in-depth discussions on the region's evolving geopolitical landscape, internal dynamics, and its increasing relevance in international relations. The event aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of the complex interplay between local developments and global trends affecting countries such as KAZ, UZB, KGZ, TJK, and TKM.

Committees & topics

Topics
Governance, Law, and Political Transformation in Central Asia · Corruption, Informality, and Social Norms in Central Asia · Migration, Mobility, and Diasporas · Climate Change, Environment, and Sustainability · Digitalization, AI, and Technological Change · Gender, Identity, and Social Change · Political Economy and Development · International Relations and Geopolitics

Why it matters

Central Asia, a region historically at the crossroads of civilizations, is currently undergoing significant societal shifts driven by both internal factors and external pressures. Understanding these transformations is crucial for policymakers, researchers, and international organizations seeking to engage constructively with the region. The conference's focus on global challenges highlights the interconnectedness of Central Asian developments with broader international issues, including economic shifts, security concerns, and environmental changes.

The region's strategic location, bordering major powers like CHN and RUS, and its proximity to AFG, further amplifies its geopolitical importance. The discussions at this conference will shed light on how these external influences shape the internal trajectories of Central Asian states and how the region, in turn, impacts global stability and economic corridors. This event offers a timely opportunity to analyze these intricate relationships and their implications for international diplomacy and cooperation.

How to prepare

To effectively engage with the themes presented at this conference, participants should undertake a thorough review of the current geopolitical and socioeconomic landscapes of Central Asian countries. A strong understanding of the historical context, including the post-Soviet transitions and the emergence of new regional identities, will be invaluable. Participants should also familiarize themselves with the various external actors, such as CHN, RUS, USA, KOR, TUR, and CHE, and their respective interests and engagement strategies in the region.

Consider preparing case studies or analytical frameworks that can be applied to specific challenges or transformations within Central Asia. For instance, applying a Dynamic Analysis approach to understand the evolving political economies or utilizing Gender Dynamics Across Cultures to analyze social changes could provide valuable insights. Additionally, identifying Hidden Stakeholders and understanding their influence is critical for a nuanced perspective on regional developments. Preparing to discuss potential Engagement Strategies for international cooperation in the region would also be beneficial.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Kazakhstan

A key player in Central Asia, KAZ's perspective often centers on economic diversification, regional security, and balancing relations with major global powers.

Role in topic

As the largest economy in Central Asia, KAZ's societal transformations, particularly in areas of economic reform and political stability, significantly influence regional dynamics and attract considerable international attention.

Uzbekistan

UZB's recent reform agenda under new leadership emphasizes openness, regional integration, and attracting foreign investment.

Role in topic

UZB's ongoing domestic reforms and its proactive regional diplomacy are central to discussions on societal change and new opportunities for cooperation within Central Asia.

Kyrgyzstan

KGZ often highlights its unique democratic experiences and the challenges of political transitions and civil society development.

Role in topic

KGZ's experiences with political pluralism and its efforts to navigate complex internal and external pressures offer important case studies for understanding societal transformations in the region.

Tajikistan

TJK's perspective is often shaped by its geopolitical position, particularly its border with AFG, and concerns over regional security and stability.

Role in topic

TJK's role is crucial in discussions concerning regional security, border management, and the impacts of instability in neighboring regions on Central Asian societies.

Turkmenistan

TKM's stance typically focuses on its neutrality policy and its significant energy resources, influencing its engagement with global challenges.

Role in topic

TKM's unique political system and its approach to economic development and international relations provide a distinct viewpoint on societal transformations and global challenges in the region.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Governance, Law, and Political Transformation in Central Asia

Since independence in 1991, the five Central Asian republics—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—have followed divergent political trajectories from a shared Soviet legacy of single-party rule. Most consolidated around strong presidential systems, with leadership transitions in Turkmenistan (2006, 2022), Uzbekistan (2016), and Kazakhstan (2019) testing the durability of personalist regimes. Kyrgyzstan has experienced three revolutions (2005, 2010, 2020) and oscillated between parliamentary and presidential models, while Tajikistan emerged from a 1992-97 civil war into entrenched authoritarianism under Emomali Rahmon. The past decade has seen incremental legal reforms framed as modernization: Uzbekistan's post-Karimov opening, Kazakhstan's constitutional referendum following the January 2022 Qandy Qantar unrest, and Kyrgyzstan's 2021 constitutional overhaul concentrating power in the presidency. These reforms have professionalized parts of the bureaucracy and judiciary but have not produced competitive multiparty politics, and civic space has narrowed in parallel with high-profile crackdowns on journalists, lawyers, and protest movements (e.g., Karakalpakstan in 2022, Gorno-Badakhshan in 2022). Today the central question is whether reformist rhetoric—'New Uzbekistan,' 'Just Kazakhstan'—will translate into rule-of-law institutions capable of constraining executives and managing succession, or whether modernization will remain a tool of regime maintenance. Debate also concerns the role of the OSCE, Venice Commission, and EU rule-of-law assistance in a region where external democratic leverage is limited.

Key players

Migration, Mobility, and Diasporas

Central Asia is one of the world's most remittance-dependent regions. Since the 2000s, millions of labor migrants—primarily from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan—have worked in Russia, with remittances at times exceeding 30% of GDP in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the highest ratios globally according to World Bank data. The Eurasian Economic Union (2015) granted Kyrgyz and Kazakh citizens easier labor access to Russia, while Uzbek and Tajik migrants have faced a harsher legal regime. Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine reshaped these flows. Migrant workers were pressured into Russian military contracts, the ruble's volatility hit remittance values, and after the March 2024 Crocus City Hall attack—blamed on Tajik nationals—Russia tightened entry rules, deportations, and registration enforcement. Simultaneously, hundreds of thousands of Russians relocated to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, creating new mobility patterns. Central Asian states are also navigating onward migration to South Korea, Turkey, the Gulf, and the EU, and managing the repatriation of citizens and children from Syrian and Iraqi camps under operations such as Kazakhstan's Jusan. Key debates concern migrant rights protections, bilateral labor agreements, diaspora engagement (voting, investment, remittance channels), human trafficking, and the diversification of destinations to reduce dependence on the Russian labor market.

Key players

Climate Change, Environment, and Sustainability

Central Asia is warming at roughly twice the global average, with profound consequences for a region whose economies and societies depend on snow- and glacier-fed rivers. The Aral Sea catastrophe—shrunk to less than 10% of its 1960 volume by Soviet cotton-driven diversion of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya—remains the world's starkest cautionary tale of water mismanagement, and a UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea region was established in 2018. Glacial retreat in the Tien Shan and Pamir, projected at 30-50% loss of ice mass by 2050, threatens long-term water security for downstream Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Transboundary water disputes are sharpening. Upstream Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan seek to expand hydropower (Rogun, Kambarata-1), while downstream states demand irrigation flows. Afghanistan's Qosh Tepa Canal, under construction since 2022, could divert up to a quarter of the Amu Darya. Energy systems remain fossil-heavy: Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are major hydrocarbon producers, with Turkmenistan's methane super-emitter status repeatedly flagged by satellite monitoring. Dust storms from the dried Aralkum and worsening air pollution in Tashkent, Bishkek, and Almaty have become public health crises. Under the Paris Agreement, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have pledged net-zero by 2060 and 2050 respectively, and the EU's Global Gateway and the Trans-Caspian green energy corridor are channeling investment into renewables and critical minerals. Debates center on the proposed Regional Water and Energy Consortium, methane abatement, just transition for coal regions, and adaptation finance.

Key players

Digitalization, AI, and Technological Change

Central Asian states have prioritized digital transformation as a vector of economic modernization and, in some cases, social control. Kazakhstan launched 'Digital Kazakhstan' in 2017 and has positioned Astana Hub as a regional IT cluster; Uzbekistan's IT Park in Tashkent has attracted over a thousand resident companies and built an export-oriented digital services sector. Internet penetration has risen sharply, mobile-first e-government platforms (eGov.kz, my.gov.uz) have expanded, and biometric national ID systems are widespread. The Russian invasion of Ukraine accelerated tech migration into the region: thousands of Russian and Belarusian IT specialists and several major firms relocated to Almaty, Tashkent, and Bishkek, boosting local ecosystems but raising sanctions-compliance and brain-flow questions. Cross-border digital infrastructure—the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic cable project, Starlink negotiations, and Chinese-built surveillance and smart city systems—are reshaping connectivity. At the same time, internet shutdowns during unrest (Kazakhstan January 2022, Karakalpakstan July 2022, Gorno-Badakhshan), restrictive media laws, and expanded facial-recognition deployment have drawn criticism from OHCHR and Freedom House. Debates now focus on AI governance frameworks (Kazakhstan's draft AI law, Uzbekistan's 2030 AI strategy), data protection alignment with GDPR-style standards, digital literacy, and the balance between innovation, sovereignty, and rights in a region where the Global Digital Compact's principles will be tested against authoritarian governance practices.

Key players

Political Economy and Development

Central Asia's post-Soviet economies developed along sharply different lines. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan became hydrocarbon rentier states; Uzbekistan combined state-led import substitution under Karimov with a large cotton sector; Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, lacking major hydrocarbons, became remittance- and aid-dependent. The 2000s commodity boom fueled growth but entrenched resource dependence, Dutch disease, and elite capture. The 2014-15 oil price collapse and ruble depreciation exposed vulnerabilities, prompting devaluations and IMF programs. Since 2017, Uzbekistan has undertaken the region's most ambitious reform program—currency liberalization, WTO accession process, banking privatization, and partial cotton sector liberalization that ended the international cotton boycott in 2022. Kazakhstan has pursued AIFC-based financial sector reforms while struggling with the political economy of the Nazarbayev-era elite. The region has also become a hub for sanctions-related re-exports to Russia since 2022, complicating relationships with Western partners and raising secondary sanctions risks. Critical minerals—uranium, rare earths, copper—have repositioned Central Asia in global supply chains, attracting EU, U.S., and Chinese strategic interest. Key debates concern economic diversification, SOE reform, regional economic integration (the revived Consultative Meetings of Central Asian Heads of State since 2018), debt sustainability—particularly bilateral debt to China—WTO accession for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and aligning industrial policy with green transition and SDG financing needs.

Key players

International Relations and Geopolitics

Central Asia's foreign policy has been defined by 'multi-vector' diplomacy, balancing Russia (security guarantor via the CSTO and EAEU, historical and linguistic ties), China (top trade partner and infrastructure financier via the Belt and Road Initiative launched in Astana in 2013), and a widening cast of partners including the EU, United States, Turkey, Iran, India, Japan, and the Gulf states. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a watershed: Central Asian states have not recognized the annexations of Ukrainian territories, abstained on key UNGA votes, and visibly distanced themselves from Moscow while navigating sanctions exposure and migrant vulnerability. The C5+1 format with the United States held its first leader-level summit in 2023, paralleled by EU-Central Asia summits, the China-Central Asia summit in Xi'an (2023), and the inaugural GCC-Central Asia summit (2023). Turkey has deepened ties through the Organization of Turkic States, and the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) has emerged as a strategic alternative to Russia-transiting trade. Afghanistan under the Taliban remains a shared security concern, with the region pursuing pragmatic engagement on borders, water, and counterterrorism without formal recognition. Key debates include the durability of multi-vectorism under intensifying great-power competition, regional integration through the Central Asian Heads of State Consultative Meetings, secondary sanctions risk, Caspian Sea legal regime implementation, and the region's growing voice in UN forums on landlocked developing country (LLDC) priorities.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Societal Transformations and Global Challenges in Central Asia.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

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India's 131st Amendment Bill

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Delimitation Based on 2011 Census

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Dynamic Analysis

Gender Dynamics Across Cultures

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Media & Press Relations

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

Country dossier

By committee

Frequently asked questions

Societal Transformations and Global Challenges in Central Asia

Dec 14–16, 2026Lund, SwedenIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Governance, Law, and Political Transformation in Central Asia · Corruption, Informality, and Social Norms in Central Asia · Migration, Mobility, and Diasporas · Climate Change, Environment, and Sustainability · Digitalization, AI, and Technological Change · Gender, Identity, and Social Change · Political Economy and Development · International Relations and Geopolitics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Kazakhstan

A key player in Central Asia, KAZ's perspective often centers on economic diversification, regional security, and balancing relations with major global powers.

Role in topic

Uzbekistan

UZB's recent reform agenda under new leadership emphasizes openness, regional integration, and attracting foreign investment.

Role in topic

UZB's ongoing domestic reforms and its proactive regional diplomacy are central to discussions on societal change and new opportunities for cooperation within Central Asia.

Kyrgyzstan

KGZ often highlights its unique democratic experiences and the challenges of political transitions and civil society development.

Role in topic

KGZ's experiences with political pluralism and its efforts to navigate complex internal and external pressures offer important case studies for understanding societal transformations in the region.

Tajikistan

TJK's perspective is often shaped by its geopolitical position, particularly its border with AFG, and concerns over regional security and stability.

Role in topic

TJK's role is crucial in discussions concerning regional security, border management, and the impacts of instability in neighboring regions on Central Asian societies.

Turkmenistan

TKM's stance typically focuses on its neutrality policy and its significant energy resources, influencing its engagement with global challenges.

Role in topic

TKM's unique political system and its approach to economic development and international relations provide a distinct viewpoint on societal transformations and global challenges in the region.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.