UNESCO & ASU Keep on Cooperating up to 2021

Prolongation of the just signed agreement results from efficient activities that Astrakhan State University performs in the field of cooperation in the educational and research space of the Caspian Region, formation of the regional system of continuing education, and development of social partnership.

The UNESCO Chair “Learning Society & Social Sustainable Development” was founded in 2004 after the appropriate agreement between the UNESCO and ASU had been signed. Up to 2018, D.Sc. in Economics, Full Professor Alexander Lunev had been heading the UNESCO Chair of ASU. Currently, Acting Rector of ASU, Dr. Konstantin Markelov, heads the Chair.

This Chair is the only Chair in Russia that operates in this field; it has become a regional center contributing to development of innovative educational programs and projects that aim to implement the ideas and the mission of this international organization.

The Chair aims to develop and implement educational programs for various categories of population and establish a learning society in our region based on social partnership. Its activities consider with new demands of the Caspian Region related to knowledge-based economy, life-long education, and new needs of humans to get multi-discipline and versatile education.

The UNESCO Chair “Learning Society & Social Sustainable Development” operates in the following top-priority fields:

• Sustainable development of the Caspian Region;
• Increasing the role of the local universities in tackling the issues of the regional sustainable development;
• Development of the learning society in this region based on social partnership;
• Development of intercultural communications in this region;
• Activation of integrated system of research, education, information, and document provision in various fields of science and knowledge;
• Development and implementation of ICT to optimize cultural, educational, social, and economic processes in this region;
• Establishment of regular international cooperation and development of international links between universities and other institutions;
• Organization of regular versatile support of young researchers, lecturers, and students to involve young people in research and educational activities.