Central Asian Youth Network  (CAYN)
   
 Background:  CAYN  was launched in May 2004 by the five OSCE centres in
 Almaty, Ashgabad, Bishkek, Dushanbe and Tashkent.    In February the Network
 held a seminar in Kyrgyzstan.
 The activities of the Network include seminars, workshops, conferences, group research work and online discussions on its own portal, <www.cayn.net>

 TASHKENT, 29 June 2005 -
 OSCE Tashkent Centre to host meeting of  thirty-five university students from
 Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
 on Friday in Charvak,  some 90 km from Tashkent,  to improve their skills in teamwork, political engagement, research writing, as well as in sports.

 The three-day event in Charvak is part of the activities of the
 Central Asian Youth Network (CAYN), which aims to help in conflict prevention by bringing together university students and discussing  OSCE principles and commitments.

 "We want to build and strengthen cross-border links between the young people of Central Asia," said Ambassador Miroslav Jenca, the Head of the OSCE Centre.

 "We are convinced that bringing students together for joint research activities will help prevent conflicts and promote good relations among the peoples of the region."

 Experts from the OSCE Centre in Tashkent,  from  ODIHR  and  UNESCO
 will focus on political-military, economic, environmental,
 democratisation and rule of law issues in Central Asia.


 Contacts:

 Ambassador Miroslav Jenca
 Marie-Carin von Gumppenberg  Political Officer

 OSCE Centre in Tashkent
 12B Afrosiyob Street, 4th Floor, Mirobod district,
 700015  TASHKENT       
 Uzbekistan
 Tel: +998 71 140 04 70
 Fax: +998 71 140 04 66
Marie-Carin.Gumppenberg@osce.org