The High Commissioner of France for Children, Sara El Khairi, plans to visit Samarkand on October 21–22, 2026. The purpose of the visit is to participate in the Global Summit on Investing in Child Well-being.
The event is held at the invitation of the United Nations and Uzbek authorities, as well as within the framework of the Second International Congress on Childhood Cancer. During the summit, El Khairi will speak at a high-level round table titled 'Investing in Children at Scale: Financing Comprehensive Systems for Long-Term Well-being.'
She will present the French approach to preventing violence against children, including measures provided for in the National Plan to Combat Violence Against Children for the period 2023–2027. Special attention will be paid to the need for coordinated, long-term government action to protect children, prevent violence, and support families.
Summit participants will also discuss ways to maintain and increase investments in children despite budgetary constraints. The agenda will cover the coordination of state policies in the areas of social protection, child protection, healthcare, and education.
Furthermore, El Khairi will visit School No. 43 in Samarkand, where French is taught as a first foreign language. Discussions are planned during this visit regarding students' views on social media and video games, against the backdrop of growing attention to child protection in the digital environment.
Sara El Khairi emphasized that 'preventing violence against children is an investment in their rights, their future, and the future of society as a whole. For this commitment to bear fruit, it must translate into coordinated long-term government action that protects children and supports families.'