04.04.2025

On April 4, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, delivered a speech at the plenary session of the Samarkand International Climate Forum.

The forum was attended by the President of the European Council António Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe Tatiana Molcean, Executive Director of UN-Habitat Anacláudia  Rossbach, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw, among others.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the forum participants via video message.

The event brought together over 2,000 international guests, including leaders of national and global environmental organizations, representatives of international bodies, experts, scientists and journalists, as well as members of the business community.

In line with the agenda, the forum addressed the pressing climate challenges facing Central Asia, and reviewed issues related to environmental sustainability, “green” economic development, and regional cooperation in combating climate change.

At the beginning of his speech, the head of state expressed satisfaction that the broad international representation at the forum demonstrates the global community's commitment to joint efforts in seeking effective solutions to the most pressing issues of sustainable development.

It was emphasized that last year, for the first time, the average global temperature rose by more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. The past decade was the hottest in the history of meteorological observations.

- As a result, we are all feeling the negative effects of climate crises — the increasing scale of forest fires and desertification, the retreat of glaciers, growing water scarcity, and the deterioration of air quality, - said the President of Uzbekistan.

The countries of the region have developed and unanimously approved a Regional Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation in Central Asia.

The President also noted the successful cooperation with European partners in programs focused on mitigating the consequences of the Aral Sea desiccation, rational water use, and the expansion of clean energy sources. Such partnerships make an important contribution to the sustainable and “green” development of Central Asia.

In this context, interest was noted in further deepening practical cooperation with the European Union, the global leader in protecting and promoting climate change issues.

It was separately emphasized that climate change issues are inextricably linked with food and energy security.

Fertile lands are rapidly shrinking, today more than 20 percent of the total land area of the region is subject to degradation. In a quarter of a century, crop yields may decrease by a third.

- In this regard, I consider it vitally important to combine our scientific potential to increase the adaptability of forestry and the agricultural sector, as well as to strengthen food security within the framework of the “Horizon Europe Program”, - noted the leader of our country.

He informed about the measures taken by Uzbekistan to reduce the area of degraded lands and mitigate the effects of climate change. Large-scale landscaping is being carried out within the framework of the “Yashil Makon” program. In addition, drought-resistant plants have been planted on more than 2 million hectares of desert territories in the Aral Sea region.

It was proposed to hold a Regional Tree Planting Campaign "Green Belt of Central Asia" every year on the eve of the spring holiday of Navruz.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also focused on the transition to a resource-saving and environmentally friendly model of economic development.

One of the key areas in this area is "green" energy.

It is planned to increase the share of energy obtained from renewable sources to 54 percent in the next five years, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 16 million tons.

- I would like to emphasize that we will make every effort to ensure that Uzbekistan fulfills its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35 percent under the Paris Agreement ahead of schedule, - the head of state noted.

In continuation of efforts in this direction, a proposal was put forward to create a Secretariat of the EU initiative "Water - Energy - Climate Change" in Tashkent to mobilize funding, technology and competencies.

The importance of the Concept of "green" development of the region, which will be presented during the current forum, was especially noted.

Touching upon the issues of rational use of water resources, the President of Uzbekistan said that by 2040, the countries of Central Asia will face a high level of water stress against the background of a decrease in the flow of the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers.

It was emphasized that in order to save water resources, work is being carried out to concretize irrigation networks, an industrial base is being created for the production of water-saving technologies, which have already been implemented on almost half of our irrigated lands, which is almost 2 million hectares. Thanks to such measures, last year it was possible to save about 8 billion cubic meters of water.

- We call for joining efforts and launching a Regional Program for the implementation of water-saving technologies in Central Asia, - said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

For expert discussion of all these issues, it is planned to hold an International Forum on Water-Saving Technologies in the Aral Sea region.

Interest in close cooperation with the EU within the framework of the Copernicus Program for continuous satellite observations of the state of glaciers and early diagnosis of risks to mountain ecosystems in the region was also noted.

The Climate Residence, created on the basis of the Green University in Tashkent, can act as a common scientific and expert platform for studying and monitoring climate processes in Central Asia.

Along with this, the Aral Cultural Summit, designed to draw attention to the environmental problems of our region through art projects, will begin its work in Nukus on April 5.

At the end of his speech, the Head of our state once again recalled the common task - "to do everything so that future generations live in a sustainable, safe and prosperous world."

- To achieve this, it is necessary to strengthen dialogue and align the efforts of all nations united by a common noble goal, - concluded the President of Uzbekistan.