On January 31, the Ministry of Ecology, Environment, and Climate Change held a meeting between the Minister of Environment, Aziz Abdukhakimov, and the Special Representative of the German Government for Climate Protection, Ms. Jennifer Morgan, State Secretary at the German Foreign Ministry.
During the meeting, several issues aimed at further cooperation and new initiatives were discussed between the parties. In particular, the role of the Central Asian University of Environment and Climate Change ("Central Asian Green University") as the parent organization for institutions related to forestry, hydrometeorology, and climate was emphasized.
At the meeting, A. Abdukhakimov shared the government's solutions and strategies to combat air pollution in large cities, with an emphasis on PM2.5 particles, and also spoke about the wide coverage of the air quality problem in the media. The participation of the public through the media in environmental discussions was noted, and the need to raise awareness among citizens was emphasized, as exemplified by daily air quality checks.
In turn, Ms. Jennifer Morgan highly appreciated Uzbekistan's efforts in the field of environmental initiatives and expressed hope for further cooperation in the fields of science and education to solve environmental problems and challenges.
During the meeting, the importance of understanding the impact of non-standard gasoline on air quality was noted. The Minister shared information about landscaping initiatives within the framework of the national project "Yashil Makon" ("Green Space").
At the same time, information was provided on institutional and political changes in the country. This is the decision to establish the Presidential Climate Council as the main coordinating body for environmental policy. The role of the National Climate Center as the executive body of the Council was noted.
Also, the adviser to the Minister of Ecology, Suna Park, shared plans to create an environmental diplomacy unit in each department, which will be coordinated by the Ministry of Ecology, and to develop a unified climate policy and a national strategy on climate change until 2030.
The parties discussed the importance of regional cooperation in Central Asia to ensure environmental sustainability and work within the framework of the" Green Central Asia" initiative of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).
In addition, issues of strategic cooperation with the EBRD and plans to create an environmental fund for Central Asia were discussed.
The Uzbek side also provided information about the upcoming 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (COP14) and the Samarkand Climate Forum, in connection with which it was hoped that the German delegation would participate in the events.
