The event was attended by Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov,  Permanent Representative of the UN Development Program in Uzbekistan Anas Fayyad, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Carlos Manuel Rodriguez (online), Director of the Regional Office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Oliver Avramovski (online), representatives of ministries and departments, international organizations, stakeholders, industry experts, and the media.

In his welcome speech, A. Abdukhakimov spoke about the large-scale environmental reforms carried out by the government of the country and expressed gratitude for the support of foreign partners.
 
"As we are witnessing the degradation of ecosystems and the strain on landscapes across the country, the project is a timely initiative that is very necessary. We welcome the support of the project in strengthening the system of protected natural areas (protected areas) in Uzbekistan in 10 key biodiversity zones, covering 6 national protected areas and 7 state forest areas. This also corresponds to the efforts of the government of the country within the framework of the UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration", said the minister.

The project "Integrated Management of Landscape Protection and Restoration" is aimed at restoring and sustainable management of Uzbekistan's natural ecosystems, assisting in the fight against the growing challenges associated with ecosystem degradation, interdepartmental coordination, and financing activities for the restoration and conservation of biodiversity and ecosystems.

"I am pleased to see that, UNDP, IUCN, and the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of Uzbekistan are putting into practice the GEF approach to spread more integrated cooperation across different sectors. These could help us prevent land degradation and biodiversity loss, not only in Uzbekistan but throughout the Central region of Asia", Carlos Manuel Rodriguez said in his video message.
"But also it is important for the engagement and empowerment of communities and other stakeholders who are directly involved in the management of protected areas and who prevent overexploitation through meaningful participation and dialogues to confirm the approach that the GEF and other partners are delivering good and sustainable results", he added.

It is worth noting that Uzbekistan is actively increasing cooperation with leading environmental organizations. In particular, in February of this year, a representative office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature was opened in our country, which is located at the Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies Green University. .

During the event, participants and stakeholders discussed the opportunities offered by this project for the development of the nature protection sector in Uzbekistan.