A video meeting was held between Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on environmental issues and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, and Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, Chief Executive Officer of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The discussions focused on preparations for the VIII GEF Assembly, which will take place in Samarkand.
The parties reviewed organizational aspects of the Assembly and agreed on key elements of the business and cultural program. In particular, cultural events are planned at the “Eternal City” complex, along with a youth art exhibition.
During the meeting, both sides expressed readiness to sign an agreement on the secondees program, which предусматривает the placement of Uzbek specialists within the GEF for professional exchange and capacity building.
It was also announced that USD 5.4 million has been approved for the regional project “Mountain Ecosystems of Central Asia,” to be implemented with the participation of the World Bank.
GEF additionally invited Uzbekistan to consider becoming a donor country to the Fund, which would enable the country to participate in decision-making processes regarding the allocation of financial resources.
Furthermore, an agreement was reached to hold a high-level roundtable dedicated to launching the regional program “Central Asia Water and Land Nexus (CAWLN)” with a total budget of USD 26 million.
GEF also expressed support for Uzbekistan’s initiative to develop a regional project aimed at conserving large cat populations in Central Asia.
The meeting confirmed the high level of cooperation between Uzbekistan and the GEF, as well as mutual commitment to advancing sustainable development and addressing pressing environmental challenges at the regional level.
📌 Source: National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan
