The President of Uzbekistan: "Our task is to do everything to ensure that future generations live in a sustainable, safe, and prosperous world."

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

The forum was attended by European Council President António Costa, European Commission President 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 Berdimuhamedow, Head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Tatiana Molchan, Executive Director of the Program for Settlements Anaukladiya Rossbach, Executive Secretary of the Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw, and others.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed the forum participants with a video message.

Over 2,000 foreign guests participated, including leaders of national and global environmental organizations, international institutions, experts, scientists, journalists, and business representatives.

The agenda focused on current climate challenges facing Central Asia, ecological sustainability, "green" economic development, and regional cooperation in combating climate change.

At the beginning of his speech, the President expressed satisfaction that the forum’s broad international representation confirms the global community's commitment to joint efforts in finding effective solutions to the most pressing sustainable development issues.

It was highlighted that last year, for the first time, the average global temperature rose by more than one and a half degrees Celsius. The last decade has been the hottest in the history of meteorological observations.

"As a result, we are all now feeling the negative impacts of climate crises – the expansion of forest fires and desertification, the reduction of glaciers, increasing water shortages, and deteriorating air quality," said the President of Uzbekistan.

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

Successful cooperation with European partners was noted within programs aimed at mitigating the consequences of the Aral Sea drying up, rational water usage, and expanding "clean" energy sources. Such partnerships contribute significantly to the sustainable "green" development of Central Asia.

In this context, there is a clear interest in further deepening practical cooperation with the European Union, a global leader in defending and promoting climate change action.

The President also emphasized that the issues of climate change are inextricably linked to food and energy security.

Arable land is rapidly decreasing, and today more than 20% of the region’s total land area is subject to degradation. In a quarter-century, yields could fall by a third.

"In this regard, I consider it vital to unite our scientific potential to increase the adaptability of forestry and agriculture, as well as strengthen food security within the Horizon Europe Program," the President remarked.

He informed the audience about measures Uzbekistan is taking to reduce the area of degraded land and mitigate the effects of climate change. Large-scale greening is underway under the "Yashil Makon" program. Additionally, drought-resistant plants have been planted on over 2 million hectares of desert land in the Aral Sea region.

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

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also focused on transitioning to a resource-saving and environmentally clean model of economic development.

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

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

"I want to emphasize that we will make every effort to fulfill Uzbekistan's commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% under the Paris Agreement ahead of schedule," the President stated.

As part of continued efforts in this direction, it was proposed to create a Secretariat for the European Union's "Water – Energy – Climate Change" initiative in Tashkent to mobilize financing, technology, and expertise.

The significance of the "green" development concept for the region was particularly highlighted, which will be presented at the current forum.

Regarding the rational use of water resources, the President of Uzbekistan noted that by 2040, Central Asian countries will face high water stress due to reduced river flow from the Amu Darya and Syr Darya.

It was emphasized that to save water resources, work is being done to concrete irrigation networks, and an industrial base for water-saving technologies is being created, which are already implemented on almost half of the irrigated land in Uzbekistan, covering nearly 2 million hectares. Thanks to these measures, around 8 billion cubic meters of water were saved last year.

"We call on everyone to unite efforts and launch a Regional Program for the Implementation of Water-Saving Technologies in Central Asia," said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

An International Forum on Water-Saving Technologies will be held in the Aral Sea region to discuss these issues.

There is also interest in close cooperation with the EU under the Copernicus Program for continuous satellite monitoring of glaciers' status and early diagnosis of risks to the region’s mountain ecosystems.

The Climate Residence, based at the "Green University" in Tashkent, could serve as a scientific and expert platform for studying and monitoring climate processes in Central Asia.

In addition, the Aral Cultural Summit will begin in Nukus on April 5, aimed at drawing attention to the ecological problems of the region through art projects.

In conclusion, the President once again emphasized the overarching task – "to do everything to ensure that future generations live in a sustainable, safe, and prosperous world."

"For this, it is necessary to strengthen dialogue and unite the efforts of all countries with a common noble goal," concluded the President of Uzbekistan.