The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change, the International Innovation Center of the Aral Sea Region, the Research Institute of Environment and Nature Conservation Technologies, the Research Institute of Forestry, international organizations, and other institutions.

As noted during the presentation, the 5-year Country Planning Framework was developed based on joint assessments by GGGI and government agencies of Uzbekistan of the challenges of green growth, opportunities, and necessary conditions in the country, determining the comparative advantages of GGGI in Uzbekistan, as well as developing priority areas for development. The document reflects the priority directions of Uzbekistan’s development and corresponds to the GGGI Regional Asian Strategy until 2030. It outlines GGGI’s expected support for the country’s achievement of environmentally sustainable economic growth through the implementation of green growth projects.

“We have identified key policy areas, key technical consultants, and green investment directions for the next five-year period. It was more than a year-long period of consultations at a high and technical level, during which all the various ministries and stakeholders made their recommendations in which areas we can contribute”, said Dr. Aaron J.M.Russell, Head of the GGGI Representative Office in Uzbekistan.

It was also emphasized that during the period 2024-2028, GGGI will focus on supporting Uzbekistan in developing and updating an appropriate regulatory framework to create a favorable environment, including for green investments and preparing projects to directly mobilize investments in climate-sustainable agriculture, sustainable forests, and green buildings. This work will also be based on the previous experience and achievements of the Green Rehabilitation project of the Republic of Karakalpakstan to eliminate the consequences of the Aral Sea crisis (Aral Sea GRIP), as well as include new projects and initiatives, including a new regional project on “Improving resilience to climate change through the introduction of innovative intelligent methods of flood and drought risk management in Central Asia”.

It is worth noting that the GGGI 2030 long-term strategy provides for several long-term plans to support member countries and partners to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth that meets the goals of the Paris Agreement, as well as the UN SDGs. It focuses on five Global Operational Priorities (GOPs), which include resource mobilization and accelerating access to climate finance, achieving a sustainable and circular bio-economy while preserving healthy ecosystems, accelerating progress in eradicating poverty and gender inequality, supporting “green” jobs, services, and a “green” economy infrastructure, and other areas.