On March 16, 2023, at an extraordinary summit of the Organization of Turkic States, the President of Uzbekistan emphasized the urgent need to strengthen practical cooperation with international emergency response organizations.

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan proposed the establishment of a Remembrance and Solidarity Day to honor the memory of earthquake victims and to serve as a reminder of the importance of international collaboration in this critical area.

On April 29, 2025, the United Nations General Assembly, at its headquarters in New York, adopted a resolution initiated by Uzbekistan, officially designating April 29 as the International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes. The resolution was co-sponsored by more than 80 countries.

The International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes will be commemorated for the first time on April 29, 2026. This date coincided with the 60th anniversary of the devastating Tashkent earthquake of 1966.

It is worth noting that the United Nations General Assembly also recently adopted another resolution initiated by Uzbekistan, “The decade of actions for afforestation and reforestation in accordance with sustainable forest management”.

The resolution establishing the International Day in Memory of the Victims of Earthquakes is the 13th resolution adopted at the initiative of Uzbekistan in recent years. Its adoption reflects Uzbekistan’s growing influence and credibility on the international stage and is one of the significant global initiatives led by the President of Uzbekistan.

Mukhtarama Komilova, UzA