On the sidelines of the Samarkand Climate Forum, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Ibrahim Thiaw, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The distinguished guest conveyed the sincere greetings and best wishes of UN Secretary-General António Guterres to the President of Uzbekistan.

Current issues related to the further development of cooperation with this reputable UN body in combating desertification and land degradation in Uzbekistan and the region were discussed.

The UN representative gave high praise to the President of Uzbekistan’s address at the forum, highlighting the relevance of the initiatives proposed to counter climate challenges and the timeliness of the presented Green Development Concept for Central Asia.

It was noted with satisfaction that the United Nations General Assembly unanimously approved, in August of last year, the resolution on forest restoration initiated by Uzbekistan, as well as the commencement of efforts to develop national targets for preventing land degradation.

An agreement was reached to involve UN Convention experts in establishing an International Scientific Network on Combating Land Degradation and Desertification, based at the Green University in Tashkent.

UzA