The Uzbekistan delegation met with FAO representatives within the framework of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The delegation was led by the Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov. Deputy Minister of Agriculture Alisher Shukurov also attended the negotiations.

At the meeting, the parties discussed key areas of cooperation, including the fight against climate change, environmental protection, and sustainable agricultural development.

The report “Sand and dust storms in Uzbekistan: atmospheric modeling to understand the consequences and eliminate them”, prepared on the initiative of the FAO Representative Office in Uzbekistan within the framework of the FOLUR Project, became one of the central issues of the meeting.

Special attention was paid to the discussion of cooperation within the framework of the “Yashil Makon” (Green Space) nationwide project, which provides measures for large-scale afforestation. The participants stressed that restoring the ecological balance in the region requires joint efforts from Central Asian countries.

Following the event, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening partnership and implementing joint initiatives that contribute to the conservation of natural resources and sustainable development of the region.

Mukhayyo Toshqorayeva, UzA