On November 13-17, the 21st session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 21) to the UNCCD was held in Samarkand.

The event, held for the first time in Central Asia, was attended by about 1,000 people, domestic and foreign experts from more than a hundred states and international organizations – members of the convention.

Challenges and opportunities in implementing strategic goals aimed at sustainable land management and increasing drought resilience, supporting women’s leadership in agriculture, preventing land degradation, and combating forced migration related to climate change were considered at the event.

On November 17, a briefing was held on the conference results.

UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UNCCD Ibrahim Thiaw noted that the 21st session, held in Samarkand and organized at a high level, was successful and expressed gratitude to the leadership of Uzbekistan.

First Deputy Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan Obidjon Kudratov noted that one of the most important events was holding a high-level event dedicated to sand and dust storms, identifying this issue as a global problem.

At the briefing, it was stated that the Samarkand Declaration on Sand and Dust Storms, put forward by Uzbekistan, will be considered at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Convention in Saudi Arabia in December 2024.

Golib Khasanov, UzA