Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — A regional dialogue titled “From Scientifically Proven Knowledge to Evidence-Based Climate Policy – Strengthening Regional Cooperation for Climate Resilience in Central Asia” is being held in Tashkent on 8–9 October. The event was organised by the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) together with the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan.
The event brought together representatives of relevant German federal agencies and research centres, government and research institutions from Central Asian countries, as well as leading international organisations and development partners, including the EU, OECD, UN Environment Programme, OSCE and others.
The dialogue focused on developing cooperation under the “Green Central Asia” initiative, launched by Germany’s Foreign Ministry in 2020 jointly with the countries of the region. The initiative brings together scientific expertise, government policy and regional cooperation.
One of its key outcomes was the Regional Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change in Central Asia, developed and agreed upon by the five countries of the region. The initiative to adopt the strategy was put forward by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the Fifth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Dushanbe in September 2023.
Speaking to participants, Akramjon Nematov, First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of Uzbekistan, noted that the climate agenda has direct practical importance for Uzbekistan.
Climate change can no longer be viewed solely as an environmental issue: it directly affects water, food and energy security, agriculture, economic resilience and the quality of life of the population.
According to him, Uzbekistan fully recognises the scale of these challenges. That is why, at the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the country launched a fundamental transformation of state policy: environmental, climate and water issues have evolved from a set of sectoral concerns into a cross-cutting area of the national development strategy, shaping approaches to the economy, water use, agriculture and territorial development.
Nematov also highlighted the strengthening of the institutional foundations of this policy. Environmental rights have been enshrined in the Constitution, while a long-term strategic planning system has been established. The National Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Ecology and Climate Change is directly accountable to the President, while scientific and human-resource infrastructure is being developed, including the Central Asian University for Environmental and Climate Change Studies.
In his view, these transformations represent a shift in the management model itself: from responding to consequences to preventing risks, from fragmented sectoral solutions to an integrated ecosystem approach, and from predominantly administrative methods to a policy based on data, science, technology and economic incentives.
In this regard, the expert particularly emphasised the approach of the President of Uzbekistan, according to which climate resilience begins primarily with effective transformations within the country. Thus, before 2017, water-saving technologies were used on only 19,000 hectares, while by early 2026 they covered 2.6 million hectares, or 60% of irrigated land. Annual water savings have reached 2.5 billion cubic metres.
Over the past five years, around 6 GW of solar, wind and hydropower capacity has been commissioned, while the share of green energy in generation has reached 30%.
Under the “Yashil Makon” project, more than 1 billion trees and shrubs have been planted. The level of greening increased from 8% in 2020 to 14.3% in 2025, while more than 2 million hectares of forest plantations have been established on the dried seabed of the Aral Sea.
Nematov stressed that these figures are important not in themselves. They demonstrate Uzbekistan’s consistent transition towards a more resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable development model based on the rational use of water, expansion of clean energy, ecosystem restoration and reduced climate risks.
At the same time, the First Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies emphasised that Uzbekistan’s climate policy is proactive not only domestically but also at the regional and global levels.
The logic behind this approach stems from an obvious fact: climate, water and environmental risks do not recognise national borders, meaning that the effectiveness of national reforms largely depends on countries’ ability to develop joint solutions.
In Central Asia, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has consistently proposed such practical mechanisms. At the Samarkand Climate Forum, proposals were put forward to launch a Regional Programme for the Introduction of Water-Saving Technologies, hold an annual “Green Belt of Central Asia” campaign, and establish in Tashkent a Secretariat for the European Union’s “Water–Energy–Climate Change” initiative to mobilise financing, technology and expertise. In addition, the head of state called for expanded cooperation with the EU under the Copernicus programme for continuous satellite monitoring of glaciers and early assessment of risks to mountain ecosystems.
At the same time, Uzbekistan is consistently bringing the region’s climate agenda to the global level.
At COP29, the President of Uzbekistan proposed establishing an International Centre for Climate Loss and Damage Assessment, developing a UN-backed Declaration on Commitments to Ensure the Health and Environmental Safety of River Ecosystems, establishing a Regional Genetic Resources Bank, and creating an Alliance of World Climate Capitals, with its first forum to be held in Tashkent.
The speaker stressed that Central Asia has now reached a stage where the main task is no longer so much the development of new framework documents as the practical implementation of agreements already reached. In other words, the regional climate agenda needs to move from shaping approaches to their systematic implementation.
In this regard, Nematov outlined six practical areas.
First, to establish a compatible regional system of climate and hydrometeorological data based on comparable methodologies, information exchange and risk monitoring.
Second, to translate the Regional Adaptation Strategy into a portfolio of specific projects with defined timelines, implementers and measurable indicators.
Third, to accelerate joint programmes on water conservation, cryosphere monitoring, drought management and early warning, developing the “water–energy–food–ecosystems” nexus.
Fourth, to make human-capital development and scientific cooperation a regional priority by expanding joint educational programmes and academic mobility.
Fifth, to develop climate, green and blue financing mechanisms, more actively involving the private sector, development banks and international financial institutions in implementing water and climate projects.
Sixth, to strengthen the ability of Central Asian countries to develop coordinated positions where their interests coincide, while respecting the national priorities of each country.
As the expert emphasised, this is the practical value of “Green Central Asia”: it connects science, government policy, international expertise and investment opportunities, making it possible to move from understanding risks to joint solutions, and from solutions to projects and investment.
