Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 30 March this year, the second meeting of the Advisory Committee on Sustainable Development of the Aral Sea region, organized by the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the United Nations (UN), was held in the format of a video conference.

The purpose of the event is to expand partnership and coordinate donor assistance to support the socio-economic development of the Aral Sea region.

The Advisory Committee was created at the initiative of the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security for the Aral Sea region under the auspices of the UN (Trust Fund) as a single cooperation platform uniting all multi- and bilateral partners, as well as ensuring effective coordination of efforts in the Aral Sea region.

The event was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Investments and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan S. Umurzakov and UN Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan Helena Fraser.

The meeting was attended by about 140 representatives of foreign countries, UN agencies, financial institutions, international public and scientific institutions, charitable foundations, as well as ministries and departments of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, the Uzbek side presented the Concept for the development of a Multilateral "Road Map" to ensure the ecological balance and socio-economic development of the Aral Sea region.

The document is intended to unite the efforts of foreign and international partners for the sustainable development of the Aral Sea region, as well as to ensure the application of a coordinated approach to mobilize resources for the implementation of measures to improve the living conditions of the Aral Sea region population and to effectively monitor these changes.

In support of this initiative, representatives of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) presented a vision of mechanisms for the effective implementation of this Roadmap to achieve concrete practical results in the region.

The participants in the meeting were unanimous in the opinion that an important factor in achieving success in achieving the goals set under the Roadmap will be the involvement of a wide range of foreign and international development partners, who unite in three working groups: on sustainable investments, according to data and assessments; and awareness raising.

During the meeting, the participants heard information from UN agencies on the results achieved under the current joint programs funded by the Trust Fund.

It was announced that currently the Trust Fund has financed five projects aimed, in particular, at improving the population's access to clean drinking water, increasing the access and quality of perinatal care, supporting youth innovative projects in agriculture, improving sanitation conditions in general education schools, and improving the health care system.

It was also announced that as of today, about 3,500 local residents of the population of five settlements are provided with clean drinking water, infrastructure has been improved and new equipment has been installed in maternity hospitals of the Kungrad and Beruniy districts, and in the Nukus city perinatal center there are about 9,000 mothers and the same number of newborns. gained access to quality perinatal services.

Work is underway to develop such industries as agriculture, tourism, research work on the study of the fauna and flora of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea, as well as in other areas.

In the near future, the announcement of the third competition for the selection of new projects for financing from the Trust Fund is expected. During the discussion, representatives of international development partners, as well as ministries, departments and public organizations of Uzbekistan presented recommendations for further strengthening the sustainable development of the Aral Sea region.