Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 19 September 2022, a meeting was held in New York between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Executive Secretary of the Convention to Combat Desertification Ibrahim Thiaw, press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

During the talks, topical issues of cooperation in the field of climate change, environmental protection, combating desertification and drought were discussed.

As Ibrahim Thiaw emphasized, in recent years, Uzbekistan’s cooperation within the framework of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification has noticeably intensified. A clear evidence of the growing dynamics of interaction is the designation of the Republic of Uzbekistan as the venue in 2023 for the 21st meeting of the Committee to Review the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC-21). He expressed the readiness of the Convention Secretariat to provide comprehensive assistance to the Uzbek side in the preparation and holding of this event.

The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations highly appreciated the practical measures of Uzbekistan to overcome the negative consequences of the drying up of the Aral Sea, as well as efforts to plant greenery on the dried-up bottom of the sea.