Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The drying up of the Aral Sea has led to a whole range of consequences that negatively affected the provision of human security in the Aral Sea region, affecting the main spheres of life of the local population. To create favorable conditions for sustainable rural development, the United Nations Development Program in Uzbekistan (UNDP) has joined forces with the United Nations Agency for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) to implement the Joint Program "Solving Urgent Problems of Human Security in the Aral Sea Region by Promoting Sustainable Rural Development" in period from 2019 to 2021

On 26 August 2021, a Nukus-Tashkent teleconference was held between representatives of the coordinating council of the UNDP-UNESCO Joint Program to discuss the results of the work done. It should be noted that this is the first program that was implemented with the financial assistance of the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security (MPHTFB) for the Aral Sea region in Uzbekistan with a budget of $ 1,463,900.

- The program was aimed at mitigating negative environmental, social and economic impacts on 186,700 residents of the region’s most vulnerable communities. The main activities were focused on the development of integrated solutions in this direction, assistance in gaining access to basic social services, improving the standard of living through the development of entrepreneurship, as well as in the development of sustainable tourism in the pilot regions of Karakalpakstan, - said Doina Munteanu, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Uzbekistan in his welcoming speech addressed to the participants of the meeting.

Speaking about the effectiveness of the implementation of the program, during the meeting it was noted that in order to achieve the tasks set, it is important to build a constant dialogue with rural residents, proceed from their needs and requirements. To this end, a series of community mobilization meetings were held on the ground, with over 100 local residents participating. This allowed the development of development plans and the creation of initiative groups in five communities of Takhtakupyr district. As a result, about 3,500 people gained access to clean drinking water.

A number of activities were aimed at creating jobs, additional sources of income and increasing the potential of local residents. The program has supported farmers and entrepreneurs in starting their businesses. Over 50 people got permanent jobs, about 120, of which more than half are women and young people, improved their skills in the development and conduct of entrepreneurial activity. A separate component in this direction was devoted to the development of sustainable tourism in Karakalpakstan and the training of relevant personnel. The training was attended by about 200 representatives of the Main Department of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, entrepreneurs, specialists of specially protected natural areas, museum staff, tour operators, local communities and activists, and other stakeholders in the development of sustainable ecological and rural tourism. An assessment was made of the development of the tourism sector and the hotel industry in the region.

Among the measures to ensure the safety of the environment, restore degraded lands, and minimize the occurrence of sandstorms, special attention was paid to afforestation of the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea. A preliminary assessment of the needs of the Takhtakupyr forestry was carried out to provide the necessary machinery and equipment. The provided truck, excavator-bulldozer, mobile wagon-houses for shift teams, tents and much more were widely used when planting saxaul on an area of more than 3000 hectares and creating a nursery on 49 hectares of land for growing seedlings from drought-resistant plants.

An important outcome of the program activities is the monitoring and analysis of the dried seabed soil. The study was carried out following the results of two expeditions of the Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia, held in the fall of 2019 and in the spring of 2020. Representatives of the Scientific Center for the Aral Sea under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as specialists in the field of ecology, soil science, hydrogeology, dendrology, botany and GIS were involved in monitoring the bottom of the dried sea. The total coverage of the study area was 1.2 million hectares, from Chink to the Akpetka Island system, and from the water’s edge to the historical sea level. Detailed information and conclusions on expeditions are reflected in the book "Monitoring of the Dried Aral Sea Bottom 2019-2020".

The joint UNDP-UNESCO program was implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the State Committee on Forestry and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

UNDP continues its activities in Uzbekistan in three main areas, including ensuring sustainable economic growth, inclusive and democratic governance, adaptation to the effects of climate change and environmental protection.