Uzbekistan Adopts International Environmental Assessment Standards

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan is launching a comprehensive reform of its environmental assessment system.

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 234, "On Measures to Introduce New Environmental Impact Assessment Mechanisms," adopted on 11 May 2026, establishes the practical framework for implementing the revised Law on Environmental Review, which was adopted a year earlier.

The document is intended to simplify procedures for businesses, increase the transparency of environmental reviews and align national practices with the country's international commitments.

Less bureaucracy for small businesses

One of the key changes is the reduction in the number of environmental review categories from four to one. As a result, thousands of small businesses whose activities have minimal environmental impact will no longer be required to undergo the review process.

At the same time, facilities will be classified by sector, a measure intended to eliminate ambiguities in the application of legislation that businesses and experts had previously encountered.

Environmental review through the Unified Portal

The state environmental review process will be fully transferred to the Unified Portal of Interactive Public Services (EPIGU), making the procedure more transparent and predictable.

The resolution also establishes legal mechanisms defining the rights and obligations of participants in the review process, procedures for the collective consideration of disputed environmental opinions, and rules for applying international instruments, including obligations arising from the Paris Agreement, the Basel Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Public participation and international commitments

Another element of the reform focuses on public participation in environmentally significant decision-making.

New procedures for public hearings and public environmental reviews are intended to strengthen democratic participation while ensuring Uzbekistan fulfills its obligations under the Aarhus Convention.

Rating and certification of project developers

The resolution establishes rules governing the activities of organizations that prepare project documentation, including the introduction of a rating system and the issuance of qualification certificates.

It also defines requirements for project development organizations, mechanisms for evaluating the effectiveness of their work and the quality of project documentation, as well as qualification requirements and certification procedures for their specialists.

Strategic environmental assessment

A separate part of the reform concerns strategic environmental assessment, one of the key instruments of international environmental governance.

New procedures for preparing strategic environmental assessment reports and verifying their quality are intended to improve the environmental sustainability of government programmes, policy concepts, territorial planning documents and urban development plans.

2025 figures

State environmental review authorities issued 49,620 environmental opinions in 2025. Nearly 700 projects were found not to comply with environmental requirements.

The authors of the reform expect that introducing mandatory qualification certification for project developers and a rating system for project organizations will improve the quality of project documentation and reduce the number of projects that fail to meet environmental standards.

The Cabinet of Ministers expects that introducing modern international mechanisms into the environmental assessment system will improve environmental protection, reduce environmental risks and contribute to creating a healthy and safe environment for future generations.