Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) plan to identify priority investment projects and prepare their first forest carbon unit transaction by the end of March 2027, the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change said.
The plans were discussed at a meeting between Aziz Abdukhakimov, presidential adviser on ecology and chairman of the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change, and GGGI Director-General Sang-Hyup Kim.
The talks took place on the sidelines of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya. Key topics included attracting green investment, preparing climate projects for financing and conducting the first carbon transactions under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
The meeting noted that Uzbekistan was the first CIS country to join GGGI. The institute has also opened its first office in Central Asia in Tashkent.
Uzbekistan's representatives thanked GGGI for supporting environmental restoration in the Aral Sea region, the introduction of strategic environmental assessment and the implementation of the Clean Hydrogen for Uzbekistan project.
The participants also reviewed the KOICA programme for 2026–2030, which aims to support implementation of the Paris Agreement and the application of its Article 6.
Under the 2024–2028 Country Cooperation Programme between Uzbekistan and GGGI, the sides discussed establishing a joint portfolio of investment projects.
The proposed portfolio would include initiatives in sustainable forestry, climate-smart agriculture and green construction. The projects are expected to be aligned with the national investment programme and the Yashil Makon and Bio Meros initiatives.
Particular attention was given to preparing the first carbon units from forestry projects in the Aral Sea region. According to the committee, more than 2 million hectares of protective plantations have already been established on the dried seabed of the Aral Sea.
Their carbon potential is expected to be used to attract additional financing through Article 6 mechanisms of the Paris Agreement.
To support this work, the parties discussed developing a monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) methodology using satellite data and artificial intelligence.
They also considered structuring the first carbon transaction under Uzbekistan–South Korea cooperation and attracting buyers from South Korea through the Carbon Transaction Facility platform.
Following the meeting, the parties proposed identifying priority investment projects and agreeing on a roadmap for preparing the first forest carbon unit transaction by the end of the first quarter of 2027.
They confirmed their intention to continue cooperation and move towards practical implementation of joint climate and environmental initiatives.
