Uzbekistan Launches Dialogue on Building Energy Efficiency

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — A multistakeholder dialogue on developing the energy audit system and energy service company (ESCO) market in Uzbekistan was held in Tashkent, bringing together government agencies, private sector representatives, financial institutions, and development partners to accelerate energy efficiency improvements in the building sector.

The event was organized by the National Agency for Energy Efficiency under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), with financial support from the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic.

Ziyoviddin Badridinov, Director of the National Agency for Energy Efficiency, highlighted in his opening remarks that the dialogue would be a key step in creating an energy efficiency ecosystem and attracting investment for the modernization of public buildings.

Anas Karman, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Uzbekistan, noted that the building sector consumes approximately 49% of the country’s energy and accounts for 22% of CO₂ emissions, making it a priority for reforms.

Participants reviewed the current status of energy auditor certification, the development of the ESCO market, and international experience in attracting investment for public building energy efficiency.

The second part of the dialogue included an interactive working session where groups discussed regulatory, institutional, and financial barriers and proposed practical solutions. Experiences from an educational visit to the Slovak Republic were also shared to strengthen cooperation among stakeholders.

This event marked the first in a series of meetings and launched a permanent platform for multistakeholder dialogue to coordinate actions, jointly solve challenges, and implement scalable energy efficiency projects.

UNDP, together with the National Agency for Energy Efficiency, plans to continue the platform’s activities, translating discussions into concrete actions and partnerships.

The dialogue was organized under the project “Energy Audits – Unlocking Energy Efficiency Potential of Public Buildings in Uzbekistan,” implemented by the National Agency for Energy Efficiency and UNDP as part of the “Public and Private Development Finance” initiative, funded by the Ministry of Finance of the Slovak Republic.