Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan will require approximately US$30.1 billion in climate adaptation investment by 2035. Against this backdrop, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell has called at COP31 in Antalya for a shift in international climate finance towards more affordable capital and long-term economic transformation in developing countries.
Uzbekistan, whose climate adaptation investment needs are estimated at approximately US$30.1 billion through 2035, has a significant stake in international efforts to make climate finance more accessible and effective.
At COP31 in Antalya, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell called for a shift away from financing isolated climate projects towards supporting broader economic transformation in developing countries.
Speaking at a high-level ministerial dialogue on climate finance on 13 November, Stiell stressed that meeting international finance targets does not necessarily mean that countries' actual needs are being addressed.
According to Stiell, many developing economies face a combination of mounting debt, recurring climate-related disasters and prohibitively high capital costs. These pressures limit their ability to invest in resilient infrastructure and low-emission development.
He argued that climate finance should help countries break out of this cycle by strengthening national institutions, improving investment conditions and attracting capital at lower costs.
Such an approach could create a positive cycle in which stronger institutions facilitate investment, additional capital supports climate resilience and low-emission development, and these improvements contribute to stronger national economies.
For Uzbekistan, the discussion is particularly relevant to the modernisation of irrigation systems, climate-resilient agriculture and infrastructure development.
According to figures presented at Uzbekistan's national pavilion at COP31, the country requires approximately US$30.1 billion in climate adaptation investment by 2035.
Against this backdrop, the international debate highlights the importance of affordable financing mechanisms capable of supporting long-term climate resilience rather than individual projects alone.
Stiell's remarks did not include any new financial commitments specifically for Uzbekistan. Instead, they underscored the need to ensure that international climate finance delivers tangible economic and environmental benefits to developing countries.
By Kamila Fayzieva, special for UzDaily, Antalya
