Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — As part of the Samarkand Climate Forum themed “Global Climate Challenges and Central Asia – Uniting for Sustainable Development”, a special youth session brought together eco-activists from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Hungary. The event also featured leaders of environmental agencies from Central Asian countries and the Turkic world.

Titled “Youth: Looking to the Future with Optimism”, the session was held at the initiative of the Government of Uzbekistan and marked a key step in implementing the International Strategy for Youth Engagement in Climate Action, adopted at COP29.

Key participants included:

Aziz Abdukhakimov, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of Uzbekistan

Dilnozakhon Kattakhanova, First Deputy Director of the Youth Affairs Agency of Uzbekistan

Yerlan Nysanbayev, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan

Meder Mashiev, Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of Kyrgyzstan

Charygeldi Babaniyazov, Minister of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan

Mukhtar Babayev, Climate Envoy of the President of Azerbaijan and President of COP29

Regina Maria Castillo, Head of UNICEF Uzbekistan

Representatives of the Zamin International Public Foundation and young environmental activists from across the region

The dialogue centered around practical ways to implement the International Strategy for Sustainable Development, including the creation of youth platforms within national environmental agencies.

Key proposals presented:

Development of a new generation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) that reflect youth interests

Launch of the Digital Green Start-up platform to support youth-led green entrepreneurship

Following the session, participating ministers emphasized:

The importance of youth engagement in tackling climate challenges

Support for the creation of youth advisory councils within environmental ministries

Plans to establish eco-patrols composed of young activists

Implementation of systematic mechanisms to ensure continuous youth involvement in climate policymaking

The forum reaffirmed the value of interregional cooperation and the active role of young people in advancing the sustainable development agenda.