Central Asia at the forefront of the fight against climate change and Uzbekistan’s regional policy

On Thursday and Friday, the town of Samarkand will host the worldwide convention “Central Asia Dealing with International Local weather Challenges: Consolidation for Shared Prosperity.”

The occasion will convey collectively the heads of state from Central Asia, management of the European Union, high-ranking representatives of worldwide organisations, in addition to consultants and specialists from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Center East.

This worldwide local weather convention is being organised to implement the Samarkand Initiative for Solidarity within the Identify of Widespread Safety and Prosperity, which the president of Uzbekistan introduced in 2022.

The essence of this initiative lies in creating a worldwide dialogue platform to handle urgent up to date challenges, facilitating joint reflection and the event of recent approaches to making sure safety and sustainable improvement.

For a number of days, Samarkand will as soon as once more turn into a hub for worldwide dialogue and cooperation, offering a platform for discussing pressing points associated to local weather change.

This occasion will undoubtedly make a big contribution to uniting the worldwide group’s efforts in tackling local weather challenges.

The high-profile lineup of members and the convention’s multilateral format underscore the relevance and significance of its agenda.

Right now, local weather change represents one of the crucial severe threats of our time. This problem stays on the forefront of world professional discussions and is usually raised on the very best worldwide platforms.

On this regard, UN Secretary-Basic António Guterres has described the present state of affairs as a “triple planetary disaster,” encompassing local weather change, biodiversity loss, and environmental air pollution.

Incresingly extreme local weather points pushed to the background

Specialists are notably involved in regards to the rise in international temperatures, which has quite a few antagonistic results, together with glacier melting, water shortage, drought, desertification, soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and decreased agricultural yields. Speedy inhabitants development and intensified financial actions additional exacerbate these challenges.

As an illustration, the just lately revealed studies by the World Meteorological Group and the World Glacier Monitoring Service verify the accelerating drawback of glacier melting.

In accordance with analysis, over the previous 48 years — since 1976 — glaciers worldwide have misplaced practically 9.2 thousand gigatonnes of ice, which is equal to a 25-meter-thick ice mass protecting an space the dimensions of Germany. Because of this, international sea ranges have risen by 18 millimetres. Specialists estimate that with every millimeter of sea-level rise, 200,000 to 300,000 coastal residents face the chance of flooding.

From 2022 to 2024 alone, glaciers skilled their best three-year mass loss in recorded historical past. Moreover, 5 of the previous six years have seen the quickest retreat of glaciers. Many consultants warn that in a number of areas, permafrost could not survive the twenty first century.

Furthermore, glacier melting triggers a cascade of extreme penalties for economies, ecosystems, and communities — notably in mountainous areas, but additionally on a worldwide scale. The rising disaster of glacier soften and water shortage has turn into a central theme of worldwide discussions, together with at boards in New York and Paris on March 21, 2025, devoted to the first-ever World Glacier Day and World Water Day.

The worldwide group totally recognises the dimensions of this disaster and is taking motion to handle it. In 2015, nations worldwide adopted the Paris Settlement, committing to lowering emissions and dealing collectively on local weather adaptation measures.

Moreover, the United Nations Local weather Change Conferences (COP) are held yearly, with the newest twenty ninth session happening in Baku in November 2024.

Nonetheless, rising geopolitical tensions and deepening rivalries amongst main powers have weakened multilateral cooperation, making it more and more tough to realize consensus on essential problems with worldwide peace and stability. This has additionally hindered the efforts of worldwide organisations in addressing key international challenges associated to sustainable improvement.

Because of this, local weather points — regardless of their crucial significance for the way forward for humanity — are more and more pushed to the background, whereas assets are being redirected towards armed conflicts and humanitarian disaster administration.

What’s Central Asia doing about this?

In opposition to this backdrop, Central Asia presents a markedly completely different improvement trajectory. Amid international turbulence, the area has demonstrated resilience, unity, and stability, successfully addressing rising challenges and threats by itself. A key pillar of this success is the established ambiance of belief, friendship, and good neighborliness, which serves as the inspiration for unlocking the area’s full potential for cooperation.

In different phrases, the unity amongst Central Asian nations permits productive dialogue on urgent regional and international points, incomes widespread recognition on the worldwide stage.

On the similar time, local weather change has turn into a key driver of regional cooperation. That is hardly shocking, as Central Asia is among the most climate-vulnerable areas on this planet. Over the previous 60 years, the common temperature within the area has risen by 1.5°C—twice the worldwide common of 0.7°C. Local weather change, coupled with inefficient water use and administration, has led to growing water shortage, a pattern that’s changing into extra extreme and irreversible with every passing 12 months.

Greater than 80% of Central Asia’s water assets originate from glaciers, which have shrunk by roughly 30% over the previous 50 years. By 2050, water assets within the Syr Darya basin are anticipated to say no by 5%, whereas these within the Amu Darya basin might lower by 15%.

With Central Asia’s inhabitants projected to succeed in 100 million by 2050, water shortages might escalate to 30%, whereas demand for irrigation water might enhance by 30% as early as 2030.

These challenges additionally pose severe dangers to meals safety. In accordance with World Financial institution forecasts, as a result of local weather change, agricultural yields in Central Asia might decline by 20–40% by 2050.

Totally conscious of those urgent challenges, Central Asian nations exhibit a excessive accountability for the area’s future. A regional local weather dialogue has been launched to reinforce coordination on local weather adaptation efforts.

Furthermore, Central Asian states are more and more taking the lead in advancing the worldwide local weather agenda, proposing main worldwide initiatives targeted on adaptation and mitigation. Over the subsequent three years, the area will host a number of high-profile occasions on water and local weather points.

In parallel, Central Asian nations are actively partaking in worldwide cooperation by way of platforms such because the IFAS (Worldwide Fund for Saving the Aral Sea) and the United Nations.

As an illustration, on the 2023 UN Local weather Summit in Dubai, the area showcased its unity by way of the Central Asian Pavilion beneath the theme “5 International locations—One Area—One Voice.” This initiative helped amplify Central Asia’s collective voice on the worldwide stage.

Turning the area inexperienced

It’s value noting that Uzbekistan is among the key drivers of regional cooperation in addressing local weather change and a number one drive in remodeling Central Asia right into a hub for inexperienced economic system and clear power.

Talking on the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasised that the strategic objective of New Uzbekistan is to make sure environmental sustainability and financial development by transitioning to a resource-efficient, inexperienced improvement mannequin.

Inexperienced improvement has turn into a prime precedence of Uzbekistan’s state coverage, mirrored within the adoption of a number of long-term methods geared toward tackling environmental challenges, preserving biodiversity, and reaching the UN Sustainable Improvement Targets (SDGs).

Furthermore, the Uzbekistan Improvement Technique till 2030 has, for the primary time, positioned local weather points as a prime precedence, reinforcing the state’s accountability in addressing international sustainability challenges.

As well as, Uzbekistan is systematically advancing decarbonisation efforts by increasing the share of renewable power sources, creating electrical car and inexperienced hydrogen clusters, establishing photo voltaic and wind power hubs, selling large-scale greening and power effectivity initiatives.

Uzbekistan has declared 2025 the 12 months of Environmental Safety and the Inexperienced Financial system to additional consolidate efforts and guarantee a scientific method to local weather adaptation.

Total, as a result of measures applied over the previous 5 years, nearly $20 billion in international funding has been drawn to the nation’s power sector, and 9.6 gigawatts of contemporary power capability have been commissioned.

Specifically, 14 photo voltaic and wind energy vegetation with a complete capability of three.5 gigawatts and two power storage methods with a capability of 300 megawatts have been created.

By 2030, the share of renewable power sources is deliberate to extend to 54%, and greenhouse fuel emissions will probably be decreased by 35%. Furthermore, within the coming years, the “inexperienced” elements in funding tasks are deliberate to extend to 50%, and nationwide monitoring methods for greenhouse fuel emissions and emissions quota buying and selling are deliberate.

On the similar time, as a part of the “Yashil Makon” (Inexperienced Area) program, no less than 30% of city areas within the nation will probably be greened. There are additionally plans to cowl your complete agricultural sector of Uzbekistan with water-saving applied sciences.

In the meantime, Tashkent has considerably intensified its coverage on a worldwide and regional scale, advancing vital initiatives in local weather change adaptation.

One key occasion was the adoption by the UN Basic Meeting in Could 2021 of a Decision declaring the Aral Sea area a zone of environmental initiatives and applied sciences on the initiative of Uzbekistan. The measure goals to revive the ecosystem, develop inexperienced applied sciences, and promote sustainable pure useful resource administration.

Because of the applied applications, hundreds of thousands of timber have been planted on the previous Aral Sea mattress, serving to cut back air air pollution, restore biodiversity, and enhance the local weather.

In December 2023, one other vital decision was adopted: “Central Asia Dealing with Environmental Challenges: Strengthening Regional Solidarity for Sustainable Improvement and Prosperity,” which aimed to reinforce regional cooperation in addressing environmental challenges.

Furthermore, on the COP-28 summit in Dubai and the COP-29 summit in Baku, and different worldwide boards, President Mirziyoyev put ahead a number of sensible proposals to fight the adverse penalties of world local weather change.

Amongst these proposals are establishing an Worldwide Heart for Injury and Loss Evaluation attributable to local weather change, making a regional hub for implementing water-saving applied sciences, and forming a plant genetic useful resource financial institution.

Moreover, Uzbekistan is changing into a platform for a number of main worldwide occasions. In February 2024, Samarkand hosted the 14th Convention of the Events to the Conference on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, an vital worldwide occasion in environmental safety and biodiversity conservation.

In September 2024, Tashkent hosted a world discussion board on “Meals Safety Targets and Sustainable Improvement of Landlocked Creating International locations.” The discussion board was geared toward addressing points associated to agricultural commerce, meals safety, local weather change adaptation, and logistics in creating nations that lack entry to the ocean.

On this context, a notable initiative proposed by the President of Uzbekistan on the COP-29 summit was the creation of a UN Innovation agro-industrial hub for landlocked nations.

Moreover, on 15 Could this 12 months, Worldwide Local weather Day, the Aral Sea area will host the International Youth Competition of Digital “Inexperienced” Initiatives.

Open and constructive dialogue is crucial

On the core of all these worldwide boards is the well-being of Central Asia and the event of efficient options for the area’s sustainable future. Uzbekistan is constantly working on this route, striving to unite the efforts of Central Asian nations within the combat towards local weather threats.

The adoption of the “Inexperienced Agenda” for Central Asia on the 4th Consultative Assembly of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Cholpon-Ata and the event of a Regional Technique for Local weather Change Adaptation have been vital contributions to strengthening this cooperation.

These paperwork lay the inspiration for joint actions by the area’s nations in key areas equivalent to lowering greenhouse fuel emissions, creating renewable power, rationally utilizing pure assets, and selling sustainable agriculture.

Particular consideration is given to capability constructing and scientific analysis within the subject of ecology. Tashkent has opened the area’s first “inexperienced” college, which can function a centre for environmental schooling and innovation.

The president of Uzbekistan proposed establishing an Worldwide Analysis Community on the college to fight land degradation and desertification, in addition to partaking main scientific establishments and consultants in creating new options for sustainable improvement.

In the course of the Samarkand convention, Uzbekistan plans to current a draft of the Regional Idea for “Inexperienced” Improvement, a challenge introduced by President Mirziyoyev on the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week summit.

It’s value noting that following the local weather discussion board, on 10 April in Tashkent, the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Research beneath the president of Uzbekistan will host an Worldwide scientific and sensible convention on “Water Diplomacy in Central Asia: Belief, Dialogue, and Multilateral Cooperation for Sustainable Improvement”.

This occasion will function a platform for scientific and political dialogue to advertise options to water-related challenges primarily based on an goal evaluation of the present state of affairs.

The convention will convey collectively leaders and consultants from strategic establishments and water administration businesses of Central Asian nations and Afghanistan, main specialists from European nations in water diplomacy, in addition to representatives of the Regional Heart for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the UN Help Mission in Afghanistan.

Basically, the convention will stand as additional proof of Central Asian nations’ readiness to constructively tackle transboundary water useful resource administration points whereas contemplating the pursuits of all events.

Due to this fact, Uzbekistan’s proactive local weather coverage and initiatives within the worldwide enviornment spotlight the nation’s dedication to sustainable improvement and environmental safety, not solely on the nationwide stage but additionally throughout the area.

On this context, the Samarkand Local weather Convention will present a chance to determine mutually acceptable options for local weather adaptation, draw international consideration to regional environmental challenges, and strengthen multilateral cooperation.

Amid international instability, geopolitical disagreements, and rising threats to sustainable improvement, an open and constructive dialogue primarily based on mutual respect and equal participation is crucial. Samarkand can turn into the very place the place this dialogue features a brand new dimension.

Akramjon Nematov is first deputy director, and Azamat Sulimanov is head of division on the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Analysis beneath the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.