The delegation of Uzbekistan, headed by Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov, took part in the high-level meeting of the OSCE Secretary General and Ministers of Environmental Protection of Central Asian countries, held on March 4 this year in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan).
The event was attended by the Minister of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan, Ch.Babaniyazov, Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, N. Sharbiyev, Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic, M. Turgunbayev, Chairman of the Environmental Protection Committee under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, B. Sheralizoda, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change, A. Abdukhakimov, as well as other representatives of environmental ministries, departments and heads of OSCE missions in Central Asian countries.
Within the framework of the high-level meeting, issues of cooperation between the OSCE and Central Asia on a wide range of issues related to environmental protection and security that fall under the organization's mandate were discussed. These include the management of transboundary water resources, energy security, mitigation and adaptation to the negative effects of climate change, disaster risk reduction, environmental management, as well as support for gender equality and meaningful participation of women in environmental protection and climate change activities.
During the event, the ministers put forward several proposals and initiatives. In particular, N. Sharbiyev put forward the initiative to hold a Regional Environmental Summit in Kazakhstan in 2026 to develop joint approaches to climate action. M. Turgunbayev proposed to create a group of mountain countries at COP29 and organize a joint event on gender issues. B. Sheralizoda informed the participants about the declaration of 2025 as the "International Year of Glacier Conservation" on the initiative of Tajikistan, as well as the creation of an International Trust Fund for Glacier Conservation, and called on international donors to contribute to this fund. Ch.Babaniyazov announced the initiation of a Regional Center for Climate Technologies and put forward a proposal to hold an OSCE forum on climate-resilient technologies.
In turn, A. Abdukhakimov put forward several initiatives, including the creation of a Regional Climate Monitoring Center and a Regional Platform on Dust and Sand Storms, close cooperation within the framework of the Global Gateway program to position Central Asia at the highest level in the international arena, the establishment of a special OSCE scholarship for the most outstanding candidates for master's or doctoral studies based on the Central Asian University of environmental studies and climate change - Green University established in Uzbekistan, OSCE participation in the work of the Multi-Partner Special Environmental Fund for Central Asia, which is being created in partnership with the EBRD.
In her speech, the OSCE Secretary General, Ms. Helga Maria Schmid, noted the importance of building the OSCE partnership with Central Asian countries. In particular, she noted some areas of cooperation, including climate-resilient energy transition, strengthening the response capacity to reduce the risk of environmental disasters, water security, the implementation of the climate change and security plan in the highlands of Central Asia, and the empowerment of women in climate negotiations and decision-making in the field of environmental policy. It was proposed to hold a forum on the theme "Women and water resources" and to open the pavilion "Women of Central Asia" at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP-29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held in 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
During the visit to Turkmenistan, the Uzbek delegation also took part in opening an exhibition of Afghan goods and services and in the Turkmen-Afghan Business Forum.
As a result of the visit, it is planned to strengthen cooperation with the OSCE on environmental protection and climate change and promote the creation of a Central Asian negotiating group to participate in the events of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Subsidiary Bodies, which will increase the effectiveness of the presentation of the region in the international arena and maximize potential results in international negotiations.
