Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Within the framework of the International Climate Forum COP-28 in the UAE, the Minister of Ecology, Environment, and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Aziz Abdukhakimov, met with the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Tatyana Molchan.

Molchan has twenty years of experience and served as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the UN, the World Trade Organization, and other international organizations in Geneva. She has been in her current position since July 2023.

Aziz Abdukhakimov congratulated Tatyana Molchan on her appointment as the Executive Secretary of UNECE.

"We have established long-term strategic cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Today, there are several proposals and directions, and we aim to further strengthen cooperation," said Aziz Abdukhakimov.

During the meeting, the minister noted that Uzbekistan has successfully launched a system for assessing environmental efficiency. Considering the transboundary nature of environmental issues and the fact that each of the Central Asian countries is preparing a national report, he proposed developing a regional document. This report will cover five Central Asian countries and help increase awareness, joint decision-making, and strengthen regional cooperation in addressing environmental issues.

In addition, Aziz Abdukhakimov noted that Uzbekistan will soon become a member of the Aarhus Convention.

"The right of the population to receive environmental information is reflected in Article 49 of the new edition of the Constitution of Uzbekistan. This fully complies with the Aarhus Convention," said the minister.

It was also highlighted that, starting from 2021, 200 million seedlings of trees and shrubs are planted annually throughout the country. It was emphasized that it is essential to study the experience of implementing the concept "3-30-300."

The "3-30-300" concept involves greening cities. According to it, residents should be able to see at least 3 trees from their homes, 30% of the territory of each microdistrict should be covered with trees, and a quality common green area should be visible within a radius of 300 meters.

During the meeting, it was noted that by 2028, the goal is to ensure the recycling of at least 60% of solid household waste generated in Uzbekistan, reduce methane emissions into the atmosphere, close and process 167 waste dumps in Uzbekistan. New landfills meeting international sanitary requirements will be created on an area of 1,000 hectares. The feasibility of integrating the public-private partnership system into the management of protected areas (PA) and ecotourism was also emphasized.

As a result of the meeting, an agreement was reached to continue cooperation with UNECE in the field of conservation and restoration of natural resources. Aziz Abdukhakimov invited Tatyana Molchan to conduct an official presentation event during the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP14), which will take place in Samarkand on 12-17 February 2024.