Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- A delegation of Uzbekistan led by the Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov took part in the High-level Meeting of the OSCE Secretary General and the Ministers of Environmental Protection of Central Asian countries, held on 4 March 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. Sharbiev, Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic M. Turgunbaev, Chairman of the Committee for Environmental Protection 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 and departments, heads of OSCE offices in Central Asia.

The High-Level Meeting discussed 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. These include transboundary water management, energy security, climate change mitigation and adaptation, disaster risk reduction, environmental governance, and promoting gender equality and women’s meaningful participation in environmental protection and climate change.

During the event, the ministers put forward a number of proposals and initiatives. In particular, N. Sharbiev put forward the initiative to hold a Regional Environmental Summit in Kazakhstan in 2026 to develop joint approaches to climate action. M. Turgunbaev proposed creating a Group of mountainous countries at COP29 and organizing a joint event on gender issues. B. Sheralizoda informed the participants about the announcement of 2025 as the “International Year of Glacier Conservation” at the initiative of Tajikistan, as well as the creation of the International Trust Fund for the Conservation of Glaciers and called on international donors to contribute to this fund. Ch. Babaniyazov announced the initiation of the 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 a number of initiatives, including the creation of a Regional Climate Monitoring Center and a Regional Platform for Dust and Sand Storms, close cooperation within the framework of the Global Gateway program for positioning

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 on the basis of the Central Asian University for 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, OSCE Secretary General Ms. Helga Maria Schmid noted the importance of building the OSCE partnership with the countries of Central Asia. In particular, she noted a number of areas of cooperation, including a climate-resilient energy transition, strengthening response capacity to reduce the risk of environmental disasters, water security, implementation of the climate change and security plan in the highlands of Central Asia and empowering women in climate negotiations and in environmental policy decision-making. It was proposed to hold a Forum on the topic “Women and Water Resources” and open the Pavilion “Women of Central Asia” at the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP-29) United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held in 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

As part of the visit to Turkmenistan, the Uzbek delegation also took part in the opening of the Exhibition of Afghan Goods and Services, and in the Turkmen-Afghan Business Forum.

Following the visit, it is planned to strengthen cooperation with the OSCE on environmental protection and climate change issues and promote the issue of creating a Central Asian negotiating group to participate in the events of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Subsidiary Bodies, which will increase the effectiveness of the presentation of the region on the international stage and maximizes potential results in international negotiations.