National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

The event was attended by the First Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Director of the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights, Akmal Saidov, UNESCO Representative and Head of Office in Uzbekistan Sara Noshadi, Human Rights Officer, Regional Office for Central Asia, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Pavel Byalyk, Head of Diplomatic Affairs, Embassy of Switzerland in Uzbekistan Alexander Schärer, Advisor to the Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change on Information Policy Lola Rakhmanbaeva,Head of the 4th component of the Aral Wetlands project Murod Nasirov, environmental specialists, media representatives, and others.

During the seminar, issues such as key environmental problems in Uzbekistan, difficulties in responding to these issues, including during their coverage by journalists, and how the government can cooperate more effectively with civil society in this area were discussed.

In his welcoming speech, Akmal Saidov noted the large-scale reforms in the field of ecology carried out under the leadership of President Shavkat Miziyoyev. In particular, these are the adoption of the World Environmental Charter, the annual planting of 200 million tree seedlings within the framework of the national "Yashil Makon" project, the adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly declaring the Aral Sea region a "zone of environmental innovation and technology", etc.

The new articles of the Constitution of Uzbekistan, adopted in July 2023, were also noted. In particular, Article 49 enshrines the right of every citizen to a favorable environment and reliable information about its condition, and Article 61 obliges every citizen to protect the environment. It was stressed that the transition to a "green" economy and environmental protection have been declared priorities of the government.

"Today, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change, in cooperation with relevant organizations, is implementing green growth through the introduction of water–saving and energy-efficient technologies, the development of renewable energy sources, increasing the number of environmentally friendly technologies and vehicles, increasing green zones, etc.", noted L.Rakhmanbaeva. "At the same time, we actively involve the public in discussing environmental issues together with the media. This serves to increase the environmental knowledge of the population and their awareness of problems related to environmental protection", added the adviser to the Minister.

It is worth noting that the telegram bot @ecogovuz_bot has been launched by the Ministry of Ecology for public relations. You can also contact by numbers (71) 207-11-07, (71) 207-11-08, 1157, and 1207.

It was also noted that the Central Asian University of Environment and Climate Change (Green University) has been established in Uzbekistan, where the Faculty of "Environmental Journalism" operates.

In turn, Murod Nasirov outlined the main environmental issues necessary for media coverage and public discussion. Among them are limited resources due to population growth, environmental pollution due to industrial growth, and the protection of biodiversity.

The event also included a dialogue between representatives of government agencies, international organizations, and the media.