The event was attended by heads and representatives of international organizations, ministries, and departments, members of the public, and the media.

According to the rating, which will be updated yearly based on approved environmental master plans (EMPs) and improved indicators, Namangan took first place, scoring 62.29 points out of 100. In second place is the leader in the number of green spaces per capita – Samarkand, with 61.13 points. The third place was taken by the city of Navoi (59.50 points), which has the lowest amount of electricity consumed per 1 inhabitant in the country.

During the press conference, the presentation of the first environmental master plans for urban areas was also held. The pilot cities for which environmental master plans were developed were Bukhara and Samarkand. The first environmental master plans in Uzbekistan were developed by the National Center for Climate Change in cooperation with the khokimiyats of pilot cities and regional departments of the Ministry of Ecology. The documents will become an action plan for city administrations to improve the infrastructure and territorial planning of cities, increase energy efficiency, and reduce the negative impact on the environment and natural resources.

During the press conference, a welcome message from Minister of Ecology Aziz Abdukhakimov was read out:
"We are committed to ensuring that our cities compete in green development, pushing each other to achieve higher environmental standards. The importance of Environmental Masterplans and Ratings is that environmental performance should be a key performance indicator of development and the main criterion in assessing urban development. Through such initiatives, we will be able to ensure a healthy future for our citizens and preserve the natural wealth of Uzbekistan", the minister said in the message.

One of the significant results of the work done, presented at the press conference, was the creation of the creation of environmental passports for 14 regional centers based on indicators included in the international Green City Index methodology. 

The methodology of the Green City Index in Uzbekistan includes 7 groups of indicators: air quality, land use, water consumption, transport, energy, waste, and sanitation. Almost half of the indicators are quantitative, based on official data, including the level of processing and concentration of pollutants. Assessments of the city's environmental policy relate to qualitative indicators. Cities are rated according to the overall rating and individual ratings in each category.

"The decree of the head of our state dated May 31, 2023, defined the creation of environmental passports for all major cities and districts of the republic, the assessment of work carried out in this area by forming a rating, as well as the development of environmental master plans for 2030. Accordingly, based on 10 components, 30 indicators were identified, based on which environmental passports and ratings of territories were developed", said Khalilulla Sherimbetov, head of the sector of the National Center for Climate Change under the Ministry of Ecology. - "On the other hand, the environmental master plan is an environmental program for 2030. It notes what environmental problems exist in regions and cities, and provides recommendations on how to solve them", he added.

It is planned that environmental master plans and environmental passports for each district of the republic will be gradually formed, which will be subject to annual revision and updating. Key performance indicators will be formed based on the results of the implementation of the recommendations specified in the environmental master plans, which will be directly reflected in the rating of the environmental sustainability of the city or district. 

At the end of the press conference, Advisor to the Minister and Director of the National Center for Climate Change - Suna Park presented an online platform https://greencities.uz. By visiting this site, everyone will be able to find out what place the city occupies in the rating, get acquainted with environmental passports and master plans, as well as receive up-to-date detailed information on measures taken to improve environmental sustainability in the cities of Uzbekistan.

For information: Green City Index is a methodology and research project developed by a Siemens-supported Economist Intelligence Unit. The Index assesses cities' sustainability performance and allows them to benchmark their experiences in improving environmental sustainability at regional and global levels. The Index rates cities on about 30 indicators in eight or nine categories, taking into account their role as capitals or economic centers.