For information: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Regional Forum for Europe, North and Central Asia was held in Bruges. A delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Ecology I.Kutbiddinov also took part in it.

At the meeting, gratitude was expressed for the kind words about Uzbekistan's accession to the Union. Dr. Aguilar was also invited to the 20th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which is scheduled to be held in Uzbekistan in the fourth quarter of 2025.

During the meeting, the Director General of the IUCN highlighted the active policy pursued by Uzbekistan in the environmental field in the international arena and the organization of global summits and high-level meetings. In particular, the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14), held in Samarkand in February this year, was noted, and the ecological and tourist potential of the country was highly appreciated.

In order to further accelerate the activities of the IUCN in Uzbekistan and Central Asia, increase the effectiveness of grant projects, expand the project portfolio, as well as mobilize additional grant funds from the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund, speeding up the process of opening an IUCN office in Tashkent was discussed.

At the same time, parties discussed the statuses of the joint projects on "Integrated Management of Conservation and Restoration of Valuable Landscapes in Uzbekistan" with the budget 6.4 million US dollars and  regional project "Improving the resilience of landscapes to the occurrence of zoonotic diseases in Central Asia" with the budget 11 million euros.

Following the meeting, a memorandum of understanding in the field of environmental protection was signed with the IUCN, as well as a grant agreement in the amount of 1.1 million US dollars for the implementation of the project "Land use and restoration of degraded ecosystems and biodiversity in Uzbekistan".