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

U. Daniels highly appreciated the National Pavilion of Uzbekistan, noting the uniqueness of the design and the cultural exhibits presented. She thanked the government of the country for the opportunity to hold a side event "Promoting regional cooperation to prevent population migration in the context of climate change in the region of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea" at the National Pavilion of Uzbekistan and expressed confidence in further cooperation on climate migration.

For reference: during COP29, a parallel event was held at the National Pavilion of Uzbekistan on the theme "Promoting regional cooperation to prevent population migration in the context of climate change in the region of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea". At the panel session, high-level participants discussed the role of regional cooperation in developing activities to address human migration in the context of climate change. The speakers informed the participants about the link between human mobility and climate change in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea region, provided information on the work done to mitigate the effects of climate change and restore ecosystems, and identified priority areas for regional cooperation that will be taken into account in the COP29 outcome documents.

The First Deputy Minister of Ecology expressed his appreciation for the activities of the International Organization for Migration, which has been paying special attention to climate change-related migration issues in its Migration Strategy for 2025-2030 since 2021. During the meeting, the scale of environmental challenges was emphasized, including the tragedy of the Aral Sea, which has become one of the causes of migration in the region. 

Acute concern was expressed about forecasts regarding the growth of the number of migrants in Central Asia to 2.4 million people by 2050 due to the effects of climate change.

As a result of the meeting, an agreement was reached on further cooperation in identifying problems and opportunities related to population migration in mountainous areas under climate change, conducting research in the field of migration, environment, and climate change, and increasing knowledge, capacity, and technical awareness to respond to climate migration.