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

The meeting is organized by the GEN Secretariat and the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The forum has brought together more than 60 delegates from 25 countries — including heads of national ecolabelling systems, representatives of international organizations  and environmental experts.

The event became possible thanks to the consistent environmental policy pursued under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. In recent years, Uzbekistan has made significant progress in developing an environmental certification system, encouraging eco-friendly production and promoting the national ecolabelling initiative “Yashil Belgi” (Green Mark).

At the opening ceremony, Minister of Ecology Aziz Abdukhakimov stated: “We see ecolabelling not merely as a certification tool, but as a mechanism of trust between producers, the state, and consumers — a mark of quality, safety, and care for nature. It plays a vital role in implementing the country’s strategic course toward building a competitive, innovative, and environmentally responsible economy. We take pride in having established and successfully implemented our national voluntary ecolabelling system — "Yashil Belgi.”

It is noteworthy that, in accordance with Resolution No. 20 of the Cabinet of Ministers dated 20 January 2025, Uzbekistan introduced a national voluntary ecolabelling system for products and services. Within a short period, 22 national standards were approved, the "Yashil Belgi" system was developed, and incentives were introduced for ecologically certified goods. Uzbekistan also obtained associate membership in GEN and the first products were officially awarded the Uzbek ecolabel. These achievements have strengthened the country’s position as an active participant in global environmental initiatives.

The GEN Week 2025 program in Tashkent features a seminar titled “Ecolabelling in the Republic of Uzbekistan: Eco-friendly Business and New Market Opportunities” with experts from Germany and UNEP, the signing of memoranda of understanding between the State Center for Environmental Certification under the Ministry of Ecology and the national ecolabelling bodies of Singapore, Thailand, Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and Germany, as well as discussions on establishing a GEN Coordination Center for Central Asia.

In his address, GEN Chair K.S. Venkatagiri emphasized that the organization views Central Asia as a key growth region for the next decade, and Uzbekistan as a responsible coordinator of this regional effort.
“We are eager to explore how this initiative can be implemented to the mutual benefit of all parties and are confident that cooperation with Uzbekistan will serve as a model of regional integration in the field of sustainable development,” he said.

Director of the State Center for Environmental Certification and Standardization, Nodirjon Yunusov, noted that the event represents an important step toward strengthening international cooperation in environmental certification, aligning the Yashil Belgi system with global standards and promoting Uzbekistan’s certified products on international markets.

It is expected that the meeting will play a significant role in advancing international collaboration in ecolabelling, harmonizing the "Yashil Belgi" system with global frameworks and enhancing the global competitiveness of Uzbek eco-certified products.

Background: The Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) is an international non-profit association uniting over 30 national ecolabelling programs worldwide. The State Center for Environmental Certification and Standardization of the Republic of Uzbekistan serves as the national operator of the "Yashil Belgi" ecolabelling system and coordinates Uzbekistan’s engagement with GEN.