Uzbekistan expands international cooperation in the field of best available techniques
2026-10-13 17:45:00 / News
The events were organised by the OECD in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change of Türkiye. The Republic of Uzbekistan was represented by Vyacheslav Shi-Syan, Deputy Director General of the Centre for State Environmental Expertise.
The key event was the 11th Meeting of the OECD Expert Group on Best Available Techniques (OECD Expert Group on BAT), held on 8–9 October with the participation of representatives of government environmental authorities, international organisations, research institutions, and relevant experts.
During the meeting, participants discussed international approaches to the development and implementation of sector-specific BAT reference documents, the establishment of technologically justified emission and discharge limits for pollutants, the improvement of environmental permitting procedures, and the enhancement of industrial production efficiency.
Particular attention was paid to international experience in environmental regulation. Representatives of the European Union presented their experience in developing sector-specific BAT Reference Documents (BREFs) and applying integrated environmental permits. The Republic of Korea showcased approaches to using artificial intelligence and machine learning to forecast industrial emissions, analyse environmental monitoring data, and automate permitting procedures.
India presented its experience in harmonising environmental permits and differentiating requirements for industrial enterprises according to their size and environmental risk. Türkiye, in turn, shared its practices in modernising industrial production, implementing BAT, and developing the circular economy.
As part of the programme, technical visits were organised to a waste incineration plant and a cement plant in Istanbul, where participants familiarised themselves with modern technologies for waste treatment, industrial emission control, energy efficiency improvements, and the organisation of industrial environmental monitoring and control.
On 9 October, an overview of the development of Uzbekistan’s national environmental regulatory system was presented, covering the introduction of BAT principles, the improvement of state environmental expertise, the development of environmental standardisation, automated emissions monitoring, and the digitalisation of permitting procedures.
The international experience gained is of practical value for developing national sector-specific BAT reference documents, introducing technologically justified environmental standards, and applying artificial intelligence to the analysis of project documentation and the assessment of the effectiveness of environmental protection measures.
An important outcome of the event was the OECD Secretariat’s proposal to hold the next meeting of the OECD Expert Group on Best Available Techniques in the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2028.
The implementation of this initiative will contribute to expanding international cooperation, facilitating the exchange of best practices, and strengthening Uzbekistan’s role in regional cooperation on the environmental modernisation of industry.
Participation in OECD events opens up additional opportunities to improve the national environmental regulatory system, introduce modern environmental protection technologies, and transition towards more effective mechanisms for preventing industrial pollution of the environment.