Center for State Ecological Expertise

The conduct of state environmental expertise is regulated by the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Environmental Expertise," as well as relevant resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Over the course of 11 months in 2023, the Center implemented the following activities:

1. An electronic document management system (www.eco-service.uz) was launched for conducting state environmental expertise of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) materials.

2. Environmental expertise conclusions were issued for more than 20,000 facilities of categories I–IV in terms of environmental impact, located throughout the country. These conclusions were published on the official websites of the Ministry of Ecology and the Center, as well as in an open database.

3. More than 400 public hearings were held based on environmental assessment materials. Additionally, conclusions for 14 facilities were reconsidered by the Expert Council and revoked.

4. Based on Presidential Decree No. PF-81, starting from 2023, a practice was introduced requiring personal signatures of submitted materials by the heads of the Center and its branches.

5. In accordance with the same decree, from 2024, the practice of setting target indicators for ensuring carbon neutrality has been introduced during environmental expertise of the activities of business entities in categories I–IV.

6. To create convenience for business entities, the Environmental Impact Assessment system (eco-service.uz) was integrated with the information systems of the Ministry of Digital Technologies, the State Tax Committee, and the Ministry of Mining and Geology.

7. Training in the form of seminars was conducted for specialists working in the field of environmental control and in design organizations, covering around 400 participants.

8. In order to attract foreign investment into the country, it has been stipulated that production enterprises conduct environmental audits to ensure compliance with environmental legislation. Regulations for the training of environmental auditors governing this activity have also been approved.

9. As part of the project to improve the draft law "On Environmental Expertise" for 2023–2024, a practical working session was held with the participation of the World Bank, the UN Economic Commission for Europe, and local experts.

10. In order to strengthen international cooperation and align the environmental expertise system with international standards, an international roundtable was held on the topic: “The Aarhus Convention: Effective Public Participation in Sound Environmental Governance and Sustainable Development”.

Thus, the above points comprise the main information we aimed to convey to you during today’s briefing.