As is known, on 12-17 February this year, Samarkand hosted the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14). About 2 thousand representatives from more than 130 countries took part in it.

Following the event, the Samarkand Strategic Plan for Migratory Species of Wild Animals for 2024-2032 was approved and intended for implementation by the state parties to the Convention. The Global Partnership on Ecological Connectivity (GPEC) initiative was launched.

Uzbekistan was elected president of the mentioned UN convention for 2024-2026. The first office of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Central Asia opened in Tashkent. An agreement was also reached to open a representative office of the UN Environment Programme in Uzbekistan.

An agreement was reached with the World Bank on implementing a project to create six transboundary protected natural areas in Central Asia. Several documents were signed between the states of Central Asia and international organizations.

The Head of state instructed to continue cooperation in this area, develop an action plan for Uzbekistan and new grant projects, and organize advanced training for employees in international environmental organizations and the convention’s headquarters.

The project “Restoration of Sustainable Forest Landscapes in Uzbekistan” was also presented.

The total cost of the project, implemented with the participation of the International Development Association, is more than $205 million, and implementation is planned for six years. These funds will be used to expand the forest area, strengthen forestry’s material and technical base, introduce sustainable management, and develop ecotourism infrastructure.

In particular, an innovative management system and information technology will be introduced into forest restoration and protection. Degraded forest lands will be restored. Cooperation with neighboring countries will be developed to restore landscapes in border areas.

As a result, it is planned to restore 175 thousand hectares of forests and 38 thousand hectares of pastures, create 19 thousand hectares of agricultural and 5 thousand hectares of industrial forest plantations, and develop 63 kilometers of ecological trails.

On January 4 this year, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On measures to improve the waste management system and reduce their negative impact on the environmental situation” was adopted. Information about the work being carried out to implement the document was also presented.

Uzbekistan generates an average of 6.8 million tons of household waste every year. In recent years, the number of mahallas covered by sanitation services has exceeded 90 percent. However, the level of waste recycling remains low. Currently, there are only 313 such enterprises.

The Presidential Decree provides for measures to stimulate such activities further. In particular, from June 1, 2024, the sale of secondary raw materials from household waste will be carried out only through the exchange. A separate collection of waste will be organized and sorted into the categories “recyclable”, “non-recyclable” and “food”. Private partnerships in waste collection and recycling will be developed.

Responsibility measures for throwing waste in unidentified places are being strengthened. The obligation to clean up the place where waste is illegally thrown, as well as to remove it, is determined.

In addition, the optimization of household waste landfills and the creation of enterprises for the production of products from them were discussed at the event.

In particular, to attract investment in waste landfills, it is planned to introduce a regime of special economic zones in their buffer zones and create a new system for producing electricity and organic fertilizers by burning waste. The first pilot project for this new system will be implemented in Andijan region.

Thus, it is planned to launch projects for producing 100 thousand tons of organic fertilizers from organic waste through investments of $13 million in Andijan district and the production of 2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year from waste in Asaka. In the future, the Andijan experience will be extended to other regions.