President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made a national statement at the meeting of the UN Climate Conference (COP28 UAE) on Friday, the presidential press service said.
“Climate change has become one of the main challenges to sustainable development. This is acutely felt in the Central Asia and neighboring regions against the backdrop of the Aral tragedy - one of the most destructive environmental crises of our times,” said the head of Uzbekistan.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev underscored that the rise in air temperature in Central Asia is twice the global average, the number of extremely hot days has doubled, and a third of the glaciers have melted.
“Soil degradation, regular dust and sand storms, shortage of drinking water, air pollution, reduction in biodiversity, sharp decline in crop yields and much more negatively affect the quality of life of millions of residents of the region,” added Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
He emphasized that the green transition and achieving carbon neutrality are “a priority strategic goal for the New Uzbekistan.”
In particular, he spoke in favor of the swift approval of the Global Framework for Adaptation to Climate Change within the framework of the Paris Agreement.
He praised the decision taken at COP28 to create a Global Loss and Damage Fund to support developing countries. “The active support of these mechanisms by the World Bank and international financial institutions will make it possible to provide significant assistance primarily to those countries that suffer from climate change,” said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev also touched upon the global transition to a low-carbon economy. According to him, the process “must be fair, transparent and inclusive” and “as a must take into account the interests of developing countries.”
He proposed to consider this problem on an ongoing basis, including within the framework of the G7 and G20 summits.
To transform the Aral Sea region into a Zone of innovation, technology and new opportunities, the head of Uzbekistan invited everyone to close cooperation on the creation of an International Expo Hub of Climate Technologies in this region.
Meanwhile, he also proposed to establish scientific exchange and conduct joint research on the platform of the Climate Scientific Forum, created on the basis of Green University in Tashkent, with the involvement of scientists and experts from foreign countries.
The Uzbek president also said that Uzbekistan, together with the UN, had plans to hold a conference in Uzbekistan in 2024 on the them: “Climate Migration.”
Also, he proposed developing a “Green Employment” program together with the International Labor Organization, as well as creating a Center for modeling the impact of climate change on employment.
The head of the country expressed his readiness to organize the UN Youth Conference on Climate Change in Uzbekistan “in order to actively involve youth in the effective solution of climate problems.”
At the end of the remarks, the president declared Uzbekistan’s commitment to “the universal idea of humanity to combat climate change” and called for support for holding the Samarkand International Climate Forum next year, as well as the adoption of a special resolution of the UN General Assembly, which reflects the common approaches of the countries of Central Asia.
