The Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, Aziz Abdukhakimov and the Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Gretel Aguilar signed an agreement on the host country and the opening of the IUCN office in Tashkent, the press service of the Ministry of Environment said.

The ceremony took place on the sidelines of the 16th UN Conference to Combat Desertification (COP16), which is taking place in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.

“I am confident that the opening of a representative office in Tashkent will open up new exciting opportunities for cooperation with IUCN. In Uzbekistan, we understand that environmental issues go beyond political borders, which makes joining efforts and cross-border cooperation extremely important. We are pleased that the IUCN office in Tashkent will serve not only Uzbekistan, but also the entire Central Asian region, promoting regional cooperation in the field of nature conservation and sustainable development,” said Aziz Abdukhakimov.

The agreement provides a legal basis for IUCN activities in Uzbekistan. The country became a member of the union in 2021. The document is expected to ensure more effective cooperation with government authorities and support IUCN's contribution to the development priorities of Uzbekistan and the region.

"We look forward to working closely with the Ministry and other partners, taking into account their needs and priorities in the field of nature conservation, ecosystem restoration, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. IUCN is sincerely grateful to Uzbekistan for the opportunity to be more actively present in the region and to make a more significant contribution to the region's efforts to preserve its unique biodiversity and valuable natural resources," said Gretel Aguilar.

Current joint projects between the Ministry of Ecology and IUCN include the regional initiative of the union "One Health in Nature Conservation", as well as a landscape and land restoration project launched jointly with IUCN, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The cooperation is planned to be expanded by launching in the near future a project on integrated management of nature conservation and restoration of especially valuable landscapes in Uzbekistan, organized jointly with the GEF and the UN Development Program.

In February of this year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature opened a representative office of in Uzbekistan.