TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, May 28. Aziz Abdukhakimov, the Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, held a meeting with Mafalda Duarte, the Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and discussed the country’s environmental initiatives and explored potential collaborative projects, Trend reports.
Minister Abdukhakimov outlined Uzbekistan’s ambitious green initiatives, which are being implemented under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. These include the afforestation of two million hectares of the Aral Sea’s dried seabed and the nationwide Green Space project, which involves planting 200 million tree seedlings annually across the country.
The discussion also covered several ongoing projects in the field of green development, with a special focus on the initiative to establish a GCF Regional Office for Central Asia, with Uzbekistan being considered as a potential host country.
Both parties also expressed a strong interest in launching a joint ecotourism development project in the Aral Sea region. This initiative would include the creation of a Climate Museum in Karakalpakstan and support for biodiversity conservation programs, aimed at raising awareness and promoting sustainable environmental practices.
Following the meeting, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation. They agreed to continue exchanging expert insights on promising initiatives and expressed hope for ongoing, constructive, and results-oriented collaboration in the future.