Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sept. 28
By Demir Azizov- Trend:
Given the planetary nature of the Aral Sea disaster, it is necessary to expand the joint activities and form targeted financial mechanisms for this purpose, Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov said.
He made the remarks addressing the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York, NY.
In this regard, it is advisable to create a special Trust Fund for the Aral Sea and the Aral Sea area under the aegis of UN, he added.
The main task of this fund should be coordination of efforts and implementation of targeted programs and projects in a number of key areas, according to the foreign minister.
Kamilov added that protecting the health and preserving the gene pool of the population, creating necessary conditions for normal living of the population in this region are among such projects.
He noted that restoration of biodiversity, preservation of the unique flora and fauna, which is currently on the verge of extinction, should also be on the spotlight.
Furthermore, it is very important to use the region's limited water resources, first of all, transboundary waterways - Amu Darya and Syr Darya - for the interests of all countries of the region in compliance with the international law, Kamilov added.
He went on to add that a dramatic climate change, felt not only in Central Asia but also in other regions, has become the direct consequence of the drying up of the sea. A new salt desert with an area of 5.5 million hectares has emerged on the exposed part of the Aral Sea, he said. More than 90 days a year dust storms are raging on it, spreading each year over 100 million tons of toxic dust and salts over thousands of kilometers, according to the minister.
Foreign minister of Uzbekistan drew attention to the fact that the threatening impact of the Aral Sea disaster today is observed throughout the world. The poisonous salt from the Aral region was observed on the coast of Antarctica, the glaciers of Greenland, the forests of Norway and many other parts of the globe, according to international experts.
"The tragedy of the Aral Sea has had the most serious impact on living conditions and the gene pool of 65 million people in Central Asia," said the head of the foreign ministry of Uzbekistan. "Unfavorable ecological environment, lack and decline in the quality of drinking water, the growth of serious diseases - all this is only a short list and not a complete list of consequences of the Aral tragedy."
"Uzbekistan hopes that the Aral Sea disaster will certainly be taken into account during the implementation of sustainable development goals for 2016-2030," said the head of the foreign ministry.
In September 2013, a program of measures to eliminate the consequences of drying of the Aral Sea and prevent ecosystem disasters in the Aral Sea has been distributed as an official document of the 68th session of the UN General Assembly.
Edited by CN