Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed designating Samarkand as the Green Investment and Innovation Capital of Central Asia during a global environmental forum in Uzbekistan.
Mirziyoyev announced the plan at the Eighth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility, according Uzbek media.
He said Central Asia faces rising climate risks, water scarcity, land degradation and melting glaciers. He warned that severe water stress could affect 75 million people in the region by 2050. The Uzbek leader said environmental transformation now forms part of Uzbekistan’s national development model.
Uzbekistan plans to expand protected natural areas to 21 percent by 2030. It also aims to cut harmful air emissions by 10.5 percent and create dendrological and botanical gardens in all regions.
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Mirziyoyev proposed the Ulugbek Sustainable Development Research Institute and a National Centre for Hydrometeorology and Climate Change. He also called for an interstate Clean Air consortium to address regional environmental problems.
Mirziyoyev said Uzbekistan was ready to become a donor country to the Global Environment Facility and to support joint environmental projects across Central Asia.
