Bilateral efforts focus on irrigation, landscape restoration, and air pollution control
Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change, Aziz Abduhakimov, met with Sameh Wahba, the World Bank’s Global Director of Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience, and Land Global Practice, to discuss expanding collaboration in ecology and sustainable development.
The meeting emphasized investments in irrigation, landscape restoration, and air pollution control. A key topic was the RESILAND project, which aims to combat land degradation, desertification, and climate change in Central Asia as part of the World Bank’s broader sustainability strategy.
The Uzbek delegation also introduced President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiative to declare 2025 the “Year of Environmental Protection and ‘Green’ Economy.” Planned events include the Samarkand Climate Forum (April 4–5), the International Exhibition of Environmental Technologies ‘Eco Expo’ (June 3–5), and the 20th Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP20, November 24 – December 5).
During the discussions, Sameh Wahba presented two reports—“Air Quality Assessment in Tashkent” and “Roadmap for Air Quality Management Improvement in Uzbekistan”, both developed in collaboration with the Ministry. The World Bank proposed continued partnership on air quality monitoring and improvement.
Both parties expressed confidence in successfully implementing joint projects focused on landscape restoration, ecotourism development, and environmental conservation while committing to further cooperation on air quality management.
Source – Government Portal of Republic of Uzbekistan
