During the meeting, U. Apel noted the long-term cooperation with Uzbekistan and the achieved level of interaction in connection with the active development of the allocated grant funds over the last cycles of GEF financing.

At the same time, taking into account the intensification of regional cooperation and strengthening of relations in Central Asia, as well as the transboundary nature of issues related to environmental protection, the GEF expressed readiness to allocate funding for joint regional programs and initiatives, including in the field of combating sand and dust storms and mitigating their negative consequences.

In addition, the GEF expressed its readiness to consider the possibility of raising the funding limit to the Republic of Uzbekistan within the framework of the ninth funding cycle for 2026-2030.

For information: within the framework of the eighth GEF funding cycle for 2022-2026, the Republic of Uzbekistan has been allocated grant funds for $ 13 million. In accordance with Annex 11 of the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 2 concepts of the project proposal have been developed jointly with the UN FAO, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the UN Development Program for submission for funding.

Following the meeting, the participation of the Executive Director and Chairman of the Global Environment Facility at the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (COP-14), which will be held in Samarkand on February 12-17, 2024, was confirmed.