At a meeting with the Minister of Environment, Water Resources and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President of COP16 Abdulrahman Al Fadli, A. Abdukhakimov, it was proposed to strengthen cooperation within the framework of the MGI initiative in the following areas:
creation of a network of in vitro laboratories for the purpose of growing drought-resistant plants adapted to survival in arid zones;
providing support to MGI in attracting technical and expert assistance in the creation of the "Expo Hub" of Climate Technologies (The Aral Valley) in Muynak;
building up further efforts to green Uzbekistan within the framework of the national Yashil Makon project, including at the regional level;
assistance to Uzbekistan in expanding the geographical influence of the MGI platform, in particular, involving the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus.
The Minister also informed the Saudi side about Uzbekistan's active preparations for the upcoming COP16 and its intentions to present the achievements of the republic in the national pavilion.
In turn, A. Al Fadli announced Saudi Arabia's support for the adoption of the Samarkand Declaration on Dust and Sand Storms in the fields of COP16.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to work out the projects proposed by Uzbekistan within the framework of MGI and strengthen joint efforts to promote issues of desertification and land degradation in the international arena.
During a meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) I. Tiau, the parties discussed the possibility of involving the experts of the UNCCD in the Expo Hub of Climate Technologies (The Aral Valley). I. Tiau noted that the Aral Sea region has high potential and recommended focusing on scientific research and creating an ecosystem in which scientific research will have the opportunity for instant testing in The Aral Valley.
During the meeting with the Minister of Environment and Climate of the State of Qatar, Dr. A. Al Subaye, the development of close relations between the two countries was noted in connection with the recent visit of the Qatari delegation to Uzbekistan. The Ministers agreed that Qatar and Uzbekistan share common problems of desertification and land degradation, and therefore it is necessary to make joint efforts to strengthen cooperation in this area.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to create a two-year cooperation program between the ministries of the two countries, exchange working groups between Uzbekistan and Qatar to develop joint projects in the field of ecology and establish scientific exchange between the Central Asian University for Environmental Studies and Climate Change (Green University) and Hamad bin Khalifa University.
At a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, M. Al Noaimi, A. Abdukhakimov noted the ongoing active work with the UAE in the field of ecology, in particular, the launch of a project with the participation of TADWEER to convert waste into energy.
The sides exchanged views on the UAE's long-term experience in cloud seeding. M. Al Noaimi, being a member of the council of the UAE Sprinkling Center, expressed readiness to provide multilateral support to Uzbekistan in the exchange of experience and practices. The parties also reached an agreement on cooperation between Green University and the UAE University and the University of Artificial Intelligence on the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies in modeling and forecasting climate change.
During negotiations with the Minister of Environmental Protection of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, M. Radaide, A. Abdukhakimov noted that Jordan and Uzbekistan, being landlocked countries, share similar problems of climate change, water scarcity and desertification. Jordan has extensive experience in the application of desert technologies, recycled water supply, effective management of protected natural areas and developed ecotourism. The ministers also discussed Jordan's practice of extracting and using methane from landfills for conversion into electricity.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to sign a memorandum on the sidelines of COP29 in Baku, as well as to create a cooperation program and send expert groups to share experiences.
During the meeting with the Minister of Environmental Protection of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Ya. Fouad, the parties discussed Egypt's experience in the field of air quality monitoring, as well as vulnerability assessment. Considering that I am the Minister. Fuad is a co-chair in the negotiation process to achieve the New Collective Quantitative Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG), an agreement was reached to provide support in strengthening the position of Central Asia on the UNFCCC platform. Minister Ya. Fouad also shared Egypt's experience in hosting the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biodiversity.
Following the meeting, the Minister expressed her willingness to participate in the events of the national pavilion of Uzbekistan at COP29.
