During the meeting, Ban Ki-moon got acquainted with great interest with the large-scale reforms in the field of environmental protection and climate change carried out in the country under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, including projects implemented in the Aral Sea region.
Special interest was expressed in the initiative to green the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea on an area of 2 million hectares, as well as in the nationwide Yashil Makon project, aimed at increasing green areas to 30% by 2030.
The Chairman thanked Uzbekistan for its leadership in sustainable development and for becoming the first Central Asian country to join the Global Green Growth Institute. According to him, this has become an important incentive for other countries in the region to join the organization.
At the end of the meeting, in recognition of his merits and contribution to the promotion of the environmental agenda, Aziz Abdukhakimov presented Ban Ki-moon with the badge "Tabiat himoyachisi" ("Defender of Nature").
The meeting was another confirmation of Uzbekistan's strengthening international cooperation in the field of environmental protection and combating climate change.
