According to the certificates issued on August 20, 2026, by the Secretariat of the FAO Green Cities Initiative at the organization’s headquarters in Rome, Tashkent and Samarkand are officially registered as member cities of the FAO Green Cities Network.

By joining the Network, the two cities became part of a global community of cities collaborating to create a greener, healthier, more sustainable, and inclusive urban environment. The Network aims to promote sustainable urban development through comprehensive approaches to urban greening, as well as to strengthen cooperation between participating cities.

The Network promotes comprehensive solutions and strategies in three main areas: urban and suburban forestry, urban and suburban agriculture, and sustainable bioeconomy.

Membership in the FAO Green Cities Network will enable Tashkent and Samarkand to receive technical support and assistance in developing their capacity, to exchange knowledge and experience, to participate in inter‑city cooperation platforms, to receive support in ensuring compliance with relevant global framework documents and environmental agendas, to develop partnerships, to mobilize resources and attract investment, and to strengthen their international standing as leading cities promoting sustainable urban solutions.

The goal of the GCI (Green Cities Initiative), launched in 2020, is to promote significant improvements in public health and well‑being, as well as in the state of the environment, in 1,000 cities by 2030. Cooperation within the Network is based on the FAO Communiqué on Green Cities, as well as the FAO Green City Principles and Criteria.

The communiqué on green cities, presented at the First International Conference on Green Cities, held in 2025, reflects the shared vision and collective commitments to develop the global green cities movement. The FAO Green City Principles and Criteria, in turn, define the conceptual foundations and guiding principles of the Green Cities Initiative.

In the coming days, the Secretariat of the FAO Green Cities Initiative will provide additional recommendations for conducting an initial assessment. This process will make it possible to identify priority areas for urban development and to formulate technical support tailored to their needs.