4 March 2021, TASHKENT – The online international forum ‘Building Forward Better: A COVID-19 Green Recovery for Uzbekistan’ took place in Tashkent on 3-4 March.

This forum was hosted by the Government of Uzbekistan, particularly the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, the Centre for Hydrometerological Services under the Cabinet of Ministers and the State Committee for Ecology and Environmental Protection, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the EU delegation, and United Nations Development Programme.

The main purpose of this forum attended by national and international experts was to determine ways by which government, business, and society can come together and create new policies and incentives for transition to a green economy at scale.

The international forum had three objectives. Firstly, to contextualize what it means for Uzbekistan to build forward better with a focus on green recovery and bringing together all stakeholders. Secondly, to allow for discussion on how policies for renewables, energy efficiency, climate change mitigation and others comprising Uzbekistan’s transition to a green economy can rebuild a better and more resilient society and economy, reducing pressures on natural resources and the environment. Lastly, to formulate a set of recommendations and practical actions to support the Government of Uzbekistan through green economic recovery, both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the Forum, the findings of the Policy Brief "Green Recovery and the Transition to Green Economy in Uzbekistan" were presented. This brief outlines priorities for development across sectors including energy, construction, water, agriculture and green financing, all of which have strategic importance in promoting the green development of Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan’s work to develop a green economy was put in motion ahead of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly through the adoption of the ‘Strategy for the transition of the Republic of Uzbekistan to a green economy in the period of 2019-2030’ in October 2019. This strategy sets targets to reduce national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by increasing energy efficiency, enhancing the use of renewable energy, improving resource efficiency and crop yields, and limiting land degradation.

Although the implementation of this national strategy slowed in 2020, as resources were shifted to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s socio-economic impacts, this global health crisis emphasised the link between public health, climate and nature, and its strong impulse could be harnessed for building a green economy (as is the case with a global transition to green and circular economy in response to changing climate).

Source: Ministry of Economy and Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan