The link between the transition to a green economy and the recovery of Uzbekistan after the COVID-19 pandemic will be discussed at an international online forum

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 3-4 March 2021, the International online forum "Building Forward Better: A COVID-19 Green Recovery for Uzbekistan" will be held. The forum is expected to become an online platform where participants can discuss how the government, business, and society can partner and put in place new policies and incentives for green recovery. 

In recent years, Uzbekistan has developed, adopted, and implemented various policies and measures to support climate change mitigation and adaptation. One of the hallmarks of this reform process was 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, that sets specific targets for reducing emissions by increasing energy efficiency, enhancing use of renewable energy, improving resource efficiency and crop yields, while ensuring a neutral balance of land degradation.

COVID-19 has demonstrated yet again that public health is linked to climate and nature, thus it also brought a historic opportunity to initiate a green recovery, through sustainable use of natural resources and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Obviously, it is important to use the opportunity to recover from the crisis via a low-carbon and/or greener pathway that decouple the economic recovery with the increases in Greenhouse Gases emissions. 

• The upcoming forum is aimed at promoting the Green recovery for Uzbekistan through the following key objectives:
• Contextualize what it means to Uzbekistan to build forward better with focus on green recovery and bring all stakeholders together; 
• Provide a platform to discuss how policies for renewables, energy efficiency, climate mitigation, and many others comprising the transition to a green economy in Uzbekistan can help rebuild a better and more resilient society and economy while reducing pressures on the natural resources and environment; 
• Formulate a set of recommendations and practical actions on ‘building forward better’ to support the Government of Uzbekistan in the green economic recovery during and after the COVID-19 outbreak;

The event will be co-organized by the UNDP, EU, UNECE and the Government of Uzbekistan represented by the Ministry of Economic Development and Poverty Reduction, Center of Hydrometeorological Services (Uzhydromet) and the State Committee for Ecology and Environment Protection.

The forum is planned as an online video conference in English, Russian and Uzbek languages (for the registered participants) via the Zoom platform and will be broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube. 

UNDP invites all interested parties to participate in the Forum. Online registration of participants is available on the Forum homepage: https://bit.ly/3uoc2qf.