Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) –– On 29 May 2019, Ulugbek Lapasov, Permanent Representative of Uzbekistan to the UN Office in Geneva, took part and spoke at a meeting of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) on the state and prospects of forestry development in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

The attendees were familiarized with the measures taken in our country for the development of forestry, adopted by the State Program for the Development of the Aral Sea Region, as well as with the draft Concept of Forestry Development until 2030, the main purpose of which will be to identify key development priorities for this sector.

It was emphasized that during the 5 months of 2019, sand cuts with a total area of more than 1 million hectares were created on the former bottom of the Aral Sea, and protective stripes of reed more than 67.4 km long were built to protect against sand.

Olga Algayerova, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Executive Secretary of the Commission, presented 3 publications of the EEC and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which were prepared with the financial support of the governments of Germany and Switzerland “The State of Forests in the Caucasus and Central Asia” Central Asia ”and“ Guidelines for the development of a set of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management ”.

They describe the forest sector in the region, and identify the main threats facing it, and also focus on afforestation on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea.

Following the meeting, the following agreements were reached:

- UNECE will continue to support the development of forestry in the region;

- The United Nations, together with the government of the People’s Republic of China within the framework of the One Belt, One Road Initiative, plans to implement a project to restore more than 2.5 million hectares of forest landscapes in the countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus;

- UNECE will assist in enhancing the skills of national experts on forestry, including through their participation in events and meetings of relevant committees.