Today, climate change is already a reality in many parts of the globe. Environmental challenges impact the socio-economic well being of people, and undermine the integrity and stability of productive systems they depend on. Celebrated since 1972 on 5 June, the World Environment Day encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling people to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

In Uzbekistan to commemorate this day UNDP throughout this week is organizing various activities and eco-initiatives – all part of the Eco-Week 2011. The Eco-Week is about bringing greater awareness about the issues of environmental protection. Joint efforts and integration of resources is decisive in ensuring effectiveness of such support. This year the Eco-Week partners are United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization, Global Environmental Facility and the State Committee for Nature Protection of Uzbekistan. The Eco-Week presents a mix of exciting events ranging from exhibition to symposium, events for kids and eco-tour.

For 18 years the UN and UNDP have been supporting the Government of Uzbekistan to manage and protect its environment, integrate environmental issues into the national development agenda through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2010-2015). UNDP environment portfolio offers support and global expertise in building national capacities for environmental protection, cross-sectoral policy advice and establishing linkages between environmental and broader economic issues.

Uzbekistan is a regional carbon finance leader in Europe and CIS region. As a fossil-fuel rich country and an energy intensive economy, UNDP is assisting Uzbekistan to build on this advantage through wider deployment of renewable energy and energy efficient solutions to support “green growth” – as an investment into Uzbekistan’s long-term sustainable development. This was highlighted during the recent visit of the UNDP Administrator, Ms. Helen Clark to Uzbekistan.

As any human activity is linked with production and consumption, which increases the demand for natural resources and brings about environmental degradation, it is an important task to make this production and consumption sustainable. What is important to UNDP’s work is halting environmental degradation and its possible impact on the socio-economic well-being of people.