“We and the Environment” – a two-day environmental campaign held in Nukus involved 244 schoolchildren from secondary schools # 22, # 32, # 33 and # 34 to support environmental conservation.

- Even though they live in an environmentally unfavorable zone, people still don’t feel their responsibility for the environment. I think our carelessness for the nature exacerbates this situation. The poor environmental situation has led to an increase in the rate of cancer and endocrine diseases among the population; we also feel a negative impact on the economy, as regards both households and the whole nation. more and more often we see a lot of landfills made of plastic bags as well as plastic items and products around and one should know its decomposition takes more than 200 years.

It is necessary to draw public attention to environmental issues, to create a culture of ecology starting from the family, - said Irina Li, a student of the Nukus Professional College of Computer and Information Technologies during her presentation speech on the issue of low environmental awareness among the region’s population.

Irina and her fellow students Guzel Khasanova and Islam Sharipov participated in the first regional youth consultation held by the Karakalpak branch of the national movement “Yuksalish”, Karakalpak branch of the Youth Union of Uzbekistan and UNICEF in Nukus, Karakalpakstan. The event was supported by the Ministry of Public Education of the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

The students showed great interest in the training’s topic and suggested various ideas on how they can contribute to the preservation of the ecology in their native region and increase environmental responsibility among the population of the Aral Sea region. The initiative was supported by the UN Joint Programme “Building the resilience of communities affected by the Aral Sea disaster through the Multi-Partner Human Security Fund for the Aral Sea” and the UNDP project “Developing climate resilience of farming communities in the Drought prone parts of Uzbekistan" implemented in partnership with UzHydromet under financial support from the Adaptation Fund.

The first day of the environmental campaign began with some theory and revealed the level of children's awareness and their knowledge in the sphere of ecological issues. The participants discussed the most significant, in their opinion, problems relating to the region’s environment. Schoolchildren proposed to create environmental clubs in their educational institutions. During the second day, Bakhyt Aybergenov, a specialist on agro and water conservation practices from the UNDP project, held a masterclass for the young members of eco-clubs where he highlighted how the effects of drip irrigation technology implementation would benefit school gardens.      

- The Aral Sea crisis, followed by the negative consequences of the climate change led to water scarcity in the region. This, in turn, has a serious impact on agriculture and the environment itself. Therefore, when watering plants, it is important to save water. For example, using drip irrigation technology, you can reduce water consumption by half compared to the usual method. This technology is very simple and available to everyone. Besides, it helps to ensure the sustainability of agriculture even in the most drought-prone parts of the region, - said Bakhyt Aybergenov, the expert of UzHydromet and UNDP project implemented with the Adaptation Fund.

- On the territory of our school, there are 8 small gardens, planted by our teachers and students, where about 54 types of various ornamental and fruit trees grow. I think that our pupils would support the idea of organizing an environmental club in our school. During the masterclass, our children learned a lot of interesting and useful facts and now they know how to save water and natural resources, and why doing it is important”, - noted Oralkhan Saparova, director of school # 34 in Nukus.

- Today's event prompted me to take an active part in environmental protection. You need to start from yourself, for example, to maintain cleanliness in the home, in the classroom, and in public places. I also want to participate in the activities of the environmental club of our school, I will take care of plants, trees, tell my peers about the need to keep their house and school clean and tidy”, - thinks Miyras Kozybaev, a 7th-grade student, school #33.

As a result of the campaign, environmental clubs have been established in all four schools. Schoolchildren expressed a desire to promote the main ideas and activities with a focus on the environment among their peers.

- UN Volunteers are actively promoting the importance of nature protection and raising different ecological issues among the youth of Karakalpakstan as young people can be a driving force in environmental protection. That is how the idea of the ecological campaign “We and the Environment” appeared. School-based environmental clubs will help to increase students' awareness and greening skills. These and other initiatives to preserve the ecosystem of our region are an important contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals: responsible consumption and production - No. 12, climate action - 13, and Goal No. 15 – life on land, - says Gulnara Japakova, UN Volunteers coordinator, UN Joint Programme.

The activities of the UNDP in Uzbekistan, together with national and international partners, are aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change, preserving biodiversity, promoting the principles of renewable energy, as well as the rational use of land and water resources, taking into account international best practices.