LocationsA new biodiversity project agreed on the sidelines of COP16 in Riyadh
December 13, 2024
UNDP and the Ministry of Ecology, Environment Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan have signed a Statement of Intent in Riyadh on 4 December 2024 at the sidelines of the COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The signing of this agreement confirms the cooperation between parties in areas of mutual interest by implementing GEF-8 Umbrella Programme in Uzbekistan to support National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) update and the 7th National Report. It responds in a timely manner to the country’s development priorities as the Government of Uzbekistan has announced the upcoming 2025 as a year of Environment Protection and Green Transition. The updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan will give new impetus to efforts aimed to protect Uzbekistan’s nature and its unique ecosystems.
In 2023-2024 UNDP has supported Uzbekistan in setting New National Biodiversity Conservation Targets and becoming the first Central Asian country to officially publish them under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The next important step is the development of a new National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan along with the preparation of the seventh national report to the CBD.
The signing of the statement on the sidelines of CoP16 of UNCCD is symbolic, as climate change, biodiversity loss, and land degradation are different manifestations of a single planetary crisis, driven by the dual challenges of poverty on one hand and overconsumption, including the unsustainable exploitation of nature, on the other.
UNDP will continue its longstanding and fruitful cooperation with the Ministry based on the new regional approach developed for Central Asia and Caucasus. The aim is to enhance the resilience of countries by addressing the root causes and systemic drivers of land degradation and desertification, as well as multidimensional risks, including drought, through an integrated and forward-thinking approach, that draws on key global policy frameworks on drought, desertification, resilience, biodiversity conservation, and climate change. This approach encompasses 30 national and sub-regional projects, including initiatives focused on the Aral Sea region.
UNDP welcomes partners to use it as a foundation for programming actions in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
