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Uzbekistan left the 31st UN Climate Conference in Antalya with a cluster of signed agreements and formal proposals that go beyond the headline meetings already reported, including a €103.7 million land-restoration programme covering four regions, a bid to host a World Meteorological Organization dust-storm centre in Tashkent, and a new partnership to protect maternal health in Karakalpakstan.
A trilateral fund for degraded land
The most substantial financial commitment to emerge from the Uzbek pavilion was the launch of the Climate Resilient Landscapes in Central Asia programme, known as CLiCA. Developed jointly by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with backing from the Green Climate Fund and the German government, the initiative will channel €103.7 million into 15 districts across Andijan, Fergana, Namangan and Surkhandarya regions.
The funds are earmarked for restoring 18,000 hectares of forest land and 123,000 hectares of pasture, installing drip-irrigation systems, distributing drought-resistant crop varieties, and establishing greenhouses. Climate advisory services will be extended to 12,000 farmers. According to the programme’s stated targets, 342,000 residents will gain greater protection from climate-related risks, with women making up half that number.
Tashkent as a regional meteorological hub
On the sidelines of the summit, Aziz Abdukhakmov, an adviser to the Uzbek president, met WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo and put forward a proposal to establish a WMO Regional Centre for Sand and Dust Storm Monitoring and Forecasting in Tashkent. The two sides also discussed opening an International Atmosphere and Air Quality Observatory to track cross-border pollution, and launching a pilot project to integrate artificial intelligence — specifically a technology referred to as MAZU — into weather forecasting across the region.
Separately, Uzbekistan held talks with the Adaptation Fund over a portfolio of projects valued at $15.4 million and proposed that Tashkent host a Regional Coordination Centre for the fund serving Central Asian countries. The projects under discussion include digital risk monitoring in the Aral Sea zone and the development of early-warning systems for drought.
Maternal health and climate anxiety
The Global Green Growth Institute and the UN Population Fund signed a memorandum of understanding at the Uzbek pavilion to jointly introduce a climate-resilient maternal healthcare model in Karakalpakstan, a region already severely affected by the Aral Sea crisis. The agreement is also intended to support income sources for women in the area.
A separate session addressed what participants described as climate anxiety among young people, arguing that water scarcity and uncertainty about the future are generating measurable psychological distress. Speakers called for mental-health support mechanisms to be incorporated into national climate strategies.
No-till farming showcased to international audience
In the agricultural strand of the conference, Uzbekistan presented results from the FOLUR-Uzbekistan project, run in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization. The showcase centred on no-till and minimum-tillage techniques as tools for retaining soil moisture under water-scarce conditions and building climate-adapted production chains. Officials framed the approach as a replicable model for the wider region.
Rounding out the week’s activity, Uzbekistan signed a memorandum with Turkey’s Ministry of Environment covering waste management and the circular economy, and used the occasion to invite Turkish counterparts to the Eco Expo Central Asia 2027 exhibition planned for Tashkent.