On September 17, 2026, at the bottom of the dried up Aral Sea, newly constructed forests extended along the sandstorm line. Aziz Abdulhakimov, Ecological Affairs Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan and Chairman of the National Commission on Ecology and Climate Change, went to South Korea to attend the Korea Central Asia Forestry and Climate Ministers' Forum and supporting ministerial level dialogue activities. From the Green Home Tree Planting Project to the Aral Sea Ecological Restoration, the Ukrainian side proposed at the forum to establish a dialogue mechanism for green cooperation between South Korea and Central Asia, and promote the implementation of the Central Asian Green Belt Initiative.

Green homes increase greenery by 14%

On the forum, the Ukrainian side introduced the achievements of national greening and restoration of degraded land. Under the promotion of the Green Home Tree Planting Project, Uzbekistan has planted over 1 billion seedlings, increasing the national green coverage rate from 8% to 14%, and plans to increase the green coverage rate to 30% by 2030. At the bottom of the dried up Aral Sea, Uzbekistan has completed the construction of approximately 2 million hectares of forest land and is steadily implementing forest landscape restoration and ecotourism infrastructure construction projects in collaboration with the World Bank.

Propose a green cooperation mechanism

At the ministerial level dialogue, Uzbekistan officially proposed the establishment of a South Korea Central Asia Green Cooperation Dialogue mechanism to promote the implementation of the Central Asia Green Belt Initiative. The Ukrainian side suggests jointly designating pilot implementation areas with South Korea, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Asian Forestry Cooperation Organization, clarifying quantifiable assessment indicators, project cycles, and supporting financing models. The Ukrainian side also proposes to launch a regional plan for the protection and quality improvement of the Haloxylon ammodendron forest, conduct genetic research on species and improve seedling cultivation techniques, and use satellite remote sensing and artificial intelligence technology to build a unified digital map of the Haloxylon ammodendron forest. Keywords: Central Asian news and information, international, green cooperation, Uzbekistan

Carbon Standards and Research Platforms

To attract investment in land restoration, Uzbekistan proposes to involve South Korean companies and financial institutions to create a regional carbon hub. It also suggests that the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change establish carbon standards for arid regions, taking into account the high investment and difficult implementation of carbon projects in these areas. At this meeting, it was decided that the Institute of Desertification Control and Desert Economic Development at Uzbekistan Green University will serve as a regional research and practice platform, and will lead the implementation of joint scientific research, field experiments, and demonstration pilot projects between South Korea and Central Asian countries in the future.Editor/Gao Xue