On June 3, on the sidelines of the 71st meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council, the Government of Uzbekistan, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), officially launched the preparatory phase of the Nature4Health Uzbekistan initiative. The launch marks Uzbekistan’s official accession to the second phase of Nature4Health (N4H)
For the first time in its history, Kyrgyzstan has been elected as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027–2028 term. The UN Security Council has 15 members: five permanent members with veto power — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States — and ten non-permanent members elected by
On June 2 in Astana, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin held a meeting with representatives of the business circles of Hong Kong and mainland China. The event was attended by about 70 business representatives, including 40 companies from Hong Kong and 30 companies from mainland China operating in
On June 2, the official opening ceremony of the international environmental exhibition Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 was held in Samarkand. The event brought together representatives from over 100 countries, heads of international organizations, investors, manufacturers of eco-friendly products, eco-innovators, as well as government officials and members of the expert community, according to the National
On June 2, within the framework of the Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 international exhibition, a side event titled “Islands of Resilience: Conserving Ecosystem Services in the Lower Amu Darya and Aral Sea Basin” took place in Samarkand. The event was dedicated to the restoration of ecosystems in the Aral Sea region, sustainable land and
Kazakhstan’s Minister of Science and Higher Education, Sayasat Nurbek, visited leading research centers and universities in Belgium, where he discussed prospects for cooperation in deep tech, semiconductor technologies, critical materials, artificial intelligence, engineering education, and scientific and technological development. The minister visited the Imec research center in Leuven, Belgium—one of the world’s leading centers for
The 71st meeting of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council has officially opened in Samarkand ahead of the Eighth GEF Assembly and the Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 international exhibition. The event brings together representatives from 186 GEF member countries, international organizations, financial institutions, environmental agencies, civil society and the private sector, according to the
Afghanistan’s modern political history cannot be understood without examining the intersection of war, ethnicity, and state identity. From the Soviet invasion in 1979 to the return of the Taliban in 2021, Afghanistan has repeatedly experienced ruptures that have reshaped not only its political system, but also its internal ethnic balance. At the centre of this
Representatives of the Government of Uzbekistan, the Government of Japan, the Republic of Karakalpakstan, development partners, and local stakeholders gathered in Tashkent this week for the inception workshop of the recently launched project “Strengthening Water Resource Governance and Resilience to Climate Change in the Aral Sea Region,” UNDP Uzbekistan reported. Implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
As part of the international tourism exhibition ITB China, the Chairman of the Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Akkulov, held a meeting with the Vice President of Trip.com Group, Edison Chen. Trip.com Group is one of the world’s leading online aggregators of travel services and has more than 500 million users. The platform works with
Representatives of government institutions, civil society organizations, academia, the media, and international partners gathered in Tashkent on May 25 for a roundtable to discuss the research study “Gender and Corruption in Uzbekistan: Towards Transformational Change.” The research was completed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Anti-Corruption Agency, with the financial support of
Uzbekistan’s private sector has signed trade agreements and memorandums of understanding worth more than $5 billion with Afghanistan over the past eight months, TOLOnews reported citing the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI). These agreements cover sectors including fresh and dried fruits, precious and semi-precious stones, coal, cement, carpets, cotton, raw materials, food products,
A two-day national seminar titled “Working with Labour Migrants: Theoretical and Practical Approaches for Safe Adaptation and Ethics-Based Recruitment” kicked off on May 25 in the framework of EU-funded regional project PROTECT “Improving Migration Management and Migrant Protection in selected Silk Routes and Central Asian Countries”, implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kazakhstan and the Government of Japan have signed an agreement to launch a new US$3 million joint initiative to support Kazakhstan in addressing the declining water levels of the Caspian Sea through improved water governance and monitoring, and regional cooperation, UNDP Kazakhstan reported. This initiative promotes environmental resilience,
Kazakhstan has officially received the status of the only country in Central Asia free from foot and mouth disease (FMD), according to the Ministry of Agriculture. On May 22 in Paris, the World Assembly of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) approved that a zone of Kazakhstan, namely its North-West and Central regions, has
On May 21-23, government representatives, international organizations, tourism professionals, civil society organizations, and local communities gathered in Min-Kush village for the Touristic Forum “Development of Min-Kush Village through Sustainable Tourism – Revival of Forgotten Cities,” UNDP in Kyrgyzstan reported. The forum served as a platform to discuss sustainable tourism, local economic development, and new opportunities
On May 22, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the launch ceremony of a nationwide movement aimed at promoting a culture of reading in Uzbekistan. Mirziyoyev noted that the world is changing rapidly, with digital technologies, modern gadgets, and artificial intelligence becoming increasingly integrated into everyday life. In such complex conditions, the most important advantage
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the 22nd meeting of the bilateral Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) on Ethnic Germans in the Republic of Kazakhstan on May 19 in Astana. As of today, there are 226,000 ethnic Germans in Kazakhstan and around one million German resettlers from Kazakhstan in Germany. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Arman
On May 20, participants of the youth campaign “Train to the Aral Sea” departed for the Republic of Karakalpakstan to take part in cultural, educational, environmental, and tourism-related events aimed at introducing young people to the tourism potential of the Aral Sea region, the historical and cultural heritage of the area, and the environmental challenges
On May 20, at the initiative of the Kyrgyz Republic, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus the resolution entitled “Peaceful Settlement of Border Disputes,” according to the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry. More than 40 countries co-sponsored the document. The resolution was presented by the Kyrgyz Republic jointly with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The main purpose