A policy dialogue held last week marked a key milestone in Uzbekistan’s efforts to implement Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, advancing the country’s participation in international carbon markets and access to global climate finance. Organized by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Institute for Macroeconomic and Regional Studies, the event brought together national and international partners, as well as participants from private sector of Japan and Uzbekistan to discuss Uzbekistan’s readiness and next steps for Article 6 implementation and the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) operationalization, UNDP Uzbekistan reported.
In July 2025, Uzbekistan adopted a new law creating a national carbon trading system, highlighting the Government’s commitment to low-carbon growth and sustainability. “Operationalizing Article 6 provides Uzbekistan with a strategic opportunity to attract international climate finance, facilitate low-carbon technology transfer, and accelerate progress toward achieving the country’s NDC targets,” said Anas Qarman, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative.
The policy dialogue acknowledged the progress made by Uzbekistan to meet the participation requirements under A6 and called for urgent actions to meet the remaining ones while working collectively and in parallel on four fronts:
Accelerating the establishment of A6-related legislation and the infrastructure, in particular, the adoption of the ministerial resolution and the development of the national registry;
Enhancing stakeholders’ A6-related capacity through capacity building and technical assistance programs.
Accelerating project initiation, in particular, through the development of a positive list, criteria for activity approval, and ITMOs Authorization, and faster approval of PIN for early projects.
Developing the A6 Initial Report (A6IR) is one of the key milestones for the A6 implementation and JCM operationalization.
Additionally, this Joint project aims to provide practical technical support and expertise on implementing energy efficiency and low carbon pilot projects in Syrdarya region.
“Together, we are delivering practical solutions to modernize social infrastructure, including kindergartens, schools, and hospitals,” said the representative of the Ministry of Economy and Finance Shokhzod Islamov. “We have identified five pilot facilities where we are introducing innovative technologies such as heat pumps and energy-efficient air conditioning systems to improve heating, enhance comfort, and reduce their carbon footprint.”
The Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) with Japan offers a practical starting point for piloting Article 6 cooperation, achieving measurable emission reductions, and promoting innovation and technology transfer. To advance this effort, UNDP has partnered with Japan’s Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) to carry out a comprehensive readiness assessment—marking an important step toward Uzbekistan’s active participation in global carbon markets. This initiative is part of UNDP’s Climate Promise, generously supported by the Government of Japan. Since 2021, Japan has contributed over $77 million to the Climate Promise, helping UNDP support 28 countries, regions, and territories, including Uzbekistan, in accelerating climate action and enhancing resilience.
