Hosting the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly and Eco Expo Central Asia 2026 in Samarkand this month, Uzbekistan seized the opportunity to advance its ambitions to become a world leader in green finance and climate innovation.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s speech at the opening ceremony of the GEF Assembly on 4 June, 2026 was delivered by Saida Mirziyoyeva, First Assistant to the President of Uzbekistan and Head of the Presidential Administration. In this speech, the President proposed that Samarkand be declared as the “green investment and innovation capital of Central Asia”, building upon the city’s existing reputation as a centre of tourism and culture.
In a significant financial commitment accompanying this proposal, the President announced that Uzbekistan will become a donor country to the GEF, joining 40 other members contributing to the GEF Trust Fund. Most of GEF’s donors are developed countries such as the UK, Switzerland, and Australia, but there is growing participation from developing countries which, like Uzbekistan, are on the front line of the climate crisis. Uzbekistan will be the first CIS country to donate to the GEF Trust Fund after the Russian Federation, and it is also eligible as a funding recipient. Two beneficiary projects announced at this year’s Assembly were $5.8 million (plus co-financing of $41.4 million) for a restoration project in the Chu and Talas river basins in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan; and $12.8 million (plus co-financing of $152 million) for the Uzbekistan Risk Mitigation Facility, which will boost private investment in renewable energy projects.
Meanwhile, at the Eco Expo, which ran concurrently with the GEF Assembly in a neighbouring venue at Silk Road Samarkand tourism complex, Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, elaborated on Uzbekistan’s green transformation.
“For Uzbekistan, the green transformation is no longer merely a part of the international climate agenda – it is an integral element of our state development strategy. Today, the country is consistently transitioning from the stage of formulating climate commitments to the stage of their practical implementation. We are convinced that it is precisely the integration of investments, innovations, and technologies that will allow us to turn climate challenges into new opportunities for sustainable economic growth.”
At the Eco Expo, the UNDP signed a new cooperation agreement directly with the Ecology Committee of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. This marks the first direct formal partnership between UNDP and Karakalpakstan, and it will include commitments for both financing and technical assistance. Alongside the Lower Amu Darya Water Resources Management Concept, which was also signed at the Eco Expo, the agreement will support ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable water management in one of Central Asia’s most fragile ecosystems.
Demonstrating their innovative approach to solving environmental problems, Green University took to the Eco Expo’s main stage to launch the world’s first university course in biodiversity finance. Developed with support from the UNDP’s Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN), the new curriculum examines nature conservation funding and how governments and businesses can invest in protecting ecosystems. Graduating students at the university, which was established in 2023 and has already become the leading Central Asian higher education institution for environmental and climate change studies, will be well equipped to play an active role in Uzbekistan’s green transition and help close the country’s $60 million biodiversity finance gap.
by Sophie Ibbotson
