President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan accents at 2021 P4G Summit

The following article is based on materials provided by the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Seoul to The Korea Post media for publication. The Korea Post marks its 36th anniversary this year, owns and operates five media, 3 in English and 2 in the Korean language.--Ed.


 On May 30, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, at the invitation of President Moon Jae-in of Korea, took part in the Second International Summit “Partnership for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030” (P4G), in Seoul, via videoconference.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan speaks at the Second International Summit “Partnership for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030” (P4G) in Seoul via videoconference.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan speaks at the Second International Summit “Partnership for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030” (P4G) in Seoul via videoconference.

 The agenda of the two-day forum included issues of overcoming the consequences of climate change, green recovery and ensuring carbon neutrality, as well as the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the provisions of the Paris Climate Agreement.

 The event was attended by the heads of state and government, high-level representatives of the leading countries of the world, heads of authoritative international organizations.

 Among them was UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Presidents of the European Council Charles Michel and the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, President of France Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Li Keqiang, U.S. President’s Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Chair of the Global Green Growth Institute Ban Ki-moon and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.

 The President of Uzbekistan outlined the key directions of the reforms being carried out in the country and shared his vision of the prospects for international cooperation in green recovery.

 President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that it is necessary to unite the efforts of the entire international community to make effective decisions on green and sustainable development.

 Overcoming the global consequences of the Aral Sea catastrophe was identified as one of the priority tasks. In this regard, the Leader of Uzbekistan thanked all international partners for their support of the recently adopted, on the initiative of Uzbekistan, a special resolution of the UN General Assembly on declaring the Aral Sea region a zone of environmental innovations and technologies. It was proposed to continue active joint work in this direction, including within the framework of the specially created UN Trust Fund, the Global Green Growth Institute, on the platform of the P4G Partnership and other international institutions.

 Serious concern was expressed about the reduction in the flow of transboundary rivers and biodiversity in the region due to climate change, the problems of greenhouse gases and air pollution.

 The commitment of Uzbekistan to fulfill its obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 under the Paris Agreement was confirmed.

 It was noted that the widespread introduction of green technologies and the implementation of projects in green energy in Uzbekistan will allow in the next ten years to increase the share of renewable energy sources by more than 3 times.

 An initiative has been put forward to hold an International Conference “Green Energy for Developing Countries” next year, as well as to launch a special program to attract young people to create a green economy for forming a culture of green consumption.

 The President declared Uzbekistan’s readiness to join the P4G Partnership and become its full-fledged participant to enhance practical cooperation in this important area.

 The forum continues. Following the event, the Seoul Declaration will be adopted. It will reflect the most important tasks for uniting international efforts in green recovery and sustainable development.

Address by resident Shavkat Mirziyoyev of the Republic of Uzbekistan:

Distinguished participants of the Summit, ladies and gentlemen:

 First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the President Moon Jae-in for extending the invitation to take part in this important event.

 We welcome and highly appreciate the initiatives and efforts of our Korean partners in addressing the acute issues of sustainable development and promoting the «green» agenda at the global level.

 Taking this opportunity, I sincerely congratulate all of you and especially Mr. Ban Ki-Moon on the 10th anniversary of the Global Green Growth Institute.

 Distinguished participants in the forum!

 The pandemic has shown how the human health and the state of the environment, as well as the economic and social progress are interconnected.

 We can no longer ignore the signals that the nature itself is sending us.

 Unfortunately, the climatic changes are increasing. In Central Asia, the average annual temperature has increased by about 1 degree for over the past 30 years.

 The decline in the flow of major rivers and the biodiversity in our region causes a deep concern. The problems of greenhouse gases and large-scale atmospheric pollution are worsening.

 Yet, nobody doubts that the actions of countries to achieve the «green» development goals must be more active and more effective. We do not have another choice.

 In Uzbekistan we have started this important work.

 We are implementing a comprehensive Strategy for the transition to a «green» economy, as well as the Program for the development of renewable and hydrogen energy.

 In the framework of the Paris Agreement, we have committed to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent by 2030.

 We were the first in the region to join the Global Green Growth Institute and we intend to establish its office in Uzbekistan.

 Answering your question, I would like to outline the key directions of interaction for us in the area of «green» recovery.

 First: Overcoming the global consequences of the Aral Sea disaster through the broad implementation of the “green” technologies.

 We intend to actively cooperate with our partners on this issue, including in the framework of the specially established UN Trust Fund and at the P4G platform.

 I am grateful to you for supporting our initiative – recently adopted by a special UN resolution declaring the Aral Sea region a zone of ecological innovations and technologies.

 Second: Striving to achieve the carbon neutrality through the development of “green” energy.

 We have started the implementation of major projects for the construction of solar and wind power plants. We intend to increase the share of renewable energy sources to more than 3-fold in the next ten years.

 Moreover, we are closely cooperating with neighboring states in the development of the vast hydro-energy potential of our region.

 We stand ready to hold the International Conference «The Green Energy for Developing Countries» in Uzbekistan next year.

 Third: We propose to launch a Special Program to involve the youth to building a “green” economy.

 This will enable in the future to shape the culture of «green» consumption.

 Fourth: We stand for a close cooperation aimed at supporting the growing confidence of the financial sector and investors in the “green” technologies.

 To this end, Uzbekistan is ready to join the P4G Partnerships and become its full-fledged member.

 In conclusion, I would like to express confidence that the outcomes of today’s Summit will serve to enhancing our practical interactions in the framework of this important international environmental platform.

 I wish you all the best.

 Thank you for your attention.

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