The Diplomat
The UN General Assembly unanimously adopted, on the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, a special resolution on the declaration of the Aral Sea region as a Zone of Environmental Innovations and Technologies, with the aim of “solving the problem at its root”.
In his speech, Mirziyoyev recalled the rapid drying of the Aral Sea and the problem of climate change, stressing that today all countries feel the devastating impact of this process. The Uzbek president, as reported by the Uzbek Embassy in Spain, “promoted an integrated approach to this problem in order to address the issues without duplicating each other, but doing it together in a complementary way” and as part of common efforts to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
The proposal stresses that it is not about “putting out the fire” but “solving the root of the problem by directing funds to ensure sustainable and innovative development in the region. In other words, ensuring that the funds allocated are used in the most efficient way,” the communiqué adds, so that people see direct benefits for health care, drinking water supply, job creation, education.
The resolution, co-sponsored by 60 states, reflected the high appreciation and support of the UN for the creation of the International Innovation Center of the Aral Sea region attached to the presidency of Uzbekistan and the establishment, under the auspices of the UN, of the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security in the Aral Sea region, aimed at overcoming the negative consequences of the environmental catastrophe in the Aral Sea region and the realization of socio-economic projects.
In this regard, the UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund seeks to unite the efforts of the national program and international programs, so that it is a unified and integrated strategy of action. All UN institutions involved in different areas such as UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, World Bank could join their efforts in a global integrated program, according to the Uzbek embassy statement.
The Government of Uzbekistan has recently adopted a large-scale National Program, which envisages dozens of projects worth $1.5 billion in areas such as sustainable economic development, stabilization of the ecological situation, creation of jobs, including alternative ones, or improvement of the health system. These projects are aimed at meeting the needs of the population of the Aral Sea area, such as childbearing, child maintenance, combating diseases related to the ecological problem of the area, as well as preventing further deterioration of the situation in the Aral Sea.
The Assembly also welcomed the resolutions on “Strengthening regional and international cooperation to ensure peace, stability and sustainable development in the Central Asian region” and “Sustainable tourism and sustainable development in Central Asia”, submitted earlier by the Uzbek side, which were adopted unanimously.
