On January 14, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan delivered a keynote speech at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week Summit in the UAE capital. The event gathered global leaders, including UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Al Nahyan, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and representatives from Finland and other nations. The discussions focused on sustainable development, innovation, the green economy, and regional connectivity.
In his address, President Mirziyoyev underscored the importance of transitioning to a low-carbon economy and diversifying energy sources to combat climate change. He emphasized Uzbekistan’s strategic goal of building a resource-efficient economy and achieving environmental sustainability. The year 2025 has been declared the Year of Environmental Protection and the Green Economy in Uzbekistan. The country plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 35% by 2030 and has introduced the National Green Financing Program to ensure that half of all investment projects integrate green components.
The President highlighted the “Yashil Makon” initiative, which aims to green 30% of urban areas and promote water-saving technologies in agriculture. He also detailed the country’s significant progress in energy transition, noting that $20 billion in investments over the past five years has resulted in the creation of 9.6 GW of energy capacity, including 14 solar and wind power plants. Looking ahead, Uzbekistan is implementing 50 energy projects worth $26 billion to ensure renewable energy makes up 54% of the national energy mix by 2030.
President Mirziyoyev emphasized the value of international partnerships, particularly with the UAE. Through collaboration with Masdar, Uzbekistan has launched five energy facilities with a total capacity of 1.5 GW and plans additional projects with a combined capacity of 1.6 GW and 520 MWh of energy storage systems. He also stressed the importance of regional cooperation, proposing to turn Central Asia into a green economy hub. Uzbekistan’s vast potential includes 500 GW of solar energy, 100 GW of wind energy, and 10 GW of hydropower capacity, along with significant reserves of uranium and other strategic resources. A new multilateral agreement with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan will enable the export of green energy to Europe.
The President invited global research centers to collaborate with Tashkent’s Green University and proposed establishing an International Scientific Network to combat land degradation and desertification. He also recalled Uzbekistan’s contributions at COP-28 and COP-29, including plans to establish an International Center for Climate Damage Assessment and a regional hub for water-saving technologies.
In conclusion, President Mirziyoyev invited summit participants to attend a conference on climate issues in Central Asia and the Global Youth Festival of Digital Green Initiatives, scheduled for May 15 in the Aral Sea region. He reaffirmed Uzbekistan’s openness to broad international collaboration, stating that “New Uzbekistan is ready to cooperate broadly in advancing sustainability and the green economy.”
