10/10/2025
11:00 - 12:00
Global Environment Facility
, Morning
Why attend
See how Uzbekistan and Central Asia are translating global conservation frameworks into action. Learn from GEF- and IUCN-backed initiatives on restoration, protected areas, and NbS, and discover partnership and finance opportunities ahead of the 2026 GEF Assembly in Samarkand.
Session Description
Central Asia is confronting desertification, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, and climate risks. Uzbekistan is placing nature at the center of development—scaling ecosystem restoration, expanding protected areas, and mainstreaming nature-based solutions. With IUCN’s new Tashkent office as a regional hub, countries can strengthen cooperation, knowledge exchange, technical support, and resource mobilization, translating global frameworks into national action. This session will spotlight Uzbekistan’s leadership, regional initiatives supported by GEF and IUCN, and pathways to scale ahead of the 8th GEF Assembly in Samarkand (2026). Discussions will explore synergies between IUCN WCC priorities, Ramsar commitments, and Central Asia’s transboundary environmental agenda. Participants will engage on financing and partnership models to accelerate biodiversity conservation and climate resilience in one of the world’s most climate‑vulnerable regions.Organised by
GEF
Partners
Headquarters
Speaker
Secretary General of the Convention on Wetlands
Future partnerships in Central Asia - a lead up to the GEF Assembly