Presidential Decree No. PP-436 validating the Program on the transition to a “green” economy and ensuring “green” growth in the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030.

The Program on the transition to a “green” economy and ensuring “green” growth in the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030 establishes the following targets: (a) reduction of specific greenhouse gas emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 35 percent from the 2010 level; (b) increasing the production capacity of renewable energy sources up to 15 GW and bringing their share in the total volume of electricity production to more than 30 percent; (c) increasing energy efficiency in industry by at least 20 percent; (d) reduction of energy intensity per unit of gross domestic product by 30 percent, including through the expansion of the use of renewable energy sources; (e) a significant increase in the efficiency of water use in all sectors of the economy, the introduction of water-saving irrigation technologies on an area of up to 1 million hectares; (f) expanding green spaces in cities to over 30 percent by planting 200 million seedlings a year and bringing the total number of seedlings to over 1 billion; (g) bringing the index of the reserves of the country’s forest fund to more than 90 million cubic meters; and (h) increasing the level of processing of generated household waste to more than 65 percent.
The Presidential Decree establishes as follows: (a) from June 1, 2023, a system of "green certificates" is being introduced based on the requirements to limit the impact on the environment and manufacturing processes; (b) the infrastructure for state regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in 2022-2026 is being gradually created, providing for: state registration of greenhouse gas emissions and maintenance of their state register; formation and maintenance of the register of carbon units; setting targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by economic sectors; state support for activities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; (c) from January 1, 2024, the Modern System for Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) in the field of climate change is being implemented, covering all greenhouse gases; (d) investment projects implemented in sectors of the economy, at the planning stages and before their implementation, are assessed for the possibility of reducing the volume of greenhouse gases emitted thereby, and based on the results of projects, the volume of reduced greenhouse gases is certified and sent to foreign markets; (e) starting from January 1, 2024, within the framework of investment projects for the construction of new solar and wind power plants with a capacity of more than 1 MW, an electric energy storage system with a capacity of at least 25 percent of the installed capacity of these stations will be introduced without fail; and (f) as part of the development of sectoral and territorial development strategies, based on the characteristics of the sensitivity of industries and territories to climate change, measures and investment projects are covered to reduce the impact of climate change on the population and sectors of the economy and adapt to it.
The goals and objectives of the Program are based on the following strategic directions in the industries that exist at the national level, and reinforce their complementary aspects: (a) a significant increase in energy efficiency through the development of financial incentive mechanisms for technological modernization and the introduction of "green" technologies, setting targets for energy saving and energy efficiency, energy management in the sectors of the economy; (b) expanding the participation of the population and local communities by providing the regions with the necessary resources and opportunities for integrated socio-economic development, based on the priority areas for the transition to a "green" economy, expanding the coverage of public services on climate change issues, increasing the economic activity of the population in the "green" economy; and (c) creating favorable conditions for the transition to a “green” economy by supporting green investments, expanding public-private partnerships and cooperation with international financial institutions to support private investors in creating broad opportunities for the private sector and introducing green innovations.
The Program defines the tasks of ensuring "green" economic growth in the Republic of Uzbekistan in the following six priority areas: (a) sustainable and efficient use of natural resources; (b) strengthening the resilience of the national economy to natural disasters and climate change; (c) ensuring "green" and low-carbon development of the national economy, in particular industry; (d) introduction of innovations and attraction of effective "green" investments; (e) development of sustainable and inclusive green urbanization; (f) support for the population and their places of residence, most subject to strong influence during the transition to a "green" economy.
Effective implementation of tasks in the aforesaid priority fields is carried out along with intersectoral measures in the following areas: (a) capacity building and human capital development as part of green growth; (b) creation of a favorable political environment, effective institutions for the transition to a "green" economy; and (c) increase in external and internal flows of "green" financing.