Uzbekistan continues to implement the Sustainable Rural Development Project. This project is being carried out by the Ministry of Economy and Finance with financial support from the Islamic Development Bank and the OPEC Fund for International Development.
The project covers 170 mahallas in 20 districts of the Karakalpakstan Republic, as well as in the regions of Khorezm, Bukhara, and Navoi, where work is underway to create social and engineering infrastructure.
In the first phase of the project, which took place in 2024–2025, over 100 social infrastructure facilities were commissioned. Currently, capital repairs and reconstruction of social and engineering facilities are ongoing.
In the regions of Khorezm and the Karakalpakstan Republic, 454 priority projects were determined after public selection. Construction, restoration, and repair works are being carried out in the districts of Urgench, Khanka, Yangibazar, and Khazarasp in the Khorezm region, as well as in the districts of Takhtatash, Amudarya, Turtkul, and Ellikkala in Karakalpakstan.
The program includes the construction and restoration of general education schools, state preschool institutions, and family medical centers. Work is also underway on paving internal roads, establishing sidewalks, modernizing street lighting systems, updating transformer substations, reconstructing water supply networks, and repairing irrigation infrastructure.
In six districts of Karakalpakstan participating in the project, work affects 12 main and 34 adjacent mahallas. The program provides for the construction, reconstruction, and major repair of 38 schools, 29 state kindergartens, five family medical centers, 45 roads, 19 water supply facilities, 35 power supply facilities, eight irrigation structures, 35 pedestrian and road infrastructure facilities, and 12 mahalla service centers.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance stated that the goal of the project is to create modern infrastructure in rural areas, improve the quality of life of local residents, and support the sustainable socio-economic development of these regions.
Uzbekistan intends to begin exporting surplus electricity generated from renewable sources to Europe starting in 2030. Hurram Teshabaev, Deputy Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan, confirmed the country's readiness to supply between 2 and 5 GW of clean electricity during a recent interview with Report.az.
This large-scale initiative, named the Trans-Caspian Green Energy Corridor, is being developed under a trilateral strategic agreement signed by the heads of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan. To coordinate the implementation of this transcontinental energy route, partners have established a joint venture called the Green Corridor Union, headquartered in Baku.
The core of the project involves constructing a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system spanning approximately 2,500 kilometers. The route includes laying a specialized deep-sea subsea cable across the Caspian Sea from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan, then through Georgia and under the Black Sea to Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary.
For the technical preparation of the mega-project, the ministries of energy of the participating countries signed a memorandum of understanding with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to finance a comprehensive feasibility study. The Italian engineering firm CESI has been appointed as the leader of this study, which is scheduled for completion around May 2027.
According to the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan, the country aims to increase its total installed capacity of renewable energy to 35 GW by 2030, bringing the share of green energy in the national energy balance to 54%. By the end of the decade, total domestic electricity production is projected to reach 135 billion kWh against a local demand of 120–125 billion kWh.
The resulting surplus will allow Uzbekistan to export an estimated 10–15 billion kWh of electricity to Europe annually. To ensure the reliability of the domestic power system, new generating capacities dedicated exclusively to exports to Europe will be built and operated, functioning independently of Uzbekistan's existing national grid. The exact volumes of clean energy transit will ultimately be determined by the technical capacity of the subsea cable lines and the market demand of European consumers.
The First Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, Ilhom Norkulov, held a meeting with representatives of the South Korean company DOHWA Engineering Co., Ltd. This company has been engaged to implement a comprehensive urban development project in medium-sized cities with support from the World Bank.
During the discussions, the parties focused on developing spatial development strategies for regions such as Bukhara, Navoi, Jizzakh, and Syrdarya. Furthermore, it was planned to create comprehensive spatial plans for several important areas, including Gizhduvan, Shafirkan, Khatirchi, Nurata, Zafarabad, Gallyaral, Sardoba, and Syrdarya.
The initiative also provides for the creation of detailed master plans for specific localized territories that have not yet been defined within these target areas.
A key point of the meeting was the strategic creation and expansion of regional 'growth centers'. This includes long-term planning of municipal and district hubs, residential quarters, and industrial zones, as well as specialized clusters focused on business, tourism, retail, services, and logistics.
Participants also reviewed ways to optimize transport and economic corridors to ensure the creation of the necessary social and engineering infrastructure to support long-term regional development.
Representatives of DOHWA Engineering reported that during July and August of this year, the company's specialists will conduct field visits to hold public consultations. They will meet directly with local residents, business owners, and regional authorities in the project areas. Following this preparatory work, the company will provide preliminary proposals for socio-economic development, tailored to the respective territories, using modern spatial planning methods and international experience.
The President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, reviewed a number of strategic proposals aimed at combating desertification and creating a sustainable 'desert economy.' These initiatives include expanding afforestation, finding new sources of income on saline lands, promoting ecotourism, and launching scientific projects on sustainable natural resource management.
According to the presidential press service, strategies to prevent land degradation were integrated into a broader presentation that also introduced the principles of ecological urban planning within the framework of the 'Green Samarkand' sustainable development model. It was noted that about 80% of Uzbekistan's territory consists of desert and semi-desert zones.
Environmental problems are particularly acute in the western regions of the country, where soil salinization, strong dust storms, and dry winds have intensified due to the shrinking of the Aral Sea. Protective afforestation work continues in the Aral Sea basin to mitigate these consequences.
Halophytic and drought-resistant flora, including Saxaul (Haloxylon), is systematically planted to stabilize desert sands and limit the atmospheric spread of dust and toxic salts. Over the past years, more than two million hectares of protective green cover have been successfully created on the open, dry bed of the Aral Sea. Concurrently, the nationwide project 'Yashil Maqon' (Green Space) has overseen the planting of over one billion trees and shrubs across the country.
Thanks to these joint measures, the overall green cover rate in Uzbekistan has increased from 8% to 14.3% over the last five years. A new phase of anti-desertification initiatives is planned for the period 2026–2030. The state plans to create and restore 1.27 million hectares of forest land, as well as secure 16,000 hectares of protective belts covering desert, foothill, and mountainous areas.
Planned regional tasks include planting 10,000 hectares of greenery in the Sunikandarya region, constructing an 84-kilometer 'green wall' of protective trees in the border areas of the Syrdarya region, initiating terraced afforestation in high-altitude zones, and testing advanced agricultural technologies on degraded soils.
Significant attention is paid to developing a specialized 'desert economy.' Priority development areas in this field include breeding specialized seeds, cultivating salt-tolerant halophytic crops, supporting optimized livestock farming, and increasing pasture productivity. The model also provides for expanding regional ecotourism and targeted scientific research.
As part of the structural plan, special nurseries for desert flora will be built in the Karakalpakstan Republic, and commercial pistachio plantations will be cultivated on the Babatag ridge. The government also discussed the creation of a regional seed and nursery bank specializing in drought-resistant crops.
To expand international cooperation in climate matters, the proposals call for activating the activities of the Central Asian Research Institute for Desertification Control and Green Economy Development, as well as strengthening joint regional efforts under the 'Green Shield' partnership program.
