Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is in Antalya on November 10–11 for the COP31 UN climate summit, where he is expected to put forward initiatives on the Aral Sea and Central Asia’s water balance, reported Zamin.uz.
Mirziyoyev is attending at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The summit agenda covers full implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, urgent action on global warming, drought, water scarcity and desertification, and faster green development, including renewables, lower CO₂ emissions and more green finance.
In his plenary speech, Mirziyoyev is expected to propose initiatives to mitigate the consequences of the Aral Sea tragedy, maintain the water and ecological balance of Central Asia, and secure international support for national green programmes. He will also meet foreign leaders and heads of international financial institutions to attract environmental and economic investment.
Uzbekistan joined the UN climate convention in 1993 and the Paris Agreement in 2018. The visit comes a day after Tashkent unveiled 133 Aral Sea projects worth $3.3 billion. Central Asia is warming faster than the global average, and Uzbekistan, which depends heavily on irrigated agriculture, is among the countries most exposed to water shortages. COP31 gives it a platform to seek climate finance for these projects.
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
November 10, 2026