On November 8-9, the Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), Dr. Juliet Biao Koudenoukpo, visited Uzbekistan on a working visit.
The distinguished guest, accompanied by Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov, visited the new campus of the Central Asian University for Environmental and Climate Change Studies Green University, located at the scientific experimental station "Darkhan" (Dendropark) in the Tashkent region.
It is worth noting that Green University was established in May 2023 on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
During the visit, Dr. Biao was acquainted with the construction and development works of the new modern university building, which will soon become a regional hub for training highly qualified environmental and climate change specialists.
For reference: Dr. Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo has over 32 years of rich experience in international development and forest management in Africa, Latin America, and Canada. Prior to joining UNFF, she worked for more than six years as the Regional Representative for Africa in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya. She has also served as the Minister of Environment and Nature Conservation in Benin (West Africa).
The distinguished guest positively evaluated the initiative to establish the first regional university in the field of ecology in Tashkent and expressed hope that the university would serve not only the Central Asian region but also be open to students from around the world. Dr. Biao also noted the innovative educational model of the Hub and Spoke and the eco-friendly approach to construction, which utilizes natural materials and creates green public areas.
It is worth mentioning that Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dr. Juliette Biao, expressed interest in the active participation of UNFF in the environmental and forestry activities in Uzbekistan. The Director of the UNFF Secretariat stated that the organization is ready to not only assist in the institutional development of forestry and greening but also welcome specialists from the Ministry of Ecology for internships within the organization.
As a symbol of commitment to further cooperation between the two organizations, Aziz Abdukhakimov and Dr. J. Biao planted a tree in the garden on the adjacent territory of Green University at the end of the visit.
It is worth recalling that an agreement on cooperation in the implementation of the national project "Yashil Makon" was previously reached between the head of UNFF, Dr. J. Biao, and the Minister of Ecology, Aziz Abdukhakimov .
