On November 28, a press conference was held at the National Press Center dedicated to the adoption of Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated November 23, 2023 No. UP-199 “On measures to ensure environmental sustainability by further increasing the level of landscaping in the republic and the consistent implementation of the national project “Yashil Makon”.

The event was attended by employees of the Department of Organization and Monitoring of the ‘Yashil Makon’ National Project under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, representatives of the Forestry Agency and Forestry Research Institute, as well as representatives of the media.

The press conference covered the main aspects, benefits, expected changes and other issues raised in the Decree.

For information: within the framework of the national project “Yashil Makon”, over the past period, 588 hectares of “green parks”, 662 hectares of “green public parks” have been created, “green belts” have been created around the cities of Bukhara, Nukus, Khiva and Urgench over an area of 40 km.
At the same time, the effective continuation of the national project today requires urgent measures.

According to the document, the following measures have been adopted with the aim of popularizing the national project "Yashil Makon" ("Green Space") in Uzbekistan, improving the system of state governance in the field of ecology, wide implementation of advanced technologies, and ensuring the implementation of tasks defined in the "Uzbekistan 2030" strategy. Specifically, no less than 50 percent of the funds allocated annually from the state budget will be directed to finance the "My Garden" projects for the creation of "green gardens" and "green public gardens" based on public opinion through the "Open Budget" information portal.

Furthermore, the Decree provides for strengthening the population's interest in planting tree seedlings and greening territories. In particular, "green gardens" will be created on unused lands of roads, railways, rivers and canals, state bodies and organizations (except for forest lands).

According to the document, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, should provide employment for at least 10,000 people in 2024 through the establishment of seedling cultivation based on home gardening on 1,500 hectares of forest land.

Additionally, tree passportization in the territory of Tashkent city will be conducted in three stages. In the first stage (before March 1, 2024), existing trees will be fully surveyed using aerial photographs and software (excluding trees in the area of individual houses). In the second stage (before November 1, 2024), a database reflecting the age, type, height, condition, and coordinates of the trees identified during the survey will be created. In the third stage (before December 31, 2024), a passport will be created and an identification number will be assigned to each tree based on the database on the "Yashil Makon" electronic platform.

Furthermore, according to the Decree, a national program for the sustainable development of the Aral Sea region, widespread implementation of innovations and green technologies, will be developed in the years 2024-2028.

The program includes "green covers" - the continued creation of protective forests and the organization of protected natural areas and their systematic development, the establishment of modern infrastructure for scientific and innovative activities, strengthening the integration of science and production, improving public health, and the development of ecological tourism, including tasks such as further strengthening international ties to attract funding from donor countries, international organizations, financial institutions, funds, and companies.

Starting from March 1, 2024, new or under-construction buildings and structures with a height of more than 12 meters above the ground and/or a total area of more than 500 square meters will not be accepted by the state acceptance commission if less than 25 percent of the adjacent plot of land is allocated for greening. 
For industrial enterprises belonging to categories I and II of environmental impact, the creation of "green belts" and greening of their own and adjacent territories is mandatory.

It should be noted that the Decree also defines other important tasks.