On February 10, the opening ceremony of the Central Asian University of Environment and Climate Change (Green University) took place in the Tashkent region.

The event was attended by IUCN Director General Gretel Aguilar, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Aziz Abdukhakimov, Ministers of Ecology of Central Asian countries, representatives of international organizations, and representatives of local and international media.

Speaking at the opening, Gretel Aguilar emphasized the special role of Green University in solving environmental problems in the region.

"We congratulate the Government of Uzbekistan on the opening of Central Asian Green University, a major regional initiative that serves the development of environmental leadership and education. This university will help solve the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. Through environmental education, the university will serve to preserve the region's rich nature", the head of the IUCN noted.

During the event, the guests got acquainted with the favorable conditions created at the university. Classrooms are equipped with modern technologies for teaching students; a large library, a gym for extracurricular activities, and other amenities have been created.

For information: Green University was established by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated May 31, 2023, "On measures to transform the sphere of ecology and environmental protection and the organization of activities of the authorized state body". Its goal is to effectively manage local, regional, and global environmental problems, strengthen regional cooperation in the field of ecology and environmental protection, and introduce innovative ideas, practices, and technologies into the realization of scientific and intellectual potential.

The university is a public higher education institution, and its activities are organized according to the principle of "Hub and Spoke". This model is based on strategic and mutually beneficial cooperation, the creation of an integrated educational system, optimization of resources, mobility of students and specialists, and also contributes to increasing the potential of local specialists and the exchange of knowledge and experience. The training sessions are conducted in Uzbek, Russian, and English according to a credit-modular system with the help of lectures, laboratory and individual classes, and practical work in groups based on the development of critical thinking, tasks, and experiments. At the undergraduate level, classes are conducted in English, one of the official languages of the United Nations, taking into account the requirements of the state educational standards of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Currently, various professors from international universities in the UK, New Zealand, the USA, and other countries are actively involved in the university's cooperation.