On February 12, the opening ceremony of the 14th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP14) took place in the Silk Road Samarkand Congress Hall.

The event was opened by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Abdulla Aripov, who read the official message of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the participants of the event.

"Uzbekistan pays great attention to the conservation of migratory species of wild animals. In recent years, the regulatory framework of the sphere has been improved, new legislative acts have been adopted, and their effective implementation has been ensured.

During the presidency of the Convention in 2024-2027, Uzbekistan is ready to mobilize all its forces and potential to protect migratory species of animals. We welcome the adoption in Samarkand of a new strategic plan for the period 2024–2032, which will define the main directions of the upcoming work in this area".

The conference brought together more than 1,800 participants from 130 countries to solve one of the most pressing problems affecting the entire world community: the conservation of migratory species of wild animals.

The event was attended by Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan Aziz Abdukhakimov, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Inger Andersen, and Executive Secretary of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, Amy Fraenkel, Head of the World Conservation Monitoring Center of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC) Kelly Malsch, ministers, heads of international organizations, diplomats, industry experts, etc.

The plenary session reviewed progress in the implementation of the Convention as well as actions to address the many needs and challenges of conservation of migratory species and their habitats. During the week-long negotiations, CMS COP14 is expected to consider an extensive agenda covering more than a hundred issues, including:

Amendments to the CMS Annexes, including fourteen additional species in need of international protection, including the common lynx, bovine winged eagle, manual Magellanic plover, etc.
Proposals for new coordinated actions as priority conservation measures for seven species.
Anti-poaching measures.
Actions to develop environmental communication.
A new strategic plan for migratory species for the period 2024–2032.
Numerous initiatives are related to individual species and range countries, such as the Central Asian Flyway and the Transborder Jaguar Initiatives.

Today, as part of the opening, the first-ever Global Report on the Status of Migratory Species of Wild Animals will be presented.

For information: CMS COP14 is one of the most significant global UN activities for the conservation of migratory species since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).