News

On 23 April 2026, the First Meeting of the High-Level Dialogue Platform (HLDP) on Environmental Cooperation of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) was held at the Congress Centre in Astana. The event marked the official launch of a new regional mechanism aimed at strengthening environmental cooperation among ECO Member States.

The High-Level Dialogue Session was moderated by Dr. Bakhtiyor Pulatov, Rector of the Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies (Green University), who also delivered the summary of key discussion points and closing remarks.

In the opening session, Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change, emphasized the importance of strengthening regional dialogue and joint efforts in the context of growing transboundary environmental challenges.

Participants emphasized that ECO countries are facing interconnected challenges, including air, soil and water pollution, biodiversity loss, land degradation and desertification, as well as the accelerating impacts of climate change. These challenges require coordinated regional responses, strengthened knowledge exchange, and joint action.

A key outcome of the meeting was the formal launch of the HLDP as a platform for strategic dialogue and cooperation among governments, academia, the private sector, and international partners. The meeting concluded with an agreement to prepare a summary document reflecting the main areas of convergence and to develop an informal roadmap for future HLDP sessions, aimed at supporting the ECO ministerial process.

Green University reaffirms its commitment to contributing to regional environmental dialogue, promoting sustainable development, and fostering international cooperation in addressing global environmental challenges.