BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 24. The consequences of the Aral Sea desiccation must remain at the constant focus of the international community, said President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev as he addressed the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Trend reports.
“Uzbekistan continues its consistent efforts to restore the Aral Sea ecosystem. In recent years, we have planted salt-tolerant desert vegetation across 2 million hectares of the dried seabed. By 2030, green cover will be created on 80 percent of this area,” the president highlighted.
“Another pressing challenge is water scarcity. Today, more than 2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. To tackle this issue, Uzbekistan plans to host a World Forum on Water Saving. The outcomes of this conference are expected to recognize the water crisis as a critical threat to sustainable development, and we intend to propose a special roadmap for the global adoption of innovative water-saving technologies,” Mirziyoyev emphasized.
He also drew attention to the growing trend of climate-induced migration.
“Unfortunately, there are still no clear international mechanisms or legal frameworks to address this issue. We therefore call for the adoption of a Global Pact to establish a broad international partnership and a coordinated policy on this urgent challenge,” he added.