TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, April 22. Uzbekistan has proposed expanding the mandate and geographic scope of the UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea region to cover the entire Aral Sea basin, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), Trend reports.
According to him, the initiative would allow channeling targeted investments into priority environmental and socio-economic projects across all countries in the region.
“We could jointly consider expanding the mandate and geographic coverage of the Trust Fund to the entire Aral Sea basin. This will make it possible to direct targeted investments to implement vital environmental and socio-economic projects in all our countries,” Mirziyoyev said.
He noted that the fund has already demonstrated successful experience in mobilizing and effectively using financial resources, and could become a key instrument for supporting IFAS priority programs.
Mirziyoyev also emphasized that Uzbekistan will assume the IFAS chairmanship next year and intends to strengthen the organization's role as a driver of regional integration, including through more active use of international financial mechanisms.