NEW YORK, July 11. /Dunyo IA/. As part of the High-Level Sustainable Development Goal 6 Special Event, delegation of Uzbekistan led by Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Timur Butunbaev held meetings with representatives of several international organizations, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

In particular, the delegation met with Saroj Kumar Jha, Global Director for the World Bank Group’s Water Department, who highlighted the reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan’s water sector under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He also noted that he had presented Uzbekistan’s achievements as an example in his speech at the forum.

Saroj Kumar Jha highly appreciated the attention given by the state to the development of the water sector. He noted that while many countries allocate an average of 0.05% of their budget resources towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6 – “Clean Water and Sanitation”), this figure currently stands at 3.2% in Uzbekistan and is planned to increase to 4.2% by the end of the year.

The talks also addressed the implementation of joint sectoral studies and other promising cooperation projects.

The Uzbek delegation also held a bilateral meeting with Paola Deda, Director of the Forests, Land and Housing Division the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

The meeting focused on cooperation between Uzbekistan and UNECE in the areas of environmental protection, prevention of desertification, expansion of green areas and water resources management.

During the talks, Paola Deda proposed holding a conference of environment ministers under the auspices of UNECE in Uzbekistan in 2028. She noted Uzbekistan’s active participation and initiatives in this field, emphasizing that the country is a worthy candidate to host the prestigious event.

Following the meeting, the parties agreed to continue cooperation and regularly exchange information on the proposed initiatives.

It is worth recalling that the previous day, the UN Headquarters hosted a High-Level Sustainable Development Goal 6 Special Event (“Clean Water and Sanitation”), during which Uzbekistan presented its achievements in implementing SDG 6 and promoting the global water agenda.