ТАSHKENT, November 11. /Dunyo IA/. Today, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the opening ceremony of the World Climate Action Summit in Antalya, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

According to the press service of the Head of our State, event is taking place as part of the 31^st session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31).

Opening ceremony was also attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Türkiye, heads of state and government from other countries and leaders of international organizations and financial institutions.

Heads of delegations posed for a group photo at the summit.

Held under the motto “Towards a Sustainable, Stable and Just Future”, the Leaders' Summit aims to give new momentum to international efforts to address climate change and fulfill global environmental commitments.

COP31, taking place from November 9^th to 20^th, brings together representatives of governments, international organizations, businesses, the scientific community and civil society. Key topics include implementing the Paris Agreement, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to the impacts of climate change, expanding climate finance and accelerating the transition to a green economy.

These issues are particularly relevant to Uzbekistan and the entire Central Asian region, given increasing water scarcity, land degradation, melting glaciers, droughts and other effects of global warming.

An important step in this direction was the adoption of the regional Climate Resilient Landscapes of Central Asia (CLiCA) program, developed jointly by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with the support of international partners.

The seven-year program has a total budget of €264.4 million, of which €103.7 million is allocated to Uzbekistan. The funding will support the restoration of forests and pastures, the introduction of climate-resilient farming practices, the sustainable use of natural resources and the expansion of the rural population's capacity to adapt to climate change.

Uzbekistan continues to fulfill its commitments under the global climate agenda. In particular, country aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 50 percent by 2035 compared with 2010 levels.

Uzbekistan joined the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1993 and became a party to the Paris Agreement in 2018. Today, the country actively promotes international and regional initiatives in environmental protection, renewable energy development, water conservation and strengthening climate resilience.