23 November 2025, Samarkand — Senior officials from across Central Asia gathered today in Samarkand for a high-level ministerial meeting on “Central Asia’s Commitment to Snow Leopard and Mountain Landscape Resilience: From Policy to Practice — Monitoring, Funding, and Action for Regulated Wildlife Trade.”
The event highlighted Central Asia’s growing leadership in, biodiversity conservation, and climate-resilient development in line with global commitments. The event also enabled countries to present a unified regional voice, strengthen coordination with other Multilateral Environment Agreements, and accelerate the shift from policy commitments to practical action for legal, sustainable and transparent wildlife trade.

“Our meeting today takes place at a truly critical moment, when the Central Asia region is facing escalating challenges from the triple planetary crisis, and it is especially important now to strengthen partnerships and develop joint approaches. It is important to remember that environmental challenges do not recognize national borders. UN institutions continue to play a crucial role in strengthening regional environmental cooperation in Central Asia, implementing a range of initiatives aimed at enhancing ecological resilience", said Mr. Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Environment and Chairman of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change.

Hosted by the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the meeting brought together senior officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, along with senior UNDP representatives and international partners.

“Central Asia is showing that regional collaboration can turn international commitments into tangible actions on the ground,” said Akiko Fujii, UNDP Resident Representative in Uzbekistan. “Protecting snow leopards and resilient mountain ecosystems is not just an environmental priority — it is key to the wellbeing of local communities and the region’s sustainable development.”

High-level participants reaffirmed their commitment to protecting the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), saiga antelope, kulan, and Persian leopard as key species, vital indicators of ecosystem health across Central Asia. Discussions emphasized the urgency of translating international agreements under CITES and other multilateral environmental frameworks into measurable conservation actions.

The regional approach to programme GEF funds will focus on  (among others)  strengthening landscape connectivity and restoring ecosystems across Central Asia mountain, steppe, and desert habitats; conserving key species such as snow leopard, kulan, and other endangered wildlife; integrating Nature-based Solutions into climate and land-use planning; promoting wildlife-friendly infrastructure to reduce habitat fragmentation and human/wildlife conflicts; developing innovative financing mechanisms including biodiversity credits, trust funds, and regional development schemes; and enhancing regional cooperation through transboundary ecological corridors, joint wildlife monitoring, and knowledge sharing.

This regional vision will be implemented by harmonized national interventions  potentially funded by the future GEF 9 cycle and other streams of funding, which will:

• Implement concrete conservation actions to protect snow leopards and wild ungulates as flagship species;
• Strengthen law enforcement and monitoring systems aligned with CITES commitments and global standards, and;
• Promote cross-border cooperation to curb illegal wildlife trade and safeguard migratory corridors.

UNDP reaffirmed its role as a trusted partner, joining hands with governments to access and align multiple financing streams — including the Global Environment Facility, the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF), the Kunming Fund, and the Nature for Health Initiative — to advance integrated conservation measures across the region. This approach directly supports the UNDP Nature Pledge and the UNDP Strategic Plan 2026–2030, placing healthy ecosystems and resilience at the center of sustainable development.

The dialogue concluded with a call for coordinated, regionally aligned programming under GEF-9, anchored in national Global Environment Facility (GEF)-funded projects aimed at enhancing cross-border cooperation to combat illegal wildlife trade and implementing community-based conservation efforts to protect snow leopards and other CITES-listed species.

Central Asian countries are making a strong statement to the world community as the CITES CoP20 opens in Samarkand that the region is prepared to make a decisive transition from policy to practice, converting pledges into quantifiable results that safeguard wildlife, strengthen communities, and guarantee resilient mountain landscapes for coming generations.