Uzbekistan-UN: partnership for a sustainable future

On September 20-24, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will take part inevents 80th anniversary session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Uzbekistan became a full member of the UN on March 2, 1992. This step became one of the key confirmations that the young independent republic is ready not only to actively participate in all international processes, but also to build its foreign policy on the principles of respect for international law and the UN Charter.

More than three decades have passed since then, and during this time Tashkent has become one of the most active participants in global initiatives, whose proposals find a wide response in the international arena.

Participation in the UN has become an important factor in strengthening the independence of Uzbekistan, ensured recognition of its sovereignty by the world community and created the basis for equal dialogue with all countries. The opening of a UN office in Tashkent in 1993 was another landmark event that consolidated the long-term nature of cooperation.

From the very beginning, the priority areas of Uzbekistan’s work within the UN were ensuring international and regional security, combating modern challenges and threats, promoting sustainable development and solving environmental problems. Particular attention was paid to the Aral Sea crisis, which has become a global environmental disaster.

It is no coincidence that it was around the problem of the Aral Sea region that Uzbekistan proposed a number of initiatives that received support from the international community. In particular, in 2018, under the auspices of the UN, the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security for the Aral Sea region was created.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Uzbekistan twice - in June 2017 and July 2024. The visits confirmed the growing role of Tashkent as a platform for discussing global issues.

During his visit in July 2024, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted: “Uzbekistan is our reliable partner in all areas, from peace and security, human rights to climate and sustainable development. The country is at the forefront of advancing the UN multilateral agenda.” This high assessment focuses attention on the very essence: cooperation between Uzbekistan and the UN is developing dynamically and comprehensively - from strengthening regional security to the implementation of global sustainable development goals.

For his contribution to promoting solidarity and strengthening cooperation between Uzbekistan and the UN in 2024, António Guterres was awarded the highest degree of the Order of Dustlik.

The President Uzbekistan regularly speaks at sessions of the UN General Assembly. His speeches at the 72nd, 75th, 76th and 78th sessions became important policy statements addressing issues of regional security, combating climate change, protecting human rights and promoting intercivilizational dialogue.

The participation of the Uzbek delegation in a number of international forums, including the UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, in 2025 in Turkmenistan. These events demonstrate not only the activity of Uzbekistan, but also its willingness to make proposals that meet the interests of not only the region, but also the entire international community.

In 2018–2025, Uzbekistan initiated 13 resolutions of the UN General Assembly. Their topics cover a wide range - from regional security to sustainable tourism and environmental challenges.

Among the most significant are “Strengthening regional international cooperation to ensure peace and sustainable development in Central Asia” (2018), “On declaring the Aral Sea region a zone of environmental innovation and technology” (2021), “On strengthening the role of parliaments in accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals” (2022), “UN Decade on Afforestation and Reforestation” (2025).

Each of these initiatives demonstrated Tashkent’s desire to act as a generator of ideas aimed at consolidating international efforts. In particular, the idea of ​​recognizing the Aral Sea region as a zone of environmental innovation made it possible to draw attention to the environmental disaster on a global scale and create new mechanisms for international interaction.

In addition, at the height of the pandemic, Uzbekistan proposed a “Code of Voluntary Commitments of States during Pandemics,” which was distributed as an official document of the UN General Assembly. This initiative emphasized the importance of global solidarity in times of crisis.

Uzbekistan was one of the first in the region to integrate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into national strategic documents. Already in 2018, the National Coordination Council for SDGs was created in the country, and by 2020, a comprehensive national list of 125 indicators adapted to the conditions of the republic was approved.

This year, Uzbekistan rose by 19 positions in the global SDG Index and entered the top five of the fastest growing countries in the world, becoming a leader in its region.

The Development Strategy “New Uzbekistan” for 2022-2026 and the Concept of the country’s development until 2030 set out priorities, coinciding with the global goals of the UN: fighting poverty, ensuring quality education, gender equality, health, environmental management, digital transformation.

Together with UN agencies, Uzbekistan has achieved a number of practical results. In particular, in 2022–2024, the poverty rate decreased from 17% to 8.9%, which became one of the most dynamic indicators in the region. The implementation of the Unified Register of Social Payments with the support of UNICEF, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) doubled the coverage of vulnerable groups of the population - from 600 thousand to 1.2 million people. Programs by UNICEF and the World Health Organization have helped increase vaccination rates among children and modernize the school system. Projects of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and UNDP in the field of reforestation in the Aral Sea region have helped to consolidate the region’s status as a “zone of environmental innovation and technology.”

Today, numerous UN agencies operate in the country, including UNDP, UNICEF, FAO, ILO, UNESCO, UNHCR and others. Together with them, 166 projects are being implemented totaling more than $293 million as part of the Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2021–2025.

In recent years, dozens of UN leaders have visited Uzbekistan - from UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay to UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell and World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Daren Tang. These visits symbolize the growing interest in the country, which is becoming an important platform for discussing global challenges.

In 2023, the 25th session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) was held in Samarkand, and in 2025 - the Forum on Civil Service Issues.

UN Forum on Civil Service Issues in Samarkand, and the Asian Women's Forum, held in 2024 jointly with UN Women, became shining examples of Uzbekistan's growing role as a center of key international initiatives.

The official opening of the UN Women office in Tashkent in May of this year was recognition of Uzbekistan's achievements in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women in the country.

In 2025, the International Transport and Logistics Hub in Termez was included in the global supply chain of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which strengthened the country’s role in humanitarian processes.

An important stage in our country’s interaction with UN structures was the election of Uzbekistan to the Human Rights Council for 2021–2023. This event cemented recognition of the country's efforts in the field of protecting human rights and reforming national institutions.

In addition, Uzbekistan became a member of such authoritative bodies as the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC, 2025-2027), the ILO Governing Body (2024-2027), the Human Rights Committee (2025-2028), the UN Statistical Commission (2026–2029), Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO (2022–2026).

Tashkent is already actively promoting its candidacy for non-permanent members of the UN Security Council for 2035–2036, which will be a new milestone in the development of its international diplomacy.

The 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference will be held in Samarkand in October-November 2025. This event will go down in history not only for Uzbekistan, but also for the entire international organization: for the first time in 40 years, the UNESCO General Conference will be held outside of Paris, where the organization’s headquarters is traditionally located. The choice of Samarkand as the venue for such a large-scale forum is symbolic. This ancient city, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, is the embodiment of a dialogue of cultures and civilizations, uniting East and West. For Uzbekistan, this decision was recognition of the country’s efforts to preserve cultural heritage and promote international cooperation in the field of science, education and culture. It also reflects the high level of trust that the republic enjoys in the international arena.

All this confirms that Uzbekistan has become the center of gravity of international processes.

Over three decades of cooperation with the UN, Uzbekistan has gone from a young member of the international community to one of the active initiators of global decisions. Today, the country not only participates in the implementation of the goals of the organization, but also initiates the formation of a current agenda - from combating climate change to promoting the dialogue of civilizations.

For Tashkent, the UN remains the most important platform for multilateral diplomacy. And for the world community, Uzbekistan is becoming a reliable partner, whose initiatives and practical steps are of real importance for strengthening international security, sustainable development and the protection of human rights.

Thus, the upcoming participation of the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the 80th anniversary session of the UN General Assembly will be an important event that can once again emphasize the country’s strategic course towards strengthening multilateral dialogue and promoting global initiatives. This participation will strengthen Uzbekistan’s position as a state initiator of international ideas and confirm its significant role in shaping the universal agenda of the 21st century.

IA "Dunyo"