Tashkent, 3 March 2020 – The SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility supported by the European Union Delegation to Uzbekistan organised the first Multi-stakeholder Consultation on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). The event brought together around 50 stakeholders, including policy makers, practitioners and civil society to discuss challenges and identify national priorities on SCP, ultimately strengthening Uzbekistan’s work towards achieving the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and shifting towards a green and circular economy.
Countries in Central Asia are at different stages in terms of awareness raising and policies towards shifting to SCP. Various measures and programmes related to SCP exist in Uzbekistan, such as: Strategy on Transition to Green Economy for the period 2019-2030 which was approved on 4th October 2019; the National Policy on Environmental Protection for the period 2019-2028; the Waste Management Strategy (2019- 2028), the Law on Renewable Energy (April 2019) and target parameters for further development of renewable energy sources with increasing proportion of renewable energy in total generation to 25% by 2030.
Considering the complexity of the consumption and production systems, the country needs to focus on a few driving priorities to demonstrate how to induce and deliver change while strengthening collaboration between the various stakeholders. These include: increasing energy efficiency in basic sectors of the economy, strengthening climate mitigation, increasing the efficiency of the use of natural resources and the conservation of natural ecosystems; developing financial and non-financial mechanisms to support the green economy.
Mr. Khurshid Rakhmatullaev, Head of Division, Ministry of Economy and Industry
Mr. Khurshid Rakhmatullaev, Head of Division, Ministry of Economy and Industry stressed the importance of rethinking business models and supply chains across industries, as well as rethinking consumption habits.
The interactive discussions between the various stakeholders resulted in three main priorities as driving forces to deliver impact towards a green and circular economy through the promotion of sustainable consumption and production; these concern: improving legislation on SCP, promoting eco-labelling of goods and services, and developing energy certification of buildings.
Referring to the major policy frameworks the EU has developed towards SCP, such as the various directives on resource efficiency, green economy, circular economy and plastics, Ambassador Eduards Stiprais, Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Uzbekistan highlighted the importance of the SWITCH-Asia programme, recently expanded to Central Asia, in further supporting the country’s ongoing work and achievements, in particular in the context of the European Green Deal. "The European Green Deal puts a strong emphasis on supporting the transition to clean energy in line with a more ambitious climate policy. It also sets the principles for the EU commitment with its partner countries in this regards. “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” has become the new keyword in Europe".
Ambassador Eduards Stiprais, Head of the EU Delegation to the Republic of Uzbekistan
While current challenges persist in the process of moving towards a circular economy and adopting SCP practices, mainstreaming SCP tools and practices in relevant policies, greening the supply chain, inducing responsible consumption behaviour and production processes and supporting well-defined and targeted communication and education strategies, remain high-level national priorities for providing needed opportunities for effective transformative actions.
Current unsustainable consumption and production patterns characterised by inefficiency, despite the various policies and action plans, make these consultations extremely important for building a shared understanding between all stakeholders on the challenges and opportunities for actions as well as the need to strengthen partnerships in order to mainstream SCP effectively and across sectors. Considering the cross-cutting nature of SCP, effective actions should embrace a systemic, integrated and lifecycle approach.
These consultations will be followed by the elaboration of a cooperation programme between the EU, through the SWITCH-Asia programme, and the Ministry of Economy and Industry, associating concerned Ministries and Stakeholders.
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Media Contact:
Sara Gabai,
Communication and Knowledge Expert
SWITCH-Asia SCP Facility
T:+66 (0) 2 651 8799 ext. 20
