Germany to spend 8mn euros to help Aral Sea region develop

Germany is to spend 8mn euros towards a project to develop the Aral Sea region, Uzbek Agriculture Ministry said on February 27.

Agriculture Minister Jamshid Hodjaev and the project manager of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), Paul Schumacher, have inked an agreement on the implementation of the project "Environmentally Oriented Regional development in the Aral Sea Region", aimed at supporting the governments of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in achieving sustainable cross-border environmental and economic development of the region.

Hodjaev said the concept of the new project corresponds to the key priorities of the "Strategy for the Development of Agriculture until 2030", including "Food security of the population" and "Rural Development", and also reflects the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

"The rural population engaged in the agricultural sector of Karakalpakstan and Khorezm region suffers greatly from the consequences of the Aral Sea disaster," Hodjaev said. "Therefore, environmentally oriented regional development in the Aral Sea region is very important for us. The main components of the new project are the provision of consulting services, digitalization, geoinformation system, remote sensing, cross-border cooperation, and others. We are also open to sharing information with our neighbors from Kazakhstan. I am confident that this project and our own development plans will enable us all to achieve strong synergies and results."

The four-year project is to be implemented on the basis of an integrated approach to economic development, taking into account the minimization of the negative impact on environmental and social aspects.