Uzbekistan Needs $30.1 Billion to Adapt to Climate Change by 2035

Uzbekistan will require about $30.1 billion in investment to adapt to climate change through 2035. Against this backdrop, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Simon Stiell, called at COP31 in Antalya for reorienting international climate finance toward more accessible capital and the long-term transformation of developing countries' economies.

Stiell spoke on November 13 at a high-level dialogue on climate finance. According to him, meeting international financial targets does not necessarily mean that countries' real needs have been met. Many developing economies simultaneously face rising debt, recurring climate disasters and a prohibitively high cost of capital, which limits their ability to invest in sustainable infrastructure and low-carbon development.

He proposed directing climate finance toward strengthening national institutions, improving investment conditions and attracting capital at a lower cost. Such an approach, he said, is capable of setting off a positive cycle: strong institutions make investment easier, additional capital supports climate resilience, and improvements strengthen national economies.

For Uzbekistan, this discussion is directly tied to the modernization of irrigation systems, climate-resilient agriculture and infrastructure development. The figure of $30.1 billion was presented in the country's national pavilion at COP31 in Antalya.

No new financial commitments specifically for Uzbekistan were announced in Stiell's remarks.