An introductory training seminar was held in Tashkent to develop a methodology for the National Report on the State of the Environment in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The workshop was organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Uzbekistan with the support of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
As noted at the opening of the seminar, the National Report on the State of the Environment is a key information product based on environmental indicators that allow assessing the state of the environment and its trends.
This will make it possible to use the report as an information basis for making environmentally significant decisions on improving environmental and socio-economic policy, the legal framework, mechanisms for state regulation of nature management and environmental protection, monitoring compliance with environmental legislation, developing and implementing targeted environmental programs, scientifically -technical developments aimed at ensuring environmental safety, evaluating the effectiveness of measures taken to protect the environment and rational nature management as the basis for sustainable development.
To date, the generally accepted methodology for the preparation of national reports on the state of the environment is the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) scheme - Driving Forces-Loads-State-Impact-Response.
Over 30 specialists from various ministries and departments of the Republic of Uzbekistan took part in this training seminar. They got acquainted with the DPSIR scheme, which was presented by the international expert of the Institute for Sustainable Development Livia Bizikova (Canada). She detailed the benefits of the framework for integrated cross-sectoral policy making with case studies, and did interactive work on the DPSIR matrix.
Through such analysis, it is possible to see how changes in the state of the environment lead to impacts on certain ecosystem services, which can affect human well-being. To assess the effectiveness of responses to these problems, due diligence analyzes policies to reduce harm and restore the environment and to adapt people to existing environmental impacts.
Representatives of the Slovak Environmental Protection Agency Dorota Kherikova, Zuzana Leskovska and representatives of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan Altyn Balabayeva, Irina Kolchina shared international experience and practice in developing country National Reports.
Experts from Uzbekistan - specialists from the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Health presented the current situation and trends in the field of environmental protection.
The training will further assist the workshop participants in applying the DPSIR tool in preparing the National Report based on the new methodology and, in the future, preparing such analytical materials on a regular basis.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Kazbekov Zhusipbek.
