At GEF’s Eighth Assembly, Uzbekistan Signals New Role as Donor

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H.E. Saida Mirziyoyeva, Chief Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan, attended the Eighth GEF Assembly, which began on Thursday. Mirziyoyeva delivered a message from the president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, which announced Uzbekistan’s decision to become a donor country. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

SAMARKAND, Jun 4 2026 (IPS) - In a significant policy shift symbolising rising environmental ambition, Uzbekistan on Thursday announced that it will become a donor of international environmental funding to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), as the Eighth GEF Assembly opened in the historic city of Samarkand.

The announcement was delivered by H.E. Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Presidential Administration, on behalf of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, marking a notable milestone for the Central Asian nation and for the GEF partnership.

“I have good news for you,” the presidential message said. “Uzbekistan has decided to become a donor country to the GEF.”

The message also declared that Samarkand, host of the Assembly, would be a future “hub of green economy, sustainable development and climate finance”, underscoring the country’s broader environmental ambitions.

The Eighth GEF Assembly, the institution’s highest governing body, brings together representatives from 186 member countries along with international organisations, civil society, and the private sector to shape global environmental priorities. Held every four years, the Assembly guides financing strategies and policy responses to urgent challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and land degradation.

Uzbekistan’s decision comes at a time when countries are being urged to increase both funding and leadership in addressing what leaders describe as the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Claude Gascon, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), addresses the Eighth GEF Assembly. Credit: Stella Paul/IPS

A Shift Shaped by Experience

Welcoming the move, Claude Gascon, Interim CEO of the GEF , described it as a strong vote of confidence in the institution.

“This is a remarkable demonstration of confidence in the GEF partnership and in our mission,” Gascon said.

Until now, Uzbekistan had been a recipient of GEF funding, supporting projects on land restoration, water management, and climate resilience. Gascon said this experience positions the country uniquely as it takes on a donor role.

“As a GEF recipient country, you have direct experience of the programme,” he said. “Your decision to contribute as a donor is a testimony to how these investments work on the ground.”

Gascon reminded the delegates that the “Silk Road was an ancient network of interconnected trade routes that linked the world. And Samarkand is known as the “jewel of the Silk Road” because for centuries, it stood at the crossroads of civilisations, a place where people, ideas, knowledge, and commerce converged and flowed to solve the complex challenges of the time.”

The parallels are poetic, he continued.

“Today, we face environmental challenges that call for this same spirit. This gathering of the GEF Assembly represents a unique international convergence and interconnection of people, ideas, knowledge and finance, as we persevere on the road to 2030, and indeed the road to a healthier, more secure, and more hopeful future for all.”

Gascon also pointed to Uzbekistan’s growing environmental portfolio, including large-scale tree planting, reforestation, water-saving measures, and air quality improvements. “These efforts show what is possible when leadership is paired with action,” he added.

The announcement aligns with a broader push within the GEF to mobilise diversified financing, including blended finance, to scale up global environmental action.

Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, told the Assembly that the GEF had, since its founding in 1991, delivered solution after solution.

“Solutions that reach communities, protect nature, tackle pollution and underwrite resilience – and in turn, help governments deliver on their global commitments through local, regional and national action.”

Andersen also endorsed the emphasis of the GEF-9 investment cycle on blended finance.

“And we fully endorse the criticality of blended finance. At UNEP, we see blended finance as a value chain. Capital stacking cannot occur or be effective unless we set up enabling policies, incentives and taxonomies as well as standards, regulations, laws and incentives that will incubate feasible, environmentally positive project pipelines – creating a predictable investment climate that turns environmental challenges into investment a…