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Sep 16, 2025Strengthening Capacities for Long-Term SDG Monitoring and Investments in Uzbekistan at All Levels: Launch of the Cooperation Programme, Tashkent, 8-9 July, 2025

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On 8-9 July, 2025, the SDSN’s SDG Transformation Centre, the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan (MoEF) and the French Development Agency - Agence française de développement (AFD) - launched an 18-month cooperation programme aimed at strengthening capacities for long-term SDG monitoring and investments in Uzbekistan.

Hosted by the MoEF, the event started with a high-level signing ceremony, featuring remarks from Mr. Ilkhom Norkulov, First Deputy Minister of MoEF, Mr. Antoine Chevalier, Deputy Director of AFD Uzbekistan Office, Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, President of SDSN, and Ms. Sabine Machl, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan.

All partners acknowledged the significant efforts undertaken by the Government of Uzbekistan to advance the SDG implementation, notably through the adoption of the ambitious national development strategy Uzbekistan-2030 and the submission of two Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) on the country’s progress towards the SDGs. Partners reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening national and subnational capacities in Uzbekistan to accelerate the transformation towards a more sustainable future.

The high-level ceremony was followed by a technical workshop which brought together representatives from various organisations, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Water Resources, the National Statistical Office of Uzbekistan, the Institute for Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research, Green University, Central Asian University of Environmental and Climate Change Studies, and Tashkent Institute for Irrigation and Water management. The event also featured virtual interventions from SDSN networks, including Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Australia, New Zealand & Pacific, SDSN FABLE India, IDDRI, and the Sustainable Cities Institute of Brazil.

The main goal of the event was to discuss project objectives, deliverables, timelines, partners’ roles, and the way forward.

Mr. Lafortune, SDSN Vice President, opened the technical workshop by outlining the the cooperation’s objectives, which include:

  • To prepare the SDG Index and Dashboards for Uzbekistan’s regions;

  • To transfer tools to advance the use of: (i) long-term pathways for sustainable land-use and food systems (FABLE) and (ii) geospatial data and statistics for SDG monitoring;

  • To conduct a series of technical workshops, capacity-building, and peer-to-peer learning activities on SDG planning and monitoring for the SDGs; and

  • To launch the SDSN Uzbekistan Network hosted by a university, or by a university in partnership with a research center, to strengthen long-term capacities for the science-policy interface on SDG planning, monitoring, and investments.

He also presented the status of the SDG implementation in Uzbekistan based on the 2025 SDSN Sustainable Development Report. He praised the country’s progress since 2015, noting a 12.1 p.p. performance gain over the past decade.

Mr. Antoine Chevalier, Deputy Director of AFD Uzbekistan Office, outlined the main activities undertaken by the AFD to advance the SDG implementation in the country. These include projects on water and sanitation, climate-resilient agriculture, economic and financial governance, gender equality, and the green economy.

The workshop focused on three themes aligned with the cooperation’s core objectives:

  1. Localising the SDGs: SDG Index for Subnational Entities and GIS

This session emphasized the importance of localized monitoring of the SDGs and the critical role that subnational actors, such as cities and regions, play in advancing SDG implementation. It outlined how the SDGs provide local authorities with the opportunity to reshape sustainable urban development policies from the ground up. Key elements of the SDG localization process were presented, including awareness raising, citizens engagement, multi-level governance, setting strategic priorities, resources mobilisation, and alignment of local budgets.

Following this, the SDSN presented its experience in developing regional and subnational editions of the Sustainable Development Report. This included discussion of the methodology, criteria for selecting indicators, and identifying critical data needs and sources. The potential of geospatial tools in addressing data gaps was also highlighted, focusing on indicators related to pedestrian accessibility, land use efficiency, water and land degradation, and rural access. The session included two successful case studies on developing the subnational SDG Index in cities in Spain and Brazil. These case studies illustrated the use of the Index as a tool for facilitating dialogue among key stakeholders, setting priorities, and identifying targeted actions and policies to advance SDG progress in these countries. Key learnings from the case studies emphasized that localization is a process rather than a final deliverable, that priority setting and stakeholder engagement are essential, and that aligning public policies and financing is crucial. Benefits from the SDG Index process included peer learning among cities, capacity building for policy officers, mobilized support for SDG strategy and planning, and improved data collection for SDG monitoring.

Furthermore, representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan and the National Statistical Office presented ongoing efforts related to SDG monitoring in Uzbekistan, along with the status of the nation's census. Uzbekistan has adopted and monitors 190 indicators, of which 155 correspond to global indicators, 24 are proxies, and 11 are national indicators. Nine indicators are specifically monitored at the regional level. Currently, information is available for 143 National SDG indicators. The progress in statistics is validated by a Resolution from the Cabinet of Ministers. Over 60% of the information on SDG indicators comes from the Statistics Agency, while more than twenty ministries and government agencies provide administrative data and contribute to calculating several indicators. Examples of surveys conducted include household employment surveys, external labor migration surveys, domestic tourism surveys, physical activity surveys, and the Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS-6). Since 2019, the Statistics Agency has annually published a statistical collection titled “Sustainable Development Goals in the Republic of Uzbekistan,” available in Uzbek, Russian, and English on their website https://nsdg.stat.uz. In 2020, Uzbekistan presented its first Voluntary National Review (VNR) at the High-Level Political Forum, and in 2023, it submitted its second VNR.

The next steps will focus on defining the relevant indicators with the relevant local stakeholders, in particular with the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan, the National Statistical Office of Uzbekistan, and the Institute for Forecasting and Macroeconomic Research, and identifying and collecting relevant data.

  1. Building pathways for sustainable agri-food systems in Uzbekistan

SDSN presented the FABLE modelling tool that helps to develop national food and land use pathways aligned with the SDGs and the Paris Climate Agreement. Within 18 months, the project will seek to establish a FABLE-Uzbekistan team and develop a FABLE-Calculator for the country with a spatially explicit module. As part of the session, a FABLE-team from India shared its experience in applying the FABLE calculator for developing an integrated Food-Energy-Water-Health assessment in the country.

Afterwards, the Ministry of Agriculture outlined the key strengths and challenges facing agriculture in Uzbekistan, which include salinization, soil erosion, and land degradation. Furthermore, climate change is occurring at twice the global rate in Uzbekistan, with an increase of 1.5 degrees Celsius over the last decade. This leads to water shortages, extreme weather events, and a rise in pests. Due to water scarcity, there is limited potential to increase agricultural land, as 80% of the country's territory is classified as desert or semi-desert. Agriculture accounts for 18% of the country's total greenhouse gas emissions, while the energy sector contributes 63%, and industry accounts for 14%.

The Ministry reported that the total value of agricultural production increased by 3% from 2016 to 2023. However, the agricultural sector's contribution to GDP decreased from 32% in 2016 to 24% in 2023. National agricultural policies focus on pursuing the transition from state-owned enterprises to fully private cooperatives, particularly in the cotton industry; alignment with World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations; the implementation of a subsidy monitoring system; increased investment efficiency in agriculture; the re-utilization of land areas, and the adoption of water-saving technologies. There is also a strong focus on digitalization, with plans to utilize AI for improved crop harvest predictions. The Ministry of Agriculture is currently responsible for monitoring the progress on SDG 2 (12 indicators), and SDG 12 (2 indicators). However, data collection is constrained by limited resources.

The Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR) and IDDRI presented the decarbonisation pathway (DDP) for Uzbekistan and the potential role of the AFOLU sector, highlighting the importance of developing context-specific narratives for decarbonisation, and building Uzbekistan’s long-term mitigation strategy.

Following the workshop in Tashkent, SDSN in coordination with the MoEF will:

  • Create a group of experts interested in FABLE in Uzbekistan, as well as identify potential modellers and/or Master's or PhD students who can be trained on the tool;

  • Facilitate the application process for the FABLE, clarifying expectations, benefits, and responsibilities of a FABLE country team and team coordinator;

  • Discuss the scope of the FABLE-C model to be applied in the country and build a database with relevant national/local data to enrich the tool; and

  • Develop FABLE-C for Uzbekistan, including the spatially explicit tool.

  1. Setting up the SDSN network in Uzbekistan

During this session, SDSN provided an overview of its Networks and Membership and of what it takes to set up a new network. SDSN has a global presence with 59 national and regional networks and a membership base of over 2,000 institutions worldwide — and it continues to grow. In the Asia-Pacific region, there are currently 14 networks, coordinated by a regional team based at Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is also where SDSN Uzbekistan would be housed within the regional structure.

Establishing a new SDSN network involves seven key steps, beginning with the identification of a host institution and culminating in the adoption of a work plan and the mobilization of resources for implementation. Throughout the process of setting up a network, it is essential to secure buy-in from key stakeholders across multiple sectors to ensure broad engagement and long-term success. While there is no membership fee, a potential host would need to complete the application process, which will be reviewed by the Networks Strategy Council. Key steps of the application process and eligibility criteria can be found on the SDSN website.

Several networks across the region - including those from Thailand, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Australia, New Zealand & Pacific –presented their past and ongoing activities, illustrating the role SDSN networks play in advancing sustainable development at the national level. Some examples of flagship initiatives include:

  • University sustainability study tours hosted by SDSN Thailand;
  • A webinar series on Mainstreaming Education for the SDGs for higher education run by SDSN Australia, New Zealand & Pacific;
  • A national-level solutions forum to promote collaborative problem-solving convened by SDSN Malaysia.

SDSN Kazakhstan shared its experience in building a network, from establishing a youth node and forming the Secretariat team to setting membership priorities and launching flagship projects such as the SDG Barometer and the SDG Nexus Network. During the session, SDSN Youth also presented its work, providing clear guidance on how to set up youth nodes in order to engage the next generation in advancing the SDGs in the country.

Following the workshop in Tashkent, SDSN together with the MoEF will identify the institution(s) interested in hosting or co-hosting the SDSN Network and will work closely with them to advance the application process.