Against the backdrop of climate change, food and energy insecurity, and mounting global uncertainty, the spotlight is on how countries are adapting their reforms to the 2030 Agenda.
For Uzbekistan, the moment offers a chance to show how, in just eight years, domestic transformation has become part of the international development narrative.
As of June 2025, Uzbekistan ranks 62nd out of 167 countries in the UN’s global SDG Index, with a score of 73.1. That placement underscores steady progress in meeting both national and international commitments, even as structural challenges remain.
The country’s SDG trajectory has been carefully staged. Uzbekistan formally joined the 2030 Agenda in 2015. By 2018, a Coordinating Council chaired by a deputy prime minister approved a national “roadmap” with 16 goals and 125 targets.
In 2019, the public gained open access to indicators through the portal nsdg.stat.uz.
In 2020, Uzbekistan submitted its first Voluntary National Review to the UN and created a parliamentary commission to track implementation. A year later it issued the region’s first sovereign SDG bonds worth $235 million.
In 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution initiated by Tashkent on the role of parliaments.
By 2023, the second national review was presented, this time developed in consultation with business, youth, women and mahalla community structures – a first in the region.
In 2022, Cabinet Resolution No. 83 codified 16 national goals and 125 targets. Under Goal 6 (“Clean Water and Sanitation”), Uzbekistan committed to universal access to safe water, equal sanitation, and reduced wastewater pollution through expanded reuse.
These priorities were embedded in the “The Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022–2026,” which targets saving 7 billion cubic meters of water, lowering energy consumption and promoting public-private partnerships. The long-term “Uzbekistan–2030” strategy placed water and environmental protection among the five top priorities, linking them with digitalization, innovation, dust-storm mitigation and large-scale greening.
Uzbekistan’s SDG push extends outward. The country participates in international water-use conventions and cooperates with UNDP, ECAT, the Global Water Partnership and others. Crucially, more than 70% of public expenditures are now tied to SDGs. According to OECD estimates (2023), in 2022 some 71% of government spending was SDG-related. Social objectives received the lion’s share: about $415 million for poverty reduction (SDG 1), $1.2 billion for healthcare (SDG 3) and $2.7 billion for education (SDG 4). By contrast, financing for the “green transition” has been more limited.
Reaching these goals requires funding, and Tashkent has turned to new instruments. Together with UNDP, it introduced a national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) that looks beyond income alone. In July 2021, Uzbekistan issued the region’s first SDG bonds ($235 million). In October 2023, it placed the CIS’s first sovereign green bonds worth $340 million.
Thematic bond placements totaled $575 million, while overall sovereign international bond issuance between 2021 and 2024 exceeded $1.2 billion. Proceeds financed projects in education, healthcare, water, transport, ecology and renewables – attracting more than 50 investors from the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Progress is real, but so are the headwinds. Rapid demographic growth adds pressure on job creation (SDG 8), food security (SDG 2), energy (SDG 7), urbanization and infrastructure (SDG 11), and sustainable consumption (SDG 12). Land degradation and desertification threaten agriculture and ecosystems (SDG 15).
The World Resources Institute warns that Uzbekistan could face “extremely high” water stress by 2040.
Climate change compounds the challenge. Droughts, heatwaves, erratic rainfall and dust storms are hitting both the economy and public health. Only 20% of Uzbekistan’s water originates domestically; the rest flows from abroad. Central Asian glaciers have lost 30% of their area over the past half-century. The World Bank projects Syr Darya flows will shrink by 5% and Amu Darya by up to 15% by 2030. That could mean a shortfall of 7 billion cubic meters by 2030 and 15 billion by 2050, cutting regional GDP by as much as 11%.
Agriculture is particularly exposed: wheat and potato output could decline by 57%, cotton by 49% and apples by 63%. The sector’s share in GDP fell from 32% in 2017 to 19.2% in 2024, even as agri-exports reached $1.6 billion.
Meeting these challenges will demand heavy investment. The World Bank estimates Uzbekistan will need between $46.7 billion and $59.8 billion in climate adaptation financing by 2060. Central Asia’s shared vulnerability means regional coordination is critical – in water security, emissions reduction and carbon neutrality. Expanding access to climate finance, scaling up green investment and leveraging global mechanisms are now at the top of the agenda.
In eight years, Uzbekistan has shown it can align domestic reform with the UN’s 2030 Agenda, while pioneering financial instruments and forging new partnerships. But demographic pressures, water scarcity and climate risks require systemic responses.
The way forward will hinge on deepening reforms, boosting access to green finance, and playing an active role in global climate talks. “The Development Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022–2026” and “Uzbekistan–2030” provide the necessary foundation, but their successful implementation depends on the consistent continuation of reforms and integration into international processes.
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