Uzbekistan's €103.7m GCF Deal Targets Land, Not Power

Uzbekistan is set to receive €103.7 million under a regional climate programme approved by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev used COP31 in Antalya this week to promote the partnership. Meeting GCF Executive Director Mafalda Duarte on 10 November, he said the joint project portfolio now exceeds $200 million, as relayed by UzDaily. The funding decision itself is older than a week: the GCF Board approved the programme on 28 October, the fund's project page shows.

For readers following the energy transition, the detail matters. This is not money for solar, wind or grids. The GCF funding proposal puts the share of its own funding going to energy generation and access at 0%, with forestry and land use as the main mitigation focus. Nor is the $200 million new: it is the cumulative value of projects the fund and Uzbekistan already run together.

What the programme buys

Climate-Resilient Landscapes in Central Asia (CLiCA) covers Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The German development agency GIZ is the accredited entity, and the total budget is €264.4 million, with Uzbekistan's share at €103.7 million, according to the Uzbek government portal. In the GCF funding proposal, the fund's request is €119.6 million and co-financing is €144.8 million, which together match that total. Co-financiers include the three governments, Germany's development ministry (BMZ) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB's envisaged €120 million is subject to sovereign borrowing decisions, EU budget approval and final implementation arrangements. The documents reviewed do not split Uzbekistan's €103.7 million by funder.

In Uzbekistan the programme is to reach 15 districts in four regions, restoring 18,000 hectares of forest and 123,000 hectares of pasture, installing drip irrigation, introducing drought-resistant crops and greenhouses, and giving climate advisory services to 12,000 farmers, Dunyo reported from the COP31 side events. The government expects 342,000 people to gain resilience, climate-resilient management on 164,000 hectares, and 1.07 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in avoided or removed emissions. According to Dunyo, the programme launches officially in 2027.

Where it fits

The presidential press service, as reported by Trend, restated Uzbekistan's pledge to cut emissions per unit of GDP by 50% by 2035 against 2010. CLiCA does not touch power generation, where its funding share is 0%. Its contribution is adaptation and a modest carbon sink, plus water efficiency: Mirziyoyev told the leaders' summit that water-saving technology already covers more than 60% of irrigated land, The Times of Central Asia reported.

The more interesting signal is the ask. According to UzDaily, the talks covered wider access to GCF resources for national financial institutions and a large-scale climate investment programme, with the Aral Sea region and green cities on the agenda. The Times of Central Asia reported that Mirziyoyev told the summit Uzbek financial institutions could gain direct access, which would let local banks channel GCF money without an international intermediary. The portfolio has also grown: in November 2024 the president's office put it at $160 million, covering water, green energy and green finance, so the latest figure is at least a quarter higher.

What to watch

Watch for confirmation of the EIB loan, the 2027 launch, and any GCF accreditation of an Uzbek financial institution. A named climate investment programme, with energy lines and lenders attached, would be the first sign that the Antalya headline numbers are moving toward the power sector.

Sources: Government of Uzbekistan (gov.uz); Green Climate Fund, FP322; GCF funding proposal package; President of Uzbekistan; UzDaily; Trend; Dunyo; The Times of Central Asia

Image: Green Climate Fund, via greenclimate.fund