Uzbekistan: creation of ecological territories of sustainable development as a model for the implementation of the SDGs

Today we have witnessed and participated in global changes taking place in society and nature. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the modern world is so interconnected that any action taken, especially if it concerns the impact on nature, will necessarily be reflected in every point of the Earth. The worsening global problems of the world's development have caused the need to develop and adopt at the international level guidelines and goals for the transition to sustainable development.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a kind of call to action for all countries: both developed and developing, and those with significant natural resources, and those deprived of such resources. The SDGs are aimed at improving the well-being of people and protecting the natural environment from the unrestrained growth of consumption of its wealth.
States have an understanding that measures to increase economic growth, eliminate poverty and improve the quality of life, address a whole range of issues in the field of education, health, social protection and employment should be taken in parallel with efforts to combat climate change and protect the environment. In this context, along with Governments, parliaments can and should play an active role in improving legislation, monitoring and promoting the Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals for the period up to 2030. 
In June 2023, representatives of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan took part in the webinar "Enhancing the role of parliaments in accelerating the achievement of the SDGs: implementation of the UNGA Resolution", jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the UN Economic Commission for Europe (EEC), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Its participants, noting the importance of supporting Uzbekistan's initiative to adopt a resolution of the UN General Assembly "On strengthening the role of parliaments in accelerating the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals," stressed that for the first time in history an important document was adopted that reflects the decisive role of parliaments in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The resolution assigns a special role to national parliaments, which are endowed with legislative, control (supervisory) and representative functions. It is they who can stimulate the development of the economy, influence the effective implementation of social policy, provide access to quality healthcare, education, "leaving no one behind."
Indeed, parliaments can make a significant contribution to the implementation of National SDGs. At the same time, members of parliaments and their experts also contribute to the study of the experience of developing global and national goals until 2030 and achieving them in practice.
Recall that on September 25, 2015, 193 countries adopted 17 global goals - the UN SDGs, including the elimination of poverty and hunger, ensuring quality education and gender equality, ensuring the rational use of water resources and access to energy sources, promoting sustainable economic growth and employment, reducing inequality within and between countries, ensuring security and the sustainability of cities and human settlements, the adoption of urgent measures to combat climate change, and others.
In order to integrate the SDGs into legislative processes and ensure the effective implementation of parliamentary oversight over the activities of state bodies to fulfill tasks at the national level, a corresponding Parliamentary Commission of Uzbekistan was established in 2020. At the same time, it is particularly important to involve all members of Parliament, both at the national and regional levels in Central Asia, in support of achieving the SDGs. 
At the same time, in our opinion, it is necessary to reconsider the approaches and methods of work of parliamentarians, representatives of central and local public authorities and management, taking into account modern requirements and challenges related to the SDGs. To do this, the parties involved should be aware of the best practices of implementing national and global sustainable development goals and solving emerging problems, as well as be able to respond promptly to the changing needs of society. This will strengthen the capacity of parliaments and governments to integrate the SDGs into targeted processes, which in turn will increase the effectiveness of legislative acts and government decisions, and ensure transparent and accountable budgeting for the implementation of the SDGs.
In accordance with the global SDGs, National Sustainable Development Goals were developed and approved in Uzbekistan in a timely manner. There are 16 of them, with the exception of goal No. 14 "Conservation and rational use of oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development" (the country has no access to the sea), as well as 106 tasks and 200 indicators. Targeted strategies, programs, plans and decisions of the Government have been adopted, and State bodies have taken the necessary measures aimed at achieving these goals.
Parliamentarians and representatives of the public of the republic actively participate in the discussion of the implementation of National Goals, monitor their implementation and other forms of public control.
Considering the interconnectedness of all components
At the same time, it seems that some aspects of the above-mentioned problems have not yet received sufficient scientific justification. 
Experts of the Senate Committee of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the development of the Aral Sea region and ecology, revealing the goals and content of the National SDGs, propose to discuss the concept of creating ecological territories (zones) of sustainable development in Uzbekistan.
All 16 National Sustainable Development Goals should be implemented in these territories:
- the level of poverty of the population has been reduced;
- food security has been strengthened, the diet has been improved and the sustainable development of agriculture has been promoted; 
- a healthy lifestyle has been provided and well-being has been promoted for everyone at any age;
- inclusive and equitable quality education is guaranteed and lifelong learning opportunities are encouraged for all;
- gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls is ensured;
- water resources are preserved and rationally used in the interests of sustainable development, their availability and the development of sanitation for all are ensured;
- access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy sources is provided for all;
- sustainable and inclusive economic growth has been promoted through increased productive employment and decent work for men and women; 
- a stable infrastructure has been created, inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation have been promoted;
- reduced inequality in all its manifestations;
- openness, security, resilience and environmental sustainability of cities and settlements are ensured;
- the transition to rational consumption and production models has been ensured;
- urgent measures have been taken to combat climate change and its consequences: terrestrial ecosystems are being protected and restored and their rational use, forest management, combating desertification, stopping and reversing the process of land degradation and loss of biological diversity are being promoted;
- promotes the building of a peaceful and open society for sustainable development, ensuring access to justice for all and the creation of effective, accountable and participatory institutions at all levels;
- The means of implementation and revitalization of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development are being strengthened.
Thus, ensuring the sustainable development of the territory should be modeled taking into account all components and their interconnectedness and aimed at consistently solving the following tasks: firstly, to ensure the stabilization of the ecological situation in a market economy; secondly, to radically improve the state of the environment through the greening of economic activity within the framework of institutional and structural transformations, allowing for the wide dissemination of environmentally oriented management methods and, in general, the transition to a "green" economy; thirdly, to implement measures aimed at the rational use of natural resources, combating desertification and drought, solving the problem of waste, improving the safety of the use of toxic chemicals, environmentally safe use of agrobiotechnology; fourthly, to introduce economic activity within the capacity of ecosystems through the widespread introduction of energy and resource-saving technologies, as well as purposeful changes in the structure of personal and public consumption; fifth, to stop the destruction and disappearance of threatened ecosystems and certain types of biodiversity, to create conditions for the normal functioning of ecosystems, to expand the network of protected natural areas.
At the same time, in modern conditions, stable economic growth of the territory can be ensured only if states switch to the principles of a "green" economy.
This is due to the fact that in recent decades, the demands of humanity have been growing rapidly to meet daily needs for water, food, and comfortable living conditions. This has a negative impact on natural resources, in particular on the Earth's water resources, and depletes them. And although the shortage of fresh drinking water in the world has been known since ancient times, today this topic is becoming one of the most acute global problems of our time. 
Attention to the Aral Sea region