On December 5, in Bukhara, a seminar was held on the topic: “Modern decision-making methods of local authorities and the inclusion of the factor of climate change”. 

During the seminar, attention was paid to the importance of gender aspects, while making decisions by local authorities and local governments - mahallas. The international experience was voiced and considered, as well as modern approaches and international practice of decision making.

Participants of the seminar discussed the regulatory framework in the country on urban planning, efficient energy consumption, environmental protection, building permits, proper use of building materials, considering climate change and its improvement.

The chief architect of the Bukhara region Mukhitdinov Zukhriddin shared :

"In the Bukhara region, 121 low-carbon 3-bedroom apartment buildings were built with the installation of photovoltaic panels in all houses for lighting needs and in 2 of them solar collectors were installed for the needs of hot water supply.It should be noted that energy-efficient and low-carbon solutions in the housing sector provide access to affordable and clean energy, which positively affects the environment.The advantage of such a house is the opportunity to save on electricity and heating, this is beneficial for the owner and the environment because due to the fact that the energy received from burning hydrocarbon fuel is not wasted in lighting and heating the house, the greenhouse gas emission is reduced."

Specialist of the city branch of the Women's Committee, Sharipova Aziza noted:

" When making decisions, the authorities began to consult with us more often, consider the views of women, our representatives actively participate in meetings and events held by local authorities and local governments. I would very much like that climatic factors were considered during the construction, there were more ponds and greenery in the city, so we go to the hokimiyat with such proposals. Now jobs are being created for women in the textile industry, and they are also showing themselves in the field of construction, design and other areas of the economy."

The participants noted that the authorities and relevant organizations should make decisions considering climate change and consider the environmental situation in the republic. Also, seminar participants determined that the norms and requirements related to the environmentally-friendly development of populated areas are dispersed over a large number of documents, which makes it difficult to use them. In addition, they are poorly interconnected.

The seminar was attended by 50 representatives including regional representatives of design and construction organizations, the regional khokimiyat, the regional cadaster, the regional department of the Ministry of Construction, the regional committee of women, the engineering company Qishlok Qurilish Invest, regional branch of the design-survey institute Qishlok Qurilish Loyiha, and the regional state committee of ecology and environmental protection.It is significant that women showed interest in decision-making methods taking into account climate change.Among  participants of seminar their  number  reached about 25%.

Participants agreed to cooperate in order to timely and effectively address all recommendations made in the course of the seminar in order to protect the environment and mitigate the climate change consequences at the community level.

“Market Transformation for Sustainable Rural Housing in Uzbekistan” is our project which was established in 2017 and has contributed to the construction of 800 efficient houses in five regions (Samarkand,Bukhara,Surkhandarya,Fergana and Khorezm) of Uzbekistan since then.