A series of educational and awareness-raising activities has been conducted under the Uzbekistan Resilient Landscape Restoration Project (RESILAND Uzbekistan). According to project representatives, these activities aimed to enhance local livelihoods, strengthen production infrastructure, and prepare communities for effective grievance management.
Under Component 2, Enhance Resilient Landscapes and Livelihoods, project specialists — including experts in business development, sociology, gender, and environmental safety — conducted field visits in Syrdarya, Jizzakh, Samarkand, Surkhandarya, and Kashkadarya regions. The activities were designed to prepare local communities for grievance submission and resolution procedures in relation to the completion of two main project interventions: pastureland restoration and land terracing.
Terracing is being carried out under winter and snowy conditions in Namangan
Terracing Jizzakh
Terracing operations are also actively ongoing in Surkhandarya
For grievance management, in accordance with World Bank requirements, and in cooperation with the Agency for Increasing Forests and Green Areas and Combatting Desertification, an anonymous call center has been established. More than 300 forestry enterprise staff have been trained on grievance handling procedures, and Shakhlo Amanbayeva has been appointed as the official officer responsible for the operation of the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM).
According to the project, no complaints regarding project delays have been received to date. However, as field activities conclude, an increase in grievances is anticipated. Current results include:
- Fencing of over 38,500 hectares of pastureland;
- Terracing of 15,000 hectares of land;
- Official notifications to all local residents regarding temporary restrictions on livestock grazing.
The project noted that these measures are aimed at promoting sustainable land use and supporting alternative livelihood opportunities for affected communities.
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The Uzbekistan Resilient Landscape Restoration Project is part of the World Bank’s RESILAND CA+ program, aimed at strengthening landscape resilience across Central Asian countries. Similar national and regional activities are also being implemented in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
RESILAND Uzbekistan is implemented by the Agency for Afforestation, Expansion of Green Areas, and Combating Desertification under the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, with financial support from the World Bank, PROGREEN, and KWPF.
The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) implements the regional component of the Uzbekistan Resilient Landscape Restoration Project.
Contact information:
Asferachew Abate– Senior Environmental Specialist at The World Bank
Azamat Kauazov - Deputy Team Leader of Uzbekistan Resilient Landscape Restoration project: regional component, CAREC