Uzbekistan launches Nature4Health scoping phase to strengthen preventive One Health approaches
Samarkand, Uzbekistan, 3 June 2026 (IUCN) – The Government of Uzbekistan, in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), today launched the Nature4Health Uzbekistan Scoping Phase during a high-level ceremony on the EcoExpo Stage in Samarkand, on the margins of the 71st Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council Meeting.
The launch marks Uzbekistan’s formal entry into N4H Phase II as a country partner and opens a structured, multi-stakeholder process to strengthen the environmental dimensions of One Health and support primary pandemic prevention.
“More than 70 percent of emerging infectious diseases in humans are zoonotic in origin, and many are linked to increasing pressures on ecosystems and wildlife due to land-use change. We must focus on primary pandemic prevention through upstream actions such as protecting and restoring ecosystems, reducing risky human-wildlife interactions, and addressing the environmental drivers of zoonotic spillover,” said Dr Grethel Aguilar, Director General of IUCN. “At IUCN, we firmly believe that investing in nature is an investment in public health, pandemic prevention and sustainable development. Through the Nature4Health initiative, Uzbekistan can become a strong regional example of how integrated nature-health approaches can contribute to safer, healthier and more resilient societies,” she added.
The scoping phase will focus on Karakalpakstan, a region affected by desertification, biodiversity loss and the long-term consequences of the Aral Sea crisis. In this context, ecological vulnerability, changing land use, pressures on wildlife habitats and human–livestock–wildlife interactions underline the need for preventive approaches that connect ecosystem, animal and human health.
“Uzbekistan faces real and compounding environmental pressures: desertification, biodiversity loss, climate-driven water scarcity and expanding human-wildlife interfaces. For countries in arid and semi-arid regions, addressing the environmental drivers of disease is not optional. It is a matter of national security,” said Dr Jusipbek Kazbekov - Deputy Minister for Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change. “Preventing the next pandemic cannot begin only after an outbreak occurs. It must start upstream, by reducing the environmental drivers that increase the risk of zoonotic spillover from animals to humans in the first place. Healthy ecosystems are foundational for human health, economic stability and long-term climate resilience,” he added.
Led by IUCN’s Central Asia Office, in coordination with the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of Uzbekistan and relevant government institutions and stakeholders, the scoping phase will follow a participatory and consultative process. It will support a systemic inquiry into the drivers of zoonotic spillover risk and identify opportunities for integrated, ecosystem-based prevention. The process will lead to an Implementation Project Document outlining how the future implementation phase can reduce pandemic risk through preventive One Health approaches and systems methodologies.
The launch comes as Uzbekistan continues to strengthen its environmental agenda and regional leadership on nature conservation, ecosystem restoration and climate resilience. By bringing together government institutions, conservation experts, health and veterinary sectors, local stakeholders and international partners, the Nature4Health scoping phase in Uzbekistan will help build a stronger foundation for preventive, nature-based and cross-sectoral action.
The One Health approach is embedded in IUCN’s long-term strategic vision as one of the transformational areas for addressing the drivers of biodiversity loss. IUCN’s work under the first phase of Nature4Health in Viet Nam provides valuable experience for the Uzbekistan scoping phase, while the 1Health4Nature: One Health in nature conservation in Central Asia project demonstrates the strong regional relevance of this approach.
The project Nature for Health is an international initiative that supports country-level action to prevent pandemics and related health risks by strengthening the environmental aspects of One Health. The initiative is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) through the Nature for Health Multi-Partner Trust Fund, administered by the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office. Its Secretariat is based at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Notes to editors
For more information or to set up interviews, please contact:
- Aleksandra Nikodinovic, Regional Communications Officer, IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), email: [email protected]
- Lola Rakhmanbaeva, Press Secretary of the National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change of Uzbekistan, email: [email protected]
About IUCN
IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It harnesses the experience, resources and reach of its more than 1,500 Member organisations and the input of more than 19,000 experts. This diversity and vast expertise make IUCN the global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it.
The IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (IUCN ECARO) was established in 2015 with a view to supporting IUCN constituency and implementing the IUCN Programme in most countries of the IUCN Statutory Region East Europe, North and Central Asia. In an effort to contribute to a more sustainable future for this region, IUCN ECARO focuses its work on good governance, the long-term protection of biodiversity and sustainable use of natural resources. The office is based in Belgrade, Serbia, and was initially established as the IUCN Programme Office for South-Eastern Europe (IUCN SEE) in 2004. The IUCN Central Asia office was officially opened in 2025, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
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