Ecology Ministry transformed into an independent national committee

Ecology Ministry transformed into an independent national committee

Uzbekistan is restructuring its management system in the fields of ecology and tourism. This follows a new decree issued by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

According to the resolution, the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change is being removed from the Cabinet of Ministers. Based on its structure, the National Committee for Ecology and Climate Change is being established with current staff positions preserved.
The new Committee will report directly to the President of Uzbekistan.

The Tourism Committee, previously part of the ecology ministry, is separated and re-established as the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The Forestry Agency, Uzhydromet and the Waste Management Agency remain under the Ecology Committee.

The Committee’s operations will be overseen by the President’s Advisor on Ecology — Chairman of the National Committee, a role assigned to former ecology minister Aziz Abduqahhorovich Abduhakimov.

The Committee becomes the authorized state body responsible for environmental protection, maintaining ecological stability, implementing the “Green Space” national project, expanding forests, mitigating climate change, and combating desertification.

Additionally, the decree establishes:

• an “Eco-projects Factory” involving up to 15 local and foreign experts;

• a Presidential advisor’s ecology unit with two staff positions;

• from April 1, 2026 — a procedure for financial sanctions against legal entities violating environmental laws;

• the State Environmental Control Inspection (Eco-Police).

The Committee’s chairman will also serve as the head of Eco-Police. The deputy head of Eco-Police will simultaneously act as the deputy chairman of the Committee and lead Eco-Police’s operational headquarters.