Zigong Lantern Festival opens in southwest China ahead of Lunar New Year
The Zigong International Lantern Festival has opened in southwest China, drawing large crowds to hundreds of illuminated handmade displays ahead of th...
The inaugural Samarkand International Climate Forum will kick off on 4th April at the Silk Road Samarkand Congress Center in Uzbekistan. The high-profile forum will be held under the theme "Central Asia Facing Global Climate Challenges: Consolidation for Shared Prosperity."
"We hope that this forum will be a practical step towards creating the "Samarkand Dialogue for the Sake of the Future" to find answers to the global threats of sustainable development," stated the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The forum will bring together the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, alongside the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and host country Uzbekistan.
Experts say a coordinated regional response is essential, and Uzbekistan is positioning itself as a platform for dialogue and regional cooperation. In the same week, Uzbekistan is also hosting the first-ever EU-Central Asia summit, which “will solidify our commitment to work together for peace, security, and sustainable development in full respect of international law,” António Costa said ahead of the summit.
Policymakers, experts, and environmental activists will gather a strategic dialogue on climate change, renewable energy, integrated water resource management, and sustainable urban development, along with efforts to strengthen regional and international cooperation.
A key outcome of the forum will be the presentation of the Regional Green Development Concept, which outlines a unified approach to tackling climate change in Central Asia, in alignment with global best practices.
Topics of Discussion:
- The Green Economy as a Path to Sustainable Development
- Preserving Biodiversity and Natural Ecosystems in Central Asia in Response to Climate Challenges
- Clean Energy: The Foundation of Sustainable and Environmentally Friendly Development
- Integrated Water Resource Management in the Context of Climate Change in Central Asia
- Youth: Looking to the Future with Optimism
- Sustainable Cities and Climate Challenges: Integrated Planning and Management
- Scientific Approaches and Innovative Solutions to Climate Change: Global Challenges and Local Strategies
As part of the forum, a special exhibition titled "A River Flowing in the Footsteps of Women" will be showcased. This exhibition will explore the intersection of social role transformations and environmental changes during the socialist development era through an intersectional lens.
One of the key sessions, “Sustainable Cities and Climate Challenges: Integrated Planning and Management," will focus on urban development and adaptation to climate change in a region known for its continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers.
“Sustainable urban development is a cornerstone in addressing climate challenges,” said Khalilillo Khamidov, deputy director of Uzbekistan’s Institute of Macroeconomics and Regional Research. “Uzbekistan is demonstrating its commitment through projects that enhance environmental resilience and introduce innovative technologies.”
Firefighters were clearing the charred ruins of a Karachi shopping mall in Pakistan on Tuesday (20 January) as they searched for people still missing after a fire that burned for nearly two days and killed at least 67 people, police said.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States has an "armada" heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Türkiye opposes any form of foreign intervention in Iran, as protests and economic pressures continue to fuel tensions in the Islamic republic.
Iran will treat any military attack as an “all-out war,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, as the United States moves additional naval and air assets into the Middle East amid rising tensions.
Trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. entered a second day in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, following an initial round of talks described by officials as productive.
Several people, including children, were reported missing in New Zealand's north island on Thursday after a landslide struck a coastal campsite amid heavy rain that caused evacuations of people to safety, road closures and widespread power outages.
At least four people were killed on Tuesday as floods swept across Tunisia during the worst torrential rain for more than 70 years in some regions, and there were fears the death toll could rise, authorities said.
The world has already entered an era of global water bankruptcy, with irreversible damage to rivers, aquifers, lakes and glaciers pushing billions of people into long-term water insecurity, according to a major United Nations report released on Tuesday.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in two southern regions of country on Sunday as raging wildfires forced at least 20,000 people to evacuate and left at least 19 people dead.
A landmark global treaty to safeguard biodiversity in the high seas came into effect on Saturday, providing countries with a legally binding framework to tackle threats and meet a target to protect 30% of the ocean environment by 2030.
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