Uzbekistan Forms National Ecology Committee and Eco-Police

Uzbekistan has established a National Ecology and Climate Change Committee, following a decree signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The new body is built on the former Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change and will operate independently of the Cabinet of Ministers while keeping existing staff.

The committee will lead and oversee state policy on environmental protection, climate change mitigation, forest expansion, desertification prevention, and the nationwide Yashil makon (Green Land) tree-planting initiative. Its chairperson will also serve as the president’s adviser on ecological matters. Aziz Abdukhakimov, previously ecology minister, has been appointed to lead the committee.

Regional and local divisions of the committee will operate independently of local executive authorities and report directly to the national body. Agencies for Afforestation and Green Area Expansion, Hydrometeorological Services, and Waste Management and Circular Economy will remain under the new committee. Additionally, the National Center for Environmental Monitoring has been created from the former Centre for Specialized Analytical Control in Environmental Protection.

Eco-Police Formation and Powers

The decree also establishes the State Environmental Control Inspectorate, or Eco-Police, as a special unit under the committee without legal entity status. It combines units from the former State Inspectorate for Environmental Control, regional special prosecutor offices in Karakalpakstan, Tashkent and Jizzakh, and other optimized supervisory staff.

Eco-Police officers will be empowered to enforce environmental laws, including the use of physical force, electroshock devices, rubber-bullet firearms, net launchers, and body cameras. They will also have dedicated vehicles and equipment, with further procurement planned by 2027. Officers can form territorial units based on ecological regions rather than administrative boundaries. Until legislation is updated, they will follow existing rules for law enforcement on the use of force and equipment.

The Eco-Police will monitor compliance with environmental standards across enterprises and operate independently of other state bodies, which are prohibited from interfering in their work. Officers will hold official inspector status with special ranks and allowances.

Oversight of the implementation of the committee and Eco-Police has been assigned to the head of the Presidential Administration, Saida Mirziyoyeva.