Uzbekistan’s part of the journey is rooted in one of the Silk Road’s most iconic centers of exchange and it is firmly anchored in the UNCCD process. Uzbekistan hosted UNCCD CRIC21 in Samarkand (13–17 November 2023), bringing implementation front and center and spotlighting regional cooperation on drought, land restoration and sand and dust storms.
During the Caravan’s three-day engagement alongside the GEF Assembly in Samarkand, the focus turns to scaling up investment and implementation for dryland recovery. Through the rangelands and pastoralists lens, the segment connects restoration with livelihoods and health: stabilizing soils, reducing dust risks, strengthening land–water management and supporting communities living with salinity, aridity and climate stress in landscapes marked by the legacy of the Aral Sea. In keeping with the Silk Road spirit, Uzbekistan’s participation positions the country as a convening point where science, policy, finance and practice meet and where restoration becomes a shared regional commitment.
The route moves through dryland plains and oasis landscapes that once stood at the heart of Silk Road exchange, where caravan cities flourished as centres of trade, learning and culture. Green agricultural pockets emerge from arid surroundings, while camels, sheep and cultivated lands recall a landscape long shaped by movement and ingenuity. It is a journey through places where the fabled history of the Silk Road still echoes, inviting travellers to experience the enduring link between land, livelihoods and culture.
Anchored in Samarkand – a historic Silk Road centre and host of the first UNCCD high-level meeting in Central Asia – Uzbekistan opens a gateway to action on dust risk, salinity, water management and dryland livelihoods.