XIEG Expert Invited to Central Asia Poverty Reduction Roundtable Discussion

On July 16, the roundtable discussion “Uzbekistan and Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation: Advancing Partnerships for Sustainable Development and Preventing Vulnerable Groups from Falling Back into Poverty” was held in Urumqi. The discussion was jointly organized by the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Institute (CAREC Institute) and the International Institute for Central Asia Studies (IICA).

Government representatives, research experts, and scholars from CAREC member countries attended the discussion and engaged in in-depth exchanges on enhancing poverty reduction and sustainable development cooperation within the CAREC framework.

Javlon Vakhabov, Deputy Adviser to the President of Uzbekistan on Foreign Policy and Director of IICA, and Charymuhammet Shallyyev, Director of the CAREC Institute, delivered opening remarks respectively.

LI Yaoming, Professor of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (XIEG) and Executive Deputy Director of the CAS Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia (RCEECA), was invited to attend and delivered a keynote speech titled “Management of Degraded Grasslands and Sci-tech Poverty Reduction Alleviation in Central Asia”.

Drawing on XIEG’s long-term international scientific cooperation practices in the region, the speech systematically outlined the current state of grassland ecosystem degradation in Central Asia and its impacts on regional livestock development and local livelihoods. It highlighted key achievements in high-value utilization of plant resources on degraded grasslands, indigenous restoration technology development, and the construction of integrated demonstration sites in countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

LI Yaoming emphasized that grassland degradation management is closely linked to poverty reduction, and that science and technology are critical pathways to achieving win-win outcomes for ecological improvement and livelihood enhancement. He noted that China’s experience could serve as a valuable reference for Central Asian countries.

XIEG has long been committed to scientific research and international cooperation in resources, ecology, and environment in Central Asia, and has established close collaborative ties with research institutions across multiple Central Asian nations. In recent years, the XIEG has made significant progress in desertification control, grassland ecological restoration, and water resource management, with relevant outcomes being promoted and applied in Central Asia, thereby providing scientific support for regional sustainable development.

The discussion featured multiple agenda topics. Experts and scholars from the International Poverty Reduction Center in China, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport, and the Economic Research Center under the Presidential Administration also shared insights on poverty reduction cooperation, transport corridor development, and inclusive growth.

Prof. LI Yaoming delivers keynote speech.

Group photo.

Contact

HUANG

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: zlhuang@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn