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November 25, 2025
Uzbek Ecolabel Hosts the Global Ecolabelling Network Annual General Meeting 2025
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) participated in the 2025 Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) Annual General Meeting (AGM), held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 14-17 October. The event brought together representatives from governments, ecolabelling organizations, and international partners to strengthen cooperation and promote credible ecolabelling as a key instrument for advancing sustainable consumption and production (SCP).
The meeting was officially opened by H.E. Abdukhakimov Aziz Abdukaxarovich, Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In his opening remarks, the Minister emphasized Uzbekistan’s commitment to being at the forefront of the green economy and invited Uzbek businesses to actively engage in environmental certification efforts. Notably, one local company was formally awarded its ecolabel certification during the event. Uzbekistan has shown strong leadership in Central Asia by explicitly integrating ecolabelling and green public procurement into national legislation. In 2025, Uzbekistan launched the voluntary ecolabel “Yashil Belgi” (Green Mark), developed in accordance with the ISO 14024 standard. Building on this momentum, the Government adopted a resolution in June that encourages certified enterprises by awarding additional points in procurement evaluations, thereby integrating ecolabelling into national procurement systems.
The event brought together ecolabel organizations and government representatives from across Asia and the Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America and the Caribbean. The meeting reaffirmed the commitment of GEN members to advancing sustainable consumption and production through strong partnerships and the exchange of good practices. With a focus on emerging markets, participants discussed how ecolabelling can catalyze change by reaching new consumer communities and supporting regional efforts to scale up credible, harmonized, and impactful sustainability initiatives.
UNEP’s 10-Year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) Secretariat, has a strong partnership with GEN supporting ecolabelling initiatives. During the event, UNEP emphasized the unique contribution of ecolabels in addressing the triple planetary crisis—biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution. Ecolabels guide consumers and businesses toward products and services with lower environmental impacts across their life cycles while supporting national and global policy frameworks, including the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Global Framework for Chemicals, and national efforts to advance circular economy and sustainable public procurement (SPP). UNEP also highlighted the importance of engaging consumers and businesses through effective communication strategies that reflect values such as health, quality, and social responsibility. A strong call was made for greater efforts toward regional and global harmonization of ecolabelling schemes to enhance credibility, efficiency, and policy alignment.
Progress under the EcoAdvance project was showcased, a collaborative effort between UNEP, GIZ, and Öko-Institut, receiving financial support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI). Key achievements include the Environmental Alliance of the Americas, the first regional initiative to establish a joint programme for ecolabelling and environmental declarations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as efforts to develop strong ecolabel criteria for products in the building and construction sector in Asia and to leverage them for SPP. A key highlight for the EcoAdvance project was the in-person signing of six Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between the national ecolabel of Uzbekistan and Japan, Kazakhstan, Singapore, Russia, Thailand and Ukraine, as well as the signing of a tri-party Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between the national ecolabels of Thailand, Sri Lanka and Singapore on common criteria for cement. Regional harmonization of ecolabels helps streamline procedures for businesses seeking to market products across borders, reduce costs and complexity, and catalyze international trade in environmentally friendly products.
Through continued collaboration with GEN and its members, UNEP remains committed to promoting credible ecolabelling systems that empower consumers, enhance transparency, and accelerate the transition toward sustainable consumption and production globally.
Learn more at UNEP One Planet Network news center.
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